We are still "zooming" along. Many thanks to Evalyn and Jon and all the others that make our zoom meeting and great programming possible as well as full of information and sharing.
Reminders -
If you have photos of 1 or 2 projects you wish to share for Show and Tell, please forward them to President Linda D. no later than the Tuesday prior to the meeting.
If you have any suggestions for a future meeting, please share them with any Board Member.
If you have a suggestions for a meeting site for us to hold in person meetings, please share it with any Board Member.
Holiday Exchange - We have 12 - 14 members who are participating. Participants will mail this exchange piece directly to their 'person'. All exchange pieces will be shared at the January Zoom Meeting.
Designer of the Year - La-D-Da - Stacy reached out to La-D-Da for possible donation of chart/s for our prize drawing. If you have finished any La-D-Da pieces in 2021, please send Linda D. a photo so it can be incorporated in the January Power Point Presentation.
21 in 21 - Continue to keep track of your completed projects in 2021. At the end of the year, you can forward your list to President Linda D. who will tally and forward to Patrick. Winners for most completed projects will be announced at the January Meeting.
Election of Officers - The offices of President and Secretary are up for re-election. Submit ideas or volunteer information to Nancy F. We will discuss at the December if we may forego the by-laws and allow the current officers to remain in office.
Program -
Our program this month was a discussion on Bristol Samplers given by Claudia Dutcher Kisler of Dutch Treat Samplers. I first have to said that it was evident that Claudia loves what she does. She has such a wealth of informations about the Bristol Samplers as well as other aspects of needle arts.
Her discussion centered on Bristol Samplers. The name comes from the orphanages in Bristol, England. The girls were required to create a resume' with their needle and thread. Typically they included letters and motifs. Most often they were stitched in red. These samplers were tiny, often stitched on 35 count.
Program -
Our program this month was a discussion on Bristol Samplers given by Claudia Dutcher Kisler of Dutch Treat Samplers. I first have to said that it was evident that Claudia loves what she does. She has such a wealth of information about the Bristol Samplers as well as other aspects of needle arts.
Her discussion centered on Bristol Samplers. The name comes from the orphanages in Bristol, England, founded by George Muller. The girls were required to create a resume' with their needle and thread. Typically they included letters and motifs. Most often they were stitched in red. Unlike American orphanages, children remained there until they secured employment, either as apprentices or in other forms of service. Although George died in 1898, the facilities continued until their closing in 1958. The buildings still exist and are used as housing, offices, and part of Bristol College.
These are samplers created by young ladies living at the orphanages founded by George Muller. George worked with his wife, Mary. George kept the records, which are said to thorough and detailed. These original records still exist and have been digitized. Mary taught the girls stitching. The first orphanage was in his home and was established in 1836. Eventually they outgrew that location. Between 1849 and 1870, he built five additional organ homes housing as many as 2,000 orphans. George and Mary's daughter took over the orphanage in 1875. This orphanage operated solely on donations and no fundraising was ever done.
There was a strict criteria before a child could be admitted into the orphanage. George included in his records - the father's occupation, any family value, a list of possessions, where the possessions were located, living relatives, health and immunization records. An "undertaking agreement" had to be signed by a relative or friend that would agree to take back the child if he/she were unable to stay at the orphanage or unable to find work. Children remained at the orphanage until they could secure employment.
Claudia discussed the categories of Bristol Samplers, including: Traditional Early, Border Band, Tic Tac Toe, Name Samplers, Double Wreath, Motif Samplers, Ship Samplers, and Traditional. Early samplers were hem stitched or turned under.
Spot samplers shared motifs. Dog (a nod to Queen Victoria) ship, wreath, bible, berry bowls, crown, Prince of Wales feathers. Motif were also based on the teacher or patterns available. Although most Bristol samplers found are in red. This is partly because all the girls were required to stitch a red sampler. The reds were done in cotton. The multi-colored samplers seem to include every color but red were done in silks. The red was common in English samplers. It was easy to see; most likely plentiful to the region. These samplers were usually done on heavy cotton fabric which may be why they have held up so well. Many Bristol Samplers did not survive because the children would burn them because of the stigma of being an orphan.
Visits for a small fee for information on the girls of the orphanage can be arranged by contacting the trust in advance.
For more information about these samplers, please visit the following sites: www.mullers.org (George Muller Charitable Trust—GMCT); www.bristolsamplers.com, and www.dutchtreat.com.
Claudia has other presentations, including:Perforated Paper, collector lectures, Sudbury Hall Samplers, Quaker Samplers and will have a new Bristol Sampler presentation in 2022.If you are interested in hearing any of these presentations at a future meeting, please reach out to Stacy Stinson or one of the other board members.
Upcoming Programs
December - Stephanie from Fabrics by Stephanie will be with us to talk about fabric dying.
January - We will highlight our salute to La-D-Da with a showcase of her projects that we have stitched this year. Also, Patrick will re-cap the 21 in 21 challenge.
February - We will begin our year-long SAL of Garden of Stitches by Samplers Not Forgotten. The designer will be with us for our program. The meeting is NOT a class. If you are not joining the SAL, you can still take part in the meeting.
March - TBD
April - TBD
May - Our anniversary celebration—more information to follow as details are worked out. The event will cover Saturday and Sunday and possibly a field trip on Friday.
June - Silk gauze project. This meeting will focus on techniques for stitching on gauze.
July - We will hear some ideas for finishing the silk gauze project.
