Sunday 13 July 2014

Some old samplers

My groups have just held a stitch and chat day with a display of the work they have done over the last year. We had a few visitors including one lady who had brought 3 samplers to show us, and when she unwrapped them, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  She very kindly let me photograph them.

Unfortunately none of them are dated, so here's my best guesses.


I guess this charming little piece is mid to late Victorian - beautifully stitched in  tiny cross stitches across one thread on fine white linen.


I really can't guess a date for this one - maybe late eigtheenth century, early nineteenth century. This one has a name - Ann Beckett - at the bottom. This one was difficult to read, so there may be a date somewhere. The bottom two thirds is the Lord's prayer, worked in tine eyelets on unbleached linen.


This one's a real enigma - it looks like a seventeenth century band sampler (surely not!), but looking at it, it appears to have some later additions - the blue flowers and possibly the white flowers in the second and fourth bands. The "original" bits are exquisitely stitched with tiny stitches on a piece of very fine unbleached linen. There is also evidence of metallic threads in the top band. The "additions" are fairly crudely stitched .

If anyone can add anything, I'd love to hear your thoughts!