With thy Needle & Thread: Something old is new again...

I received a package in the mail from Suzanne, my model stitcher, on Friday.

I get all giddy when these packages arrive, tis almost like giving birth!!

To see an old sampler reproduced and all new again always seems to take my breath away.

The sampler is an early 19th century linen and wool work sampler. Though undated, the type of linen used and the style of stitch work would indicate this needlework dates to around 1840's.

The sampler was backed with paper that was hand-stitched to the sampler. When I saw the paper backing, I was hoping I would find a signature and date written on it...but not so. What I did find was a whole lot of wooly floss eating moth do do...

Ish.

As several of my antique samplers, this sampler too, was hand sewn to a piece of wood, much like how a shoe cobbler would sew the sole of a shoe. This form of attaching ones work always intrigues me. As much as I don't like pinning a sampler to foam-core, the thought of putting this on my hubby's "honey do" list isn't such a bad idea... I can see the look already..."honey would you drill some tiny holes, evenly spaced, around a piece of wood?" Something tells me the piece would never get framed!! ;) I'm not sure he has a drill bit in his tool box this small. Who did this step of the finishing of the piece when it was finished? Was it the man of the house?

As you can see there is major stitch loss in the corners of the piece. I was able to reproduce it by looking at the borders across from each other. Luckily, the stitch loss was worse on one side then the other, aiding in reproducing the chart as close to the original as possible. There is some stitches that got worked over 3 threads instead of two, so adjustments needed to be made for this. This gets a little challenging when it occurs in the border...my cross stitch program doesn't allow for stitches over 3 threads!

The antique sampler is contained within it's seemingly original frame, which is also from date. I have chosen a burl wood frame for the reproduction. The frame color really compliments the focal motif of this sampler...a pink-legged sparrow! The sampler has a real naive charm about it. The top of the sampler is graced with a wonderful sparrow perched upon a blossoming branch. Floral motifs on each side and a leafy border beneath. The central section of the linen has alphabet, letters and more border patterns. The bottom section has a large central floral urn with birds on either side and two cute dogs at the bottom holding baskets in their mouths. The whole sampler is surrounded by a meandering floral border.