Greetings from Merry Wind Farm on a blustery Ohio autumn day...


I thought I would post a little about my favorite type of schoolgirl samplers...Scottish samplers, namely Scottish House Samplers.  I recently purchased an antique Scottish house sampler on ebay, Mary Inglis 1830.  Note the house, the family initials (the ones in black indicate deceased), the laurel around her name, the large eyelet alphabet, and the trees on either side of the house.  I would love to chart this so I could stitch a reproduction of Mary's sampler.

Compare this sampler with three Scottish reproductions that I have stitched.  First, here is Isabel Redie 1816 (chart by Scarlet Letter).  Isabel was a more accomplished stitcher, as evidenced by the intricacy of her arcaded bands and alphabet.
There is a similar large gabled house ...

Then we have Agnes Scott 1810 (chart by Ellen Chester of With My Needle).  Once again ... a very similar house and black initials of deceased family members...

There has been much research into the source of the large house so frequently depicted on Scottish samplers in the early 1800's, but nothing has ever been found.  Was there a real building somewhere, or was is just a pattern used by many teachers?


Finally, a Scottish sampler without a house, but with the same laurel and trees.  This is Jean Scrimgeowr 1779 (Scarlet Letter again)

I do not claim to be an expect on any of this, far from it, just an embroiderer who loves stitching and Scottish samplers.  I hope you have enjoyed looking at them.


Have a nice weekend!  'Til next time ....
Melinda