Periwinkle & Liberty Lawn Needleroll

A mini band sampler finds a new life mounted on some glorious Liberty Lawn to create a needleroll. The band sampler includes my favourite counted stitches worked on fine linen: Hardanger embroidery, hemstitch, bullion bars, couching, satin stitch, four-sided stitch, adapted double cross and Algerian eyes. I have lined the inside with some space-dyed pure wool felt and added three gold-plated needles to get you started.

The project measures 8.25 x 3in (21 x 7.5cm) and it will be supplied wrapped in recycled tissue and boxed.

This band sampler was part of a series of counted linen projects that I used to teach when I held classes here at my home. Loosely based on the seasons, there will be three more of these needle rolls in a few weeks but in other colourways.

Band samplers have been a personal favourite for many years, and I still crave to buy a band sampler from the 17th century! Some of the earliest samplers from the 16th century, typically band samplers, included a huge variety of stitches. They were made from long, thin strips of linen and were not intended to be decorative but to act as a reference to stitchers and were kept rolled up in a drawer to be referred to as necessary. These now very valuable treasures demonstrate the skill, diligence and patience of the embroiderers and leave us in awe of their talent. We also must remember that the fabric had to be woven and the threads dyed before the stitching began in earnest.