A Sampling of Nostalgia

This post is all about samplers and samplers I have stitched over the years.
I don't tend to spend much time these days cross stitching, however the journey began in the early eighties when my good friend Mechelle Harrison came for dinner one evening and showed me her cross stitch. I couldn't wait to have a go , I remember going to bed that night and I couldn't stop thinking about cross stitching.
Mechelle then introduced me to a delightful shop called Topiary Lane, that was owned by a wonderful needlewoman, her name was Rhonda Townsend.
There was always so much inspiration in her shop and Rhonda was very generous with her help and knowledge, and so the journey began.
I began stitching on Aida cloth and stitched cutesy patterns but I always loved alphabets and script completed on linen and so my love of samplers was born.

Some of the photo's (well most) are behind glass so the quality of the pictures are not brilliant but I hope you get a bit of an idea.

This sampler is unframed and unfinished, I began it some years ago, it is huge and I probably don't want to hang it in my home these days so it may remain a UFO . Quite a part of this verse is crossed using one thread stitched over one thread. Taxing on the eyes :-) these days.

I have gathered a few of these catalogues from Whitney Antiques in England. We visited a couple of years back. I thought I had died and gone to antique sampler heaven. Amazing to think these young girls completed these samplers without patterns and good light.

My love of script and alphabets, not to mention the colour Raspberry.

Oops looks like the next 2 you will have to lie down, lol sorry I am having trouble uploading this morning.

I stitched this in one colour thread (DMC 309) on Natural linen, I had a vision of a room that only contained single colour red (309) samplers, I have only done about 3 to date. This is one of them.

This is a reproduction of a French girl Anna Milet, Anna completed her sampler in 1895.

This is another favourite reproduction, I was fascinated that Mary had added a little cross stitched motif patch to the corner of her sampler and so I authenticated this sampler.

Generally I used the name and date as the original

This sampler is a modern one called pink house by 'Little by Little'. I was stitching the border of this sampler when a member of our family passed away so I added a little memoriam in the border.

This was one of the first samplers I stitched and to date it is still a favourite. Rebecca Waverly.There is quite a large verse stitched one over one

This is also a modern day replication. I think it may be by Goode Huswif not sure.

Grace Gibson, I have stitched this a couple of times as I have given it to friends. I love alphabets along with motifs, very interesting to stitch and see the sampler come to life.

This is also a modern day sampler , also Goode Huswif I think. I know this was a favourite designer.

This is a one colour sampler reproduced by 'The Scarlett Letter' it could be stitched in any favourite colour , green was authentic to the original.

Betsy Wood, also a 'Scarlett Letter' pattern. I used to tea dye a lot of my linen, I was told I was crazy as in time the linen would rot out but I figured it wouldn't be in my lifetime so wasn't too concerned.

I have boxes full of framed samplers that haven't seen the light of day for years, probably a bit sad as many hours have been spent weaving thread through linen.

I have many patterns that will probably never be stitched, silly really but I guess many of you can relate to the 'stash', maybe I will put some on this blog if any of you are interested.

I hope whatever you are stitching it gives you pleasure.

until next time

Happy stitching

j