Last week a workmate’s mother lost her fight against cancer. Judith was also a stitcher, and I am very fortunate that I have been given a large portion of her stash. The only request was from her husband, asking that I finish her Grecian sampler (that’s the one started below on the white linen). It’s quite unlike anything I have in my current WIP pile, and definitely one for my “16 in 2016” list.

Also included is this sampler. I took the notes from a historical sampler blog  www.Needleprint.blogspot.com

This stunning sampler from the Wyndham and District Historical Museum in NZ, which was likely stitched by Mary Meikle in 1836. It is probable that Mary was born to Robert Meikle and Sarah McPherson in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Robert’s name is worked in black, the custom being that he was deceased at the time of stitching. In fact, Sarah went on to marry Andrew Wilson in 1826, who would have become Mary’s step-father. I particularly like the variation on the dedication: I have done this to let you see how kind my parents were to me. Which feels a little less remote than the usual – what good care my parents took of me. This is such a fabulous Scottish sampler with its large thistle, cupped garlands, row of family initials and the distinctive paired urns in the lower corners. But not only that, there are two darling confronting birds perched on a heart over the word Amor – Love. And look at the labelled deer and lepord. And for good measure, at the base is a Solomon’s Temple above which the date stands with its quirky reversal of the numeral 3. For your copy of this sampler contact Sherelyn at Heirlooms, NZ or visit the Heirlooms web-site.

I’ve never stitched a historical sampler – or any really, apart from birth records. Has anyone out there done one?