I was approached by Sally some years ago when she showed me an amazing old sampler. It had been in her family for some years and was particularly special as she can remember it hung in her aunt’s house when she visited for tea. Aged around six, she recalls staring at it when she got bored! The sampler passed to her mother, and then to her in 2012. Sally had all but forgotten the sampler as it lay packaged up in the garage with so many other thigs. Eventually, she opened it up, got it out and as she says: “That was it!”
Her ambition was to recreate the sampler by charting it then stitching her own version. It has taken three years, but she has done just that – with spectacular results. I was thrilled when she visited to share the finished piece. I know how exhausting it is copying an old sampler stitch-for-stitch.
As for the original sampler, it hasn’t been neglected. I did what I could to make it both safe from further damage, and ready to frame. Once all the rusty old tacks were removed, I mounted the embroidery on a piece of washed unbleached linen which was then mounted on an acid-free board. I know that Sally’s intention is to frame both samplers in the same style, so I am now preparing her new piece to match the old.
