Today was a good mail day! I received packages from two internet needlework shops (I don't have a local shop unfortunately), and I haven't even opened one of them yet. This is a brand new reproduction sampler that just came out at the Nashville Market. It was charted by Historic Stitches, and it is the John Foster Sampler of 1885. I saw it and fell in love with it, so I had to have it. As soon as I finish my Birds of a Feather project, this will be my next project (even though it is not on my 2005 Stitching Goals list--I didn't know about it at the time). I tend to go for charts that have houses, and this one even has a bee skep--two of my favorite motifs!
I thought this was really interesting as it was designed by a boy, though his age is not listed on the chart. I don't think I have ever seen a reproduction sampler stitched by a boy, though surely they must exist. Some interesting facts about this--he filled his sampler with many, many motifs at a time when samplers had only alphabets, numerals, and only a few motifs. Behind the house is a garden maze, which is a medaillon design that was stitched on Quaker samplers much earlier--this information is all from the back of my chart.
The original sampler was stitched on 18-count off white fabric, which darkened over time. John used one strand of fine wool to stitch his sampler. The original colors were very bright and vivid, which faded over time. I am stitching this using 35 count lambswool (which is one of my favorite types of fabric), using a few Weeks Dye Works overdyed colors, and for the rest I will be using DMC. The designer who did the reproduction for this has even given DMC color equivalents for the original colors (which on the back are not faded), and the equivalents for the front of the sampler, which have a more muted and aged look. I will be using the more vintage shades from the front. The final size of the stitched sampler is 8.75" x 11.25". And the designer even made a fob from the bee skep motif, which I will have to do as well. You might be able to see it on the bottom of the chart picture that I scanned. Now I get to go and open my other package!!