Simple Samplers for simple days

Tonight I picked up a simple sampler which I've had for a long time, and decided to try to conquer the heringbone stitch as demonstrated in the pattern booklet. Tought I would work on it more. The pattern is actually a reproduction sampler and the sampler is framed separately. The designer is The Scarlett Letter.

The Frances Bliss and the Lydia Hinckley samplers

Here are some pics:

Here are the DMC cotton colors. I had bought this as a kit with the Scarlett Letter fabric as well.

I like their fabric as it's firm enough to stitch in hand without a hoop. I do need to press the fold out before I get into the next row though. Just noticed that. This is 25 count unbleached linen. I'm following recommendations in the pattern for 2 over 2 but I can tell that the herringbone rows could easily use only 1 thread; however, again it makes more texture to the piece.

  I love the way The Scarlett Letter gives details and history of samplers.

You know, in old samplers, they were usually stitched by very young girls and frequently there are misspellings and of course with reproduction the original is retained. The top one obviously was stitched by a 6 year old! Can't imagine. But she misspelled and has SEX in the line. I had to look at that twice to make sure.

The chart states that the sampler most likely was separated like this due to scarcity of fabric and threads.

She reproduced this in 1983.

I've got quite a few rows of practice for the herringbone stitch.

I've seen several variations on the herringbone stitch but this is what is recommended in the pattern.

I'm hoping Bodyguard is going to make me some odd size frames for these when I finish because they look best just like this, close to the frame itself and hung separately, but together on my sampler wall.

I hope you found something interesting to work on today.

I actually started feeling like I was run over by a Mac truck this afternoon with sore throat and fever. But I'm trying to pretend it's really not anything at all......don't have time for sick.

:O

I think I felt all 208 bones in my body ache today.

Fiddle D D

Tomorrow is another day!