Completed samplers : Elizabeth Harborne & Ann Scutt + Continuing on with Margret Gatis

Here are the details and pictures of the completed samplers.  I had intended to post the fully framed Elizabeth Harborne but doubt I will get the time to do this right now,  so for now I just stuck it into the frame intended for it.  If I get the time to lace it and frame it in time I will post it.  I still have to choose and order the frame for Ann Scutt.  Now that it seems that there is a lull in snow storms for the latter part of the week we will be busy playing catch up in the office so cannot be sure if I will feel like lacing and framing this up in the evenings...    
   

Elizabeth Harborne 1647 - an adaptation :                            
Threads : AVAS silks
Fabric : Zweigart Belfast (32ct.) linen - Cream 
Started on :  Wednesday evening, May 15,2013
Completed on : Saturday morning, January 25,2014
# of days of stitching (averaging 3 hours/day): 30
Framed up on :

Elizabeth Harborne - frame check

 



Ann Scutt 1675 - an adaptation :
Threads : AVAS silks - added a darker gold tone in addition to the one recommended
Fabric : 35ct. Ivory linen
Started on :  Tuesday evening, December 24,2013
Completed on : Tuesday evening,  February 11,2014
# of days of stitching (averaging 3 hours/day): 12
Framed up on :

Ann Scutt 1675 - an adaptation

Here is the progress on Margret Gatis since my last posting - Day7 & 8
 ... got a fair amount of the sampler marked for the next few bands thanks to the snow days.  However, did not get much stitching done because of some of movies we watched during the storms.

Margret Gatis - Day 8

Margret Gatis - Day 8

                                                        

 All of these samplers have been a lot of fun to stitch - all of them were reproduced by The Scarlet Letter.
Thanks Marsha for choosing to reproduce them!

Ann Scutt, Elizabeth Harborne & Margret Gatis

Hi again!
Took some quick photographs of the 3 SL samplers that I have been actively working on these past months.  Will write in more detail but I know some of you wanted to see them... Ann Scutt and Elizabeth Harborne are 'finished' - Margret Gatis is not.

At the moment I am still contemplating if I should extend some of the bands of Ann Scutt so that they all start and end with more or less the same width.  Normally when I stitch a reproduction sampler, I do not change things... this time on both Ann and Elizabeth I changed things so at this point neither of them are 'true reproductions'.  I had left the decision about the width to the very end to get a feel for the sampler... you'll note in the picture the margins marked from the widest bands ... the narrower bands on the top have bothered me right from the start and I had extended the satin stitched motif on the right at the beginning to make it more symmetric.
I feel that the narrower top part makes the whole thing look a bit off kilter - in some samplers this is quite a charming effect but Ann is quite a balanced sampler.... so I am thinking of extending the narrower bands on top. 
The other area that I feel was 'odd' was the solitary leaf in space on the right side in the band with the two flowers and coiled connectors further down (3rd band above the alphabet area).  I am thinking about stitching another coiled area and anchoring the solitary leaf.  Ann