Rebecca Cullin, Jane Ballard and friends

I thought that you might like to see Rebecca Cullin and her friends.  There are certain samplers that I love looking at.  I love samplers with sheep in them, houses, interesting verses, Rhode Island Samplers, samplers that have interesting features in them using specialty stitches and these ones.  I would love to know whereabouts in England these samplers come from.  It's interesting wondering if they were all friends.

I first fell in love with Rebecca Cullin when I saw this amazing bird and the beautiful flowers.  I knew that I would also do her in the original version.  I love doing stem stitch, satin stitch, bullion stitch and all of the other wonderful stitches in this sampler.  I was very lucky that I learnt to sew these wonder stitches when I was quite young and have used them in one form or another over the years.  But quite honestly most of these samplers are so incredibly easy to do.  For instance Satin Stitch.  I have found that it's easier to do this using one strand of thread as you don't have to worry about the threads tangling and you can go back and fill in where it's necessary.

This sampler is called Jane Ballard and although it isn't a Scarlet Letter sampler it is mentioned on the cover for Rebecca.  Jane is a sampler that I have always wanted to do.  Jane and Rebecca went to either the same school, had the same teacher or lived in the same area.  Jane is dated 1799 and Rebecca in 1801.  As you can see I'm still working on Jane, but the end is near.  I have to finish off the bottom section and then I will come back and fill the area above the mound.

Usually when I do samplers such as these where I have do e.g. stem stitch, I first work the outline of the motif in back stitch and then I will fill it all in with stem stitch or the stitch that is required.  The only time that I ever use a pencil is when I have to do branches on trees as I find it's a lot easier to work them if you have a guide.  I usually lightly sketch the branches in and then go over the pencil line in stem stitch.  I only do a few branches at a time in pencil as I have found over the years that if I do to many the pencil line disappears.

I thought that you might like to see these samplers.  It's always interesting to compare one sampler to another.  The one above is of course Jane Ballard.  She is published by Porcupine Needlework.  The original Jane resides in the Worchester Art Museum in Massachusetts.  There is another similar sampler called Martha Bates and she is in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.  Sadly I don't have a photo of Martha.

 If you took at all of these samplers close up if you can, although they look similar they not.  Each is unique in it's own way.

This is Lydia Hope 1801 which I believe belongs to Whitney Antiques.  Lydia was on the cover of Rebecca Scott's wonderful book called - Samplers.

This is Elizabeth Butts, 1800.  Sadly I don't know where Elizabeth is these days.  I know that she was sold at Christies in 2009 for 5,000 pounds.

Why have I put a photo of a sampler that has nothing to do with the above.

Tell me ye knowing and discerning few

Where I may find a Friend both firm and true

Who dare stand by me When in deep Distress

And then his Love and friendship more express.