Over the last couple of months I’ve been stitching away at the Sampler Aux Bouquets from Jardin Privee, I finally finished it a couple of weeks ago and took it to be framed. We have a really good framers nearby called Artworks, it’s handy as it’s only about a 10 minute walk away, though I have to confess this time I got the bus back as it’s rather large!! I like pictures double mounted, for this one I chose a red border with an ivory one on top, I’m really pleased with it and it’s now hanging in our lounge.
After hanging it I started looking at some of the other samplers I’ve done over the years, so I thought I’d share them with you, please excuse the photos as I still haven’t mastered photographing a picture in it’s frame!
The first traditional sampler I stitched was back in 1988 (I’m so glad I stitch the date on them!) so it’s also has my maiden name (a good Yorkshire name!) The pattern was from an Australian magazine called Just Cross-stitch, we took the magazine for a couple of years as they had some stunning projects in them, they were definitely superior to the UK magazines at the time. I loved the colours in this one, especially the teal blues. It was also nice just to do a short stretch of each pattern, it made me realise I didn’t have the patience to do a sampler with a wide complex border!
Another sampler from about the same time is by designer Pat Rogers, she had some lovely traditional designs and this one was called Ella’s Sampler. This sampler used to really annoy me, you see there are actually two or three major mistakes in it, well they seemed major at the time! One of the side borders is a stitch out, which throws the whole side out accuracy wise, one of the baskets is also wrong, in that the sides are different, whereas they are meant to be symmetrical. The funny thing is for at least five years, all I could see whenever I looked at the sampler, was the mistakes, they were glaringly obvious to me. All of a sudden, they disappeared, I just don’t see them anymore, in fact I have to look hard to find them! So if you’ve got something with mistakes in, just enjoy it!
I had an idea a few years ago that it would be nice to do several samplers on a theme, all different styles but linked by the theme. Over time I collected about six patterns all about Noah’s Ark. I got one done! I still like the idea, and I’ve still got the patterns, so it’s something I might do in the future. This one is a bit of fun, I love the rhyme, it makes me smile!
A few years ago someone had the great idea of creating cross-stitch maps of the old counties of Britain. Yorkshire is the biggest (and best!!) county and traditionally it was divided into three Ridings (Riding is apparently an old word for thirds) West, East and North. I live in the old West Riding which went all the way from Sheffield and Rotherham, right up to the top end of Wharfedale. In 1974 the government changed all the centuries old borders and carved Yorkshire up into smaller areas and even took bits off us, but that’s another story, as they say round here, ‘You can take a man out of Yorkshire, but you can’t take Yorkshire out of a man’ Anyway, I decided to stitch the West Riding one, it took ages! It’s pretty big to start with, but I was also surprised that I actually found it a bit boring to stitch as it’s all trees, rivers, lots of little buildings so lots of stopping and starting, lots of back-stitch, somehow it seemed to take a long time to make much progress. I persevered and finally completed it in 1992.
I’ve got a few more personalised samplers which I show another time…in the meantime I’m linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow-Stitching Sunday and Super Mom No Cape on Monday for Vintage Embroidery, why not have a look what everyone else has been stitching.
thecraftycreek 
So many beautiful stitches through the years. It is always fun to look back.
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Thanks Angela, it’s nice to look back, just a bit scary how many years ago it is!
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Your latest finish looks beautiful in its new frame. I love that your shared the other ones ; each is exquisite…such beautiful work.
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Thanks Deb, I’m really pleased with my latest one
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Beautiful job on the finish and the frame. Love the children ark. I made a bear with a poem for two of my nieces and framed them.
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Thanks Deb, I like stitching poems, I’ve done a couple now
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Wow, fantastic stitching, and great that you have them framed and on the walls.
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Thank you Carole, unfortunately I am beginning to run out of wall space!!!
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Congratulations on another gorgeous sampler!
I enjoyed your thoughts on how stitching “mistakes” seem different over time 🙂
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Thanks Kathy and thanks for organising the linky parties, yours is definitely the best one for me to get new followers 🙂
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Congratulations on the finish! That is a nice one, and I like the way you have framed it too. What’s next? 😉
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Thanks Monica, after Christmas I’ve got some cross-stitch boxes to make!
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Your stitching is beautiful. It is so nice to have a memory of what was important to you at the time and what colors and styles were popular. I too usually (although not always) put my initials and the date on each of my cross-stitch endeavors. Lately, I seem to forget that part. I know I will be sorry in years to come.
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Thanks Cathie, samplers I usually put a date on, but I’m not so good with other cross-stitch items, but I suppose really they should all be signed and dated!
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I have also made several cross stitch pictures over the past 30 years. Some were gifts and the rest are hanging on our walls. I still need to get Frank framed. I wish the framing shop was a 10 minute walk away! The place I want to take it to is open the same hours as my office …so it is hard to get it there for framing. Your latest project looks great in its frame. You have made some beautiful samplers!
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Thanks Gail, it is handy having such a good framers down the road 🙂
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I love samplers, and your map is stunning. It looks like a ton of work but so worth it. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Laura, I love the map now, but it was hard work at the time!!
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I love your latest sampler – and particularly the double mount. Good choice. Recently I was in Gisburn which was previously part of Yorkshire but is now part of Lancashire, though there is still a Yorkshire road sign. I live in Tyne and Wear – horrible name and missed off many county lists. We used to be part of Northumberland which is definitely preferable and is still used by many.
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All your samplers are just lovely. The Noah’s Ark one is such fun. I especially love the last one where you stitched the map of your county. What a treasure it is and will be for years to come.
Thanks for linking up to last week’s Stitchery Link Party and for the link back. Aloha hugs!
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