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Stitching traditions, old and new…
WHEN WE ASK what you enjoy stitching most, samplers are always high on your lists. You probably know that these lovely designs were originally collections of ‘samples’, often stitched by girls as young as eight years old. Without the luxury of magazines and books, recording motifs for later use was a matter of collecting them on fabric for reference. Stitching an alphabet was often like a job interview, as it proved that they could create the letters necessary to mark household linens in a wealthy household. Sampler making became more of an art in its own right in the late 1th century, but we can’t help wondering if those early stitchers would be a bit puzzled by our favourite leisure activity. At least we don’t have to weave our own fabric as they sometimes did!