For The Love of Samplers

I keep telling myself that I am going to continually update this blog but weeks go by and I continue to neglect it.  I get busy with day to day stuff or I am stitching on a new design or charting something and before I know the day is gone.

I am so happy to see so many reproduction samplers reproduced lately.  They are my favorites and there are some beauties out there, in fact, I could not resist purchasing a couple myself.  When I will have time to stitch them is a mystery but at least I have them when I'm ready.

Over the years I have purchased several antique samplers and have a small collection.  About 10 years ago I reproduced Ann Merchant, and I think it is still out there in some shops.  Merchant was my mother's maiden name and so I knew Ann had to be a relative since the sampler was found in the area where the Merchant Family lived in the 1800's.  In fact, she turned out to be a distant cousin.  The sampler was in bad shape when I rescued it but I have since had it put in a archival frame and hung it on my wall next to the reproduced Ann Merchant.

Over the last few months, I have been working on another...Ann Hughes.  I guess Ann was a very popular name.  Poor Ann's sampler is also on need of some restoration, so since I have finished charting her, she will be re-framed and enjoyed for many years to come.  I have just  few more stitches to go and her reproduction will be complete.  The antique Ann Hughes was a little tricky to chart...wherever she was stored all these years, it left her so dirty and faded it was very hard to tell what colors in which she had been stitched.  Even the back was very faded but I was able to see some hues of pink, green, brown, blue and red.  So I reproduced it as best as I could...I think Ann would be happy.  Here's a little peek.

Ann Hughes

I am hoping to get her to the framers later this week and then I will release the chart in the next few weeks.

I have now begun another reproduction from my collection...Mary Pilgrim.  I have charted little motifs from her but she will now get fully reproduced.  She is taking more time because she has some specialty stitches and was stitched on 52 count linen with silk thread.  I can only chart a few motifs a day...I have to wear my readers, and a magnifying glass with my Ott desk lamp.

Mary Pilgrim

It's going to be awhile before she is reproduced!

So this is how it all began...samplers!  I learned to cross stitch because I loved samplers and I will enjoy stitching every minute of Mary Pilgrim.