I thought I’d written about this before, but I don’ t seem to have – maybe on a forum or rec.crafts.textiles.needlework usenet or somesuch.
So here goes again.
Years ago I was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (that’s also where I got the name Romilly, but that’s another story). I don’t fight, so I needed something to do with my hands — I started a sampler, taking historic motifs from various patterns I owned and mixing them up, adding a few of my own and such.
It was also a way to use my stash of Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and Weeks Dye Works threads.
What I learned, the hard way — they mean it when they say “don’t wash.”
How I learned it. Squirrel pee. Or bird. Whatever it was, it’s three drips on the sampler. In retrospect, these were not thread or fabric choices I should have made for a piece I was going to be carrying around in the woods with me!
I tried to wash out the stain – it’s still there, though I can’t get a good photo of it. I think it melted some of the fabric threads. And the red threads (aren’t they always the culprit?) ran. All over the old-formula lugana – the stuff with NO cotton or natural fibers in it at all (OK, so it was also a way to get rid of a fabric I hated stitching on…) so it stains easily. It’s sad. Both the situation and the sampler.
The sampler sits in my UFO (unfinished objects) box to this day. I keep meaning to try overdying it in a tea color to antique it a bit – or just cut it up and use it in a crazy quilt as is. I never seem to get around to either of them, though. And so it sits. Waiting for me to do something – anything with it.
Details below. As usual, click to see closer.
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- Sad Sampler
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- Top of the band area – see the bleeding?!
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- Bleeding Sampler Motifs
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- Small (tiny!) motifs – some over one
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- My initials – Before EO
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- Holly Point Strawberry. I’m still proud of this!
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- Pulled work area
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- hardanger section
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- A very pretty white cutwork area. I’m still proud of this.
Well if it makes anyone feel beettr I didn’t even notice the word wasn’t accept and I’m not thick either ;O). Loving old samplers as I do I’m getting used to there being letters missing from an alphabet or words spelt differently. I stitched a small sampler and made it into a cushion a few years ago it was from an old magazine. My sister saw it from a distance and hit on the mispelling straight away. She also was the first and only person to see I had missed 2 stitches in my framed Angel of Spring wing. Then again she looks for the negative, me I think it makes it unique :o) We can go through life looking for ‘faults’ or we can go through life enjoying the beauty of the creations around us, I prefer the latter. I love the design perfect for a treasured friend.Peg x