April Meeting - Part One

Our program this month was so filled with photos of the beautiful samplers brought by Crystal S. that I have divided the meeting into two posts.   For the program portion, please see post "April Meeting - Part Two"

Announcements -

Salty Yarns Retreat - This year is shaping up to be the biggest ever!    MEMBERS ONLY Retreat the weekend of April 27th.

May - The Gold Work Class.   The class will be in the afternoon following the meeting.   The morning meeting will feature the teacher sharing her vast knowledge of gold work. Even if you are not attending the class, you should make sure you attend the meeting.

June - Many members will be attending the symposium at the Biggs Museum, therefore we will hold a stitch-in instead of a program.

July - Pat Y. will share her collection of stitched angels.   She will also have a small kit for everyone in attendance.

August - The August meeting is our traditional "stash redistribution sale".   The guild would hope you will share a percentage of any sales with the treasury.   Also, at the individual stitchers choice, any items not sold or traded, can be left to be taken to Fireside for their eBay auction.

September - Member Liz C. will provide a demo on Peyote beading.  There will be a small charge for the kit.   More info will follow.

October - Both Francine C. and Marnie B. collect marclyn ware.   They will bring in their collections to share.

November - TBD

December - Our annual holiday luncheon.   For the exchange,  to participate, please stitch a small needlework accessory and bring to the meeting wrapped for exchanging.  

Show 'n Tell

Samplers Revisited, stitched by Dennis S.   

Jean T. stitched both the above and below samplers.

Heart's Ease Examplar Workes Belsnickle's Christmas, by Theresa B.

Blackbird Designs, stitched by.........(anyone know who?)

Jean T.'s class piece finished.

Punch needle bunny and chick, stitched by Cinda.   So cute!

Prairie Schooler (I think), Stitched by Ellen P.

Ellen's finish from last month's class.   She used the ribbon from the class name tag and created a draw string bag.   Clever!

Hands-on-Design stitched by Andrea.   She finished using a magnet so she can change them out.

Lindsay shared this beauty.   Even prettier in person.   This was charted in black only.   Lindsay adapted it for color.   Great job.

Perforated paper ornaments by Lindsay.

Two pillows stitched by Lindsay.   I think they are Pine Mt. kits.

Caryl framed her Girls of the Guild Sampler but The Purple Thread.

Not only does Caryl stitch and finish she overachieves and knits too.  She said she made her first sweater and bootie set 30 years ago for the father of this soon to be born little one.  

Ann S. shared her progress on Queenstown Sampler's Corsica River 

Mary Rita is working on finishing some pieces from a fellow stitcher at her EGA group.   Look at the cool joining of two different pieces of linen.   

If I didn't get a picture of your finish, I apologize.   It is difficult at meetings when we don't have the Show 'n Tell table.   By the time I can politely circulate, many have already put their items away.   If you'd like me to add you pictures here, please take a photo and email me a red1974@hotmail.com.

April Meeting Part Two

We were treated to the wonderful collection of Crystal S.   She shared her knowledge and the research she has done on each sampler.  She is a retired IT Executive who has over 120 antique samplers in her collection.    While working she had little time to stitch but has always loved stitching.  When Spirit of Cross Stitch was popular, she developed her love of samplers.  She does vast genealogy research of each piece in part to ensure she identifies the stitcher but also the stitcher's family history.

Crystal also provided a handout on the timeline of the history of  England, Scottish and American.   What this does is it tells us what is going on in the world around these girls at the time they stitched their samplers.   Sometimes the events of the world had an effect on the motifs, etc.  As can be seen lower on this page in the Mary Ann Harding sampler.   The verse references the death of a child.  At the time this was stitched there had been a cholera epidemic.   Maybe one has nothing to do with the other, but maybe it did.   

This Ayrshire lace was unbelievable.   Such beautiful, precise hand stitching.  This is from the Victorian era.

Maria Buckwalter Sampler, 1834, Lancaster County, PA

Elizabeth Sanders, English Sampler, 1805

Close up of the previous sampler. And below, the back of the sampler.

Close up of the pulled work.

White work reticella work.  Crystal said through her research, this is believed to be a 'resume' sampler.   A stitcher would have featured all her best work to share with potential employers to showcase skills.

Madelene Gerst, 1792, PA German Sampler.   Thought to be used as a primer for motifs for marking linens.   The Gerst family is associated with the Schwenkfelder's.

Scottish and Gaelic sampler of Mary McGregor of Inveresragan, Scotland.   The verse is Gaelic Psalm 110, verse 2

Louisa Phelps, 1827, Connecticut Sampler

Above and below, the Knibbs sisters samplers.  1809  (say that three times fast).  Interestingly, the verse is from Francois de La Rochefoucauld, of France.   Also, for you Oak Island fans, Rochefoucauld is associated with Oak Island.

Redwork sampler of C. M. Schouten. 1804

Susannah Clarke Sampler 1835

Mary Ann Harding of the Kinnerton School, 1835, near Wales.   The verse is haunting as it is about the death of a child. 

Elizabeth Davis Sampler, Mrs. Shrimpton's School, 1842, Redditch, England.   This would be just after the start of the Industrial Revolution.   Needles were made in Spain starting in the 1600's.  The needle industry moved from Spain to Redditch around 1735.   Needles were made of brass but then steel at the time of the move to England.  

Hannah Mendenhall, 1812, stitched while at the Westtown School, Chester County, PA.  She is related to the Pusey family.   Pusey family samplers can be found at the Chester County Historical Society.

Elizebeth Hershey Sampler, Mary Shannon's School, Washington Borough, Lancaster Co., PA

This is a Maryland Quaker sampler of Mary Hibbert of Fair Hill, Maryland, 1823

Lovina Price Family Register, a Massachusetts sampler from 1827.

Massachusetts Sampler of Rebekah Ellis, 1816

From Wrentham, Massachusetts, Mary Messenger Sampler, 1802.

Maine sampler of Sukey Sewall 1800

New Jersey Sampler of Margaret C. Freemen, 1821, Monmouth County, NJ

Emma D'Camp, 1842 Sampler, Morristown, NJ

Mary Ann Dickinson Sampler, 1829

Margaret Gardner Sampler circa 1800

1830, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Suranna Wright Sampler

You can see we had a lot to look at.   Crystal did a great job sharing details she has uncovered on her  samplers.  She definitely has a vast knowledge.