What is a sampler

Happy weekend to you.  We have a light dusting of snow this morning which makes me crabby.  Off to a good start.  The pain is much better though as long as I don't smack the huge shoe into the leg of a cabinet or the stair riser.

 

When I asked about the works so similar to Mary Antrim's, I received a reply from a sampler enthusiast who is also the owner of several featured in the current exhibit, stating there is a group of similar samplers all made in Burlington County NJ.  The Morven Museum in Princeton is showing 151 NJ schoolgirl samplers of 1726-1860 and ends tomorrow the 29th.  If you go to their website you can purchase a catalog from the exhibit under the shop tab.  In reading an article about the Antrim piece which was sold for the highest price on record for a needlework sampler ($1,070,500), I found there is another needlework scene that sold for a little more.  The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston purchased View of Boston Common by Hannah Otis (1732-1801), stitched around 1750 for $1,157,500 in 1996.  I wonder what the bid would be today, almost 20 years later.

The article said it's a huge piece embroidered in wool and silk on linen.  But it's not considered a sampler which is why Antrim is listed as the most expensive.

 

But Antrim's is also a scene, with some cross stitches in addition to lots of embroidery stitches.  What's the difference?  I always thought samplers were letters and verse.  So what determines classification of needlework?   Does it matter?  Since I don't plan on spending a million for a beautiful antique, no.  But that doesn't mean I'm not curious.  Even today, many charts are listed as samplers, but I see a design, not what I would consider a sampler.  So what is a sampler?  This crab wants to know.  I have books on them but I only look at the pictures!  Guess I should start reading.  Maybe that will be my goal this summer as I sit on my swing, if it ever warms up. 

 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Making an on the Spot decision

I stopped stitching at this point, haven't stained/aged him yet,

and now I see that I failed to complete the eye.

Then .... a Spot ornament finished with mini pom pom black fringe which needs to be ordered.

 

Or Spot as a pocket on a coverlet patterned bag, suede bag with fringe, or heavy canvas with leather straps.  If I choose the bag, I have several decisions within that decision. 

 

 

Spot on the lid of a paper mache box I will paint black and distress.

 

 

Spot on a Faye bag.

 

Spot on a padded fabric box lid.

 

I hope the pain subsides quicker than expected so I can start walking around.  Sitting with too much time to think can make a confused individual worse.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Spot reduction

Greetings folks.  Everyone doing well?  I'm sitting with a bag of frozen peas on my elevated foot.  No big deal.  It will hurt like hell for a few days and then get better, just as my oral surgery did.  He asked why I am doing two minor surgeries so close and I explained that my insurance is changing 4/3 and I've been too busy with Carole the last six months to schedule anything.  Cram it all in the last days!  Still a few more things to take care of next week.

 

Spot.  Spot spot spot.  Why do I want to stitch something and then can't wait until it's done?  Bored?  Maybe because it's not a sampler?  I don't know, but I am considering using Spot with a few motifs only.  I have enough linen to stitch the entire design and it's certainly no big deal, but I am already thinking of stopping and making a pillow.  Ornament.  Pinkeep.  Whatever the heck you call smalls that can hang with the best of them, lie in a bowl, play well with others, or be trapped in a frame.  Wouldn't this be nice with tiny pom pom trim?  I did the first cross left to right and will complete the stitches from top to bottom.  Even though it's 40 count, the tension of my stitching is visible in places.  Going in two directions corrects that for me.  I was considering Fraktur Friends on 40 over two but I can see that the black background would not be as tight and dense as I'd like.  Still haven't decided but something tells me I would end up stitching the friends only and not the other elements.  I'll be working on Spot today and tomorrow, supposed to stay off the foot for a week but that won't happen. 

 

The soapstone guy is finally coming out Friday to measure for the sink and counters.  After being exciting about starting the kitchen so long ago, between the lack of craftsman around here and Carole's situation, I really lost interest.  Mark thinks once the counters are in I will get with Dominic to finalize the details and regain interest.

 

Carole is having problems breathing again (in the morning) and she is complaining constantly, having no patience to heal and let the heart adjust.  Just like with my mom, you love them, care for them, but at times you just want to smack them!!  I would butterfly a flank steak, fill and roll with spinach, feta, pine nuts, bread crumbs (one of her favorites) and mom would eat like there was no tomorrow but never say it was good.  It was OK but I should have used more feta, seared it longer, tied it better, glazed it more.  Carole is the same.  I probably am too!  You see what drives you nuts in others, but when you step back and look at yourself from another's perspective, sometimes you're shocked. 

 

Might be what happened to Nitzy.  He thought he was being cool and another cat thought he was being a smart ass and cleaned his clock.

