Inspiration for a Modern Sampler

“My thread is cut, my work is done.”—these are the words that Margaret Dickens stitched in her sampler in 1814, as archived in A Stitch in Rhyme by Marsha Van Valin. Can’t you just feel the joy that she had as she finished her efforts? Although I could not locate any information about Margaret, she was most likely between 6–12 years of age. Most girls in that age range learned to stitch the alphabet and numbers, and a marking sampler was the natural progression in that process. How many sunny hours was she required to stitch on her sampler when she perhaps longed to be doing something else?

Margaret most likely was given needle, linen, floss and selected motifs for her first sampler. Alphabets, numbers, possibly a verse, a few motifs and the stitcher’s name or initials generally made up a first endeavor. The second sampler, if the family could afford it, would be much more elaborate. I think Margaret was finishing her first sampler when she so delightfully expressed her heartfelt relief in the completion of her work.

I thought of Margaret as I designed my sampler, which features the same sentiment. I used colors and motifs that might have been very familiar to her, but with a few tweaks in hues and design for a slight contemporary feel. Birds and flowers were often used in historical cross-stitch pieces, representing the beauty of nature. The letters and numbers were included as a nod to the educational value of learning to stitch to a young girl.

The spools of thread, scissors and pincushion were included to speak of Margaret’s industry and diligence while working on her sampler. I hope you enjoy stitching my sampler design and that you, like Margaret, feel the delight brought forth in completing your work.