Moving on...

The last of the punch needle designs are now complete, pattern instructions are wrote, only now I need the sky to cooperate! Wanting a nice some~what sunny day to take the last photo. Hoping to have them posted and ready for purchase by weeks~end.

We are grey~skied here today with a good old fashioned winter ice storm going on outside. They are forecasting a 1/2" of ice then turning over to snow...

A good day to stay inside, unless you have a pair of skates to strap on! Our lights are flickering now & again, just hoping we aren't sitting by candlelight by evening.

With the punch needle pieces done , its time to move on.

Time to move onto the next thing...

Time with the linen, needle & thread.

A soon to be published sampler that will be worked in various shades of reds, mustard's, yellow beige's, khaki greens, powdery blues & drabby browns. The color palette is yummy! Various motifs common to the samplers created in the 1800's will be used throughout this some~what larger piece.

I enjoy working samplers. Each little motif doesn't take all that long to stitch and there is just something about finishing one thing and moving onto the next...a sense of accomplishment of sorts in a short amount of time.

As I sit and work these school~girl type samplers, my mind wanders. I try to visualize the young girls that so carefully worked these samplers & at the same time learned their alphabet. It was the duty of these girls parents to teach them needlework skills regardless of their wealth. The "instructress" or needlework teacher often made the decision as to the overall design, verse and thread choices...leaving very little choice for the young stitchers. You will often find unfinished antique pieces, suggesting not every little girl saw the enjoyment in her needlework.

With my needle & my thread,

Which now appears so neat,

Before I was quite nine years old,

I did this work complete.

It still will show when I am old,

Or laid into the tomb, How I employed my little hands,

While I was in my bloom.

(verse from an antique school~girl sampler)

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda