The Walker Sisters was the book released at the Blackbird Designs Farewell Retreat held at Dyeing to Stitch in September 2024.
Hannah Walker - Aged 6 - 1814: Stitched on 36 ct fabric using Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts threads. Stitch count is 123w x 145h. Finished size is 6 7/8" x... Read more
Note from the designer: I'm very proud of this reproduction -- it's been in progress for almost two years now, and it's finally here!!! It's suitable for all stitchers and fabrics -- no specialty stitches, no over-one, no alphabets. Just a big, beautiful, checkerboard house and lots... Read more
Under the soft gleam of a winter lamp, a square of linen lies unfurled on my worktable - its surface alive with threads of crimson and green that weave together more than just patterns. At first glance, it appears a simple sampler: a neat arrangement of alphabets, numerals, and flourishes stitched... Read more
In 1894, in the small town of Pouance, there lived a young girl named Lea
Letourneur. Unlike many embroiderers of her time, who endlessly repeated their neat red alphabets, Lea dreamed of light, of flowers, and of birds. Stitch by stitch, her needle traced an alphabet bursting with life, bordered... Read more
Made in Providence, Rhode Island, this sampler is a superb example of the work done at Miss Mary (Polly) Balch's school, one of the most important female learning institutions in America at that time. Combining sophisticated architectural, landscape and figural motifs with elaborate and unusual... Read more
We are pleased to present to you this charming sampler worked by Emma Wright in 1904 when she was 9 years old. There were many Emma Wrights born in England in the year 1895 so we are not able to pinpoint our Emma with any certainty.
Emma's sampler has been reproduced using a palette of... Read more
Model stitched over 2 threads on a 56 Ct. Velum linen by Foxglove and Lace Linens with Au Ver a Soie, Soie 100.3. Stitch Count: 87x257. Finished size over 2 on 56 Ct. linen is 3.11" x 9.18".
Note from the designer - This is the most symmetrical, balanced, counted thread sampler that we have ever charted from. It is also one of the most satisfying, challenging, and beautiful samplers in the world. Originally worked on a fine wool ground, the colors of our reproduction have been matched... Read more
Note from the designer - "Eleanor Parr created this amazing and unique sampler some time before 1835. The border of birds encircled by vines and leaves is unprecedented. Fleurs de lys embellish each of the four corners surrounding a central reserve containing a traditional verse, floral sprays... Read more
Julia Rachel De La Mare, 1849, A Fuersney, Channel Island Sampler.
The Antique: This lovely vibrant sampler is in the style common to the time called Berlin Woolwork, named such after the printed patterns originating from Berlin where individual motifs such as florals, birds, the center... Read more
Helen Monro is a reproduction of an original sampler in our collection from Falkirk, Scotland.
"Remember thy creator and redeemer in the days of thy youth while the evil days come not nor the years draw high when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them."
Step into a quiet, mysterious evening with the Black Moon Cottage Sampler, a moody and charming design inspired by old New England homesteads, weathered willow trees, and the folklore that lingers between dusk and moonrise. A solitary cottage settles on a hill beneath a crescent black moon, watched... Read more
Cross stitch pattern from Scarlett House featuring an antique reproduction of a sampler, charted with original over one verse and includes an over two alternative also.
Pattern is stitched on 40 ct. linen with Weeks Dye Works and Classic Colorworks floss (includes DMC Conversion). Stitch count is 241 x 260. Finished size is 12" x 13".
Note from the designer - "Typical of so many Scottish samplers, Elizabeth Masterton's features an abundance of initials (likely familial), rows of evergreen trees, peacocks with seven tail feathers, and the now famous mansion house fronted by a pillared fence and gates enclosing sheep. Apart... Read more
"Sepia Sampler" by Notforgotten Farm was designed by Lori Brechlin. This sweet and simple sampler design inspired by vintage designs.
Stitched on 30ct Parchment linen from Weeks Dye Works using two strands of floss over two threads of linen, using all DMC threads. Stitch count is 82 x 121. Finished size is approx. 5.4" x 8".
Cross stitch pattern from Lila's Studio featuring a reproduction sampler with the Lord's Prayer.
The model was stitched with 1 strand of floss over 2 threads of fabric on 40 Ct. Old Massachusetts by The Primitive Hare with Gloriana Silk floss. Stitch Count: 144 x 172. Finished size: 7.2" x 8.6"
Coco Chanel described simplicity as the key to elegance, and the sampler that Charlotte worked as a child is quite simply elegant. Charlotte's exquisitely laid stitches, worked in black silk, demonstrate that the seven-year-old child was skilled in marking stitch.
