Some sampler news....

Greetings,

First off, I thought I would share some progress on my next release, Sarah Ann Marven.  Sarah is a large sampler, and I am currently at a standstill needing to get some more threads.  Sarah's verse is a tribute to her dead mother.  I did not think that I could bare to stitch it so soon after my Mother's passing, but oddly enough it is rather comforting.  

While waiting, I have accomplished a few small finishes.  First is a hornbook design.  A fun, easy stitch.  The chart was purchased from Etsy.  Will be mounted on a breadboard.

Next, a cute Christmas design by Lori Rippey.

A pretty design by Pineberry Lane, Elizabeth Pickford, with a few changes, mostly to use threads that I had.  Elizabeth may become a stitching  bag.

Here is the a beautiful Virginia sampler currently being charted.  She is Elizabeth Tompkins, and I am honored to have been asked by a descendant of Lizzie's to chart her.  There is an enormous amount of  history available on Elizabeth, but unfortunately I have yet to identify the manor house, or find another sampler with this beautiful border.  I believe Lizzie to have been taught by an aunt rather than in a school.  However, another aunt was a teacher at a girls' academy, and is mentioned in Kim Ivey's book, In The Neatest Manner.

Finally, a few photos of a new acquisition, Ellen Spedding 1832.  She features lots of red, a pair of really cool deer, and Adam and Eve.  I love that she wrote "In Adam's Fall, We Sinned All"  Finally, a girl who blamed Adam!  Should be fun to reproduce.

Wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Melinda xxx