 

 

I was hoping for red, but they only had this style in black. 

 

 

Closing in on the end of March already.  Hard to believe that surgery was 4 weeks ago today. 

 

Hope your week is going well.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My first 40

Hello stitching buds.  Been busy with appointments, chores, and running back and forth to Carole's so I haven't picked up the needle much.  I'm still undecided on the fabric for Fraktur Friends and wanted to try 40 over one .... ain't going to happen.  Next I'll try black 32 over one but the silk gauze will probably be easier for me. 

 

The 40 count was purchased a while ago and I could not remember where it was.  Took me a day and a half to find it and now, I can't remember where I found it.  I think Spot would look better as a smaller piece so I decided to try the 40 over two since I had already invested so much time in the search.  With my cheap magnifiers, I can see the weave well enough to stitch and am surprised that it's not as difficult as I expected.  Really surprised.

 

When I searched Carriage House Samplings new website, I couldn't believe what I found.  I saw this design finished on a blog, it was taken down from Pinterest, and I Google'd and Oogle'd, Bing'd and Bang'd, Yahoo'd and Wahoo'd, never found it.  I searched "sisters of the heart cross stitch" and gave up after months with no results.  Well there it was. Carriage House Samplings design, still available through the new website.  Another design I missed from a while back.

 

Samplers are all I care to stitch (and Santas of course) but lately I'm drawn to a few smalls like these.  But will I display them?  

 

 

 

 

We missed the snow thank goodness, but made what will probably be the last soup of the season.  My dad's Harvest Soup.  Ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, barley, bay leaves, diced tomatoes with juice, beef broth/water and Worcestershire sauce.  That sauce and the bay leaves really give a great flavor .

 

 

It's time for bed and more Advil.  Never had this much pain with other gum surgery and still can't open my mouth.  Healthy foods are all thick and bulky so I have no choice but to continue with thin chocolate bars and slices of cheese.  I found some really flat cookies that are my new favorite.  White chocolate macadamia nut.  Who knew? 

 

Enjoy your Sunday.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

You have my heart

Julie from My Primitive Heart was drawn as the winner.  Thank you everyone for participating in another giveaway.  This one was for my blogging anniversary but also for your friendship and caring that has helped me through the last six months.  I wish I could stitch something for everyone!

 

Again, thank you all.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The old bag

Me.  Not Spot.  It seems like this last year was a major difference in my movement, mental sharpness, and eyesight.  Aging isn't graceful if you attempt something you've always done, and instead make a herky-jerky movement while letting out a yelp.  My husband never had to help me up from a booth in a restaurant, but now he automatically gives me that special grip the aides showed us to use when getting mom out of a chair.  I used to be up and out at the car before he opened the door.  Now, I feel like I drank glue instead of coffee.  And what's with the grunt and yelps?  That's not polite.  But if no one objects to the young people next to us using obscenities I guess my yelps are acceptable.  Something tells me those yelps will soon be embellished with those other words.  My face plant last summer is catching up with my knees.  NEVER had any problems before.  Now my ankles are stiff and painful too.  My right hand can't even open a jar. What's happening?  Why so quick?  Geez.  It's bad enough that Menopause invaded my mental condition, moods, patience, mouth, emotions, and attitude, now arthritis is doing the same to the physical parts!  I mentioned before that I used to walk in 4" heels on ice and now I can only manage flats on dry pavement which is fine, but I'm walking like a caveman in Hush Puppies.  HUSH PUPPIES!!!!  The shoes I swore I would never wear.  Elastic waist pants.  What!!  Tell me it isn't so.  But it is.

  

OK.  Getting on track to what I had planned to post ...

I don't like the Spot sack I inked so I will start stitching.  The design would make a great bag to hang with my collection but I also like it framed, so I am not using osnaburg.  Linen will allow me to choose either finish.  My jaw is so swollen it hurts to look down so I'm not sure I can start it yet.  That's another thing - jowls!  They were already hanging lower than my earrings so this swelling is way down there.  Still can't open my mouth and most healthy food is large.  Chocolate is flat.  Choceur dark chocolate bar from Aldi's is the current indulgence.  And one more thing.  I answered an email this morning and mentioned that my husband says I am always right.  Now wait a minute.  If I'm always right, then he's always wrong, so does that mean he is wrong when he says I am always right?  Because if I am, then he is right, and I can't have that. 

 

Don't forget to leave your name for the heart drawing this evening.  I can't believe how many comments have NOT come through to my email, but I did get them all noted and ready to enter into Random.  Get with it Blogger.  Got glue in your joints???

 

Later dudettes.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~