Elizabeth finished her stunning sampler on Wednesday, February 1, in the year 1854. The sampler would have been worked as part of her education. It would have taken many hours to complete and is an amazing achievement. A bobby dazzler of a sampler! Elizabeth created a cohesive, engaging, and... Read more
We are delighted to present to you a stunning sampler that was completed by Maria Wales Newson in the year 1838 when she was 13 years old. There is much to delight your eye and needle in this Bobby Dazzler.
Stitched on your choice of fabric using DMC threads. Stitch count is 295 x 413. Finished size is 22.39 x 28.94 inches for 36 count.
Note from the designer: "This densely worked sampler displays exquisite detail and contains many of the most popular needlework motifs of the seventeenth century. The flowers are realistically shaded to achieve a natural look."
Finished size on 35 count linen is 7 1/4" x 25... Read more
Note from the designer - "This design was inspired by an early eighteenth century English picture executed in tent stitch." The designs features a lion, a leopard and a parrot surrounded by bright flowers.
The design is stitched over one thread on 35 Ct. linen. It uses cross stitch,... Read more
Note from the designer - "This picture was originally designed to be used as a cushion or footstool cover, or perhaps as a decorative vignette inserted into the top of a wooden box for storing precious objects. Executed entirely in cross stitch, its most prominent characters are a large squirrel... Read more
Amelia Boyce's pictorial sampler demonstrates two popular art forms of the early 19th century manifested in the sampler mode: the image of an architectural engraving, and the influence of Berlin patterns in the naturalistic (rather than nave or stylized) floral patterns. A widely mixed floral... Read more
Model stitched over 2 threads on 36 Ct. Light Examplar with DMC floss (conversions provided for AVAS silk). Stitch Count: 281W x 380H. Finished size: 15.61" x 21.11".
Part Seven of the Abecedarian Series. Model stitched on 30 ct. American Chestnut linen by R&R Reproductions with Gentle Art Sampler threads. Stitch Count: 90W x 144H. Finished Size: 6" x 10"
Model stitched on 40 ct Autumn Gold from Lakeside linen using Gloriana's, Dinky Dyes and Classic Colorworks silks. Shown on an Ackfeld Manufacturing hanger. Stitch Count: 292W x 388H and the finished size is 14.6" x 19.4".
Ann Jefferson stitched her sampler at the age of 10. A sweet marking sampler with alphabets and sweet strawberries and pots of flowers in bold colors. The stitch count is 129 wide by 137 high and is stitched mostly in cross stitch with one band of 16-leg eyelets. This sampler can be stitched on linen or aida. Finished size on 32 Ct is 8.06" x 8.56".
Agnes Binnie was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland, on March 22, 1808, to Robert Binnie and Mary Addie. She married James Barclay on March 16, 1832, in Falkirk, Stirlingshire. The couple had at least six sons and three daughters. Around 1870 they emigrated to Scotland Township in McDonough, Illinois.... Read more
This booklet from Blackbird Designs features 3 projects.
Stitch Counts and finished sizes:
- Thy Love More Strong - 141w x 178h (7.83" x 9.89")
- On the Alder Bough - 61w x 61h (3.39" x 3.39")
- The Strawberry Jar - 59w x 53h (3.28" x 2.94")
... Read more
Note from the designer: "This American band sampler was originally worked in Lynn, Massachusetts. Hannah Breed is mentioned in Bolton and Coe's authoritative book American Samplers. Rows of lettering are intermixed with a row of sheep and cows, a verse, and floral bands. The verse says:
Note from the designer: "The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew. Soon after Mary and Jesus were visited by the Magi, who had learned that King Herod intended to kill the male infants in that region, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee... Read more
Note from the designer - This needlework was designed after an English sampler in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts-Boston. The lush border flowers are similar to those on a sampler made by Sarah Brignell from around the same period, suggesting the existence of a school or teacher whose... Read more
This design by Little House Needleworks features an alphabet sampler and the some biblical texts. In the center is two houses all surrounded by flora and fauna.
Model stitched on 36ct Straw Weeks Dye Works Linen using Classic Colorworks thread.
Stitch count: 306w x 347h.
Note from the designer - "At age nine in 1818, Sarah Dutnel created this unusual "tree of life" sampler. A traditional carnation and tulip border in subtle, earthy shades of gold, brown, and cream surrounds the tree. Dogs, deer, birds, stars, potted plants, trees and flowers flank the... Read more