First off, here is my progress on my version of the sampler on the cover of SANQ magazine, issue #66, Spring 2012. I have been changing colours and stitches, and switching bands around and generally having fun with it. I love doing that....sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn`t. We will see I guess.

This is one of the changes I am making, filling the carnations with brick stitch instead of satin stitches, and a close up of the second band

Where I took a half band of queen stitch strawberries and extended it the full width of the sampler ( I may regret that by the time I am done with all those queen stitches!)

I don`t know if you can see it or not, but I have cat hair in those queens!! Time to get out the tweezers I guess. I just don`t have the heart to not let my Lady J cuddle when i`m stitching!

 I have been reading and rereading my books from Needleprint, esp the Feller Collection I and the Goodhart Samplers. On page 94 of The Goodhart Samplers, Eva-Lotta Hansson poses a theory that has been stuck in my head for a few weeks now, that some 17th century samplers were purchased from workshops with the double running patterns already in place and then embellished by the stitcher as fancy took her, using what colours she had either the stitches she knew, or was taught by a governess or family member. This would explain the number of samplers with the same basic band layout but very different in embellishment. Perhaps we have been looking for schools that produced similar samplers when we should have been looking for professional workshops? Or maybe even an individual that provided these 'template' samplers as a means of supporting herself when jobs for women were nearly nonexistent. Food for thought...

As always, keep stitching ladies!