Wednesday 14 May 2014

Samplers, Stitches and techniques....

Good morning!

One of my great passions is samplers, I think that is why I love to design them, but add antique fabric into the mix....

I am collecting antique samplers for our home and become amazed at the ages of children who have completed samplers years ago.  The stitching is tiny and some of the work astounds me.  I am sure that not a lot of 6 year old could do this sort of work now.

I am always looking at antique samplers for inspiration and quite frankly just to please me.  I hope that when I design samplers now that these will be admired as a samplers with a twist.

The Victoria and Albert museum has a exhibitions of samplers ranging from the 16thC to 19thC. They are well worth taking a look at.  Also there a fascinating facts like the first known printed pattern book was published by Johann Schonsperger in Augsburg Germany in about 1523, this was followed by others in Germany, Italy, France and England.  The increasing availability of pattern books brought new sources of reference to apply to ladies work.

I have a few samplers that I am stitching at the moment and enjoy so much watching them grow and also the fact of adding stunning vintage fabric and a button here or there.  But always there is either a stitched saying or ABC and 123. I am also dabbling with doing a sampler with squares of different stitches ......

I am doing one for print and one as a commission at the moment, They make beautiful nursery pictures too, depending on what you stitch on them.  I am going to do one for our home as well.  I am absolutely enchanted by samplers.  I hope to be able so show you some of my designs very soon.

Take a look if you can in the Victoria and Albert it really is a wonderful place to visit.


Of female arts in usefulness
The needle far exceeds the rest
In ornament there's no device 
Affords adornment half so nice
While thus we practice every art
To adorn and grace our mortal part
Let us with no less care devise
To improve the mind that never dies.
1803




This is a linen sampler. Embroidered with silk in double
running stitch pattern.  Stitcher unknown.
Egypt 15th - 16th Century.
Given to the Victoria and Albert by
Mrs F H Cook.



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