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Cross Stitch Samplers |
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Antique Sewing Samplers (Samcloth): Samplers are collections of patterns, stitches, and techniques put together on a piece of linen or cotton for further reference. It seems as though the earliest samplers were worked at the turn of 15th to 16th century, possibly in Italy or Germany, at a time when there were no pattern books to use as guides.
At this time samplers were worked on linen 9 inches (23 centimetres) wide, which was the normal width for linen, and they were around 2 feet (60 centimetres) in length. They were often all white showing patterns in cutwork, lace, geometrical satin stitch, and double running stitch, but there were others which were polychrome, with rows of stiff flowers and little abstract figures, known as boxers. These types continued during the 17th century, when the sewing of samplers stopped to be embroidered memory of any interesting designs but became part of the school education for girls. At the same time linen became wider and finer in texture and instead of being long and narrow, the samplers became nearly square.
In the 18th century samplers became more stereotyped. They often had borders and designs from pattern books, a verse, possibly a house or animals, the worker`s name and age and as a training for the marking of household linens alphabet and numbers.
The 19th century brought more difference into samplers, varying from charming to poor and boring, but they were parctically all worked in schools and very often you can see that this work was not enjoyed by the girls. There was one kind, however, which escaped from the general mediocrity and reverted to the original use of being a collection of patterns: these were long and narrow, worked on a single canvas, and consisted of patterns for Berlin woolwork, placed on the canvas with no design plan. Their edges were bond with ribbon, and they were then rolled up, sometimes around a wooden bar, and tied. Another type of samplers are the examples of knitting or crochetting techniques and stitches, which are rare but can also be found from time to time.
After the indiffernt school works of the 19th century, the working of samplers declined until the 1930s when, with the revival of interest in old techniques, collections of patterns again began to be made, and charming examples in blackwork, drawn fabric, metal thread embroidery, and canvas work can be found.
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