Studying old embroideries really puts you in the shoes of the stitcher. I have always been fascinated by samplers and am always a bit overwhelmed by the thought that the stitchers were so young. I thought you might enjoy studying samplers too, so I have put together a small selection of charts, histories, and luscious photos of favourites from my own collection. Each one is a little piece of history you can recreate for yourself.

This charming but flawed sampler has been charted using a magnifying glass and my cross stitch design program. Jannet was only 11 years old when she started this piece of work and had no such luxuries. Her two sisters also worked a sampler using the same pattern, although one was never completed. I bought all three samplers because I loved the fact that they were sisters, and I could not bear to separate them.

In your lovely JG Book Box, you will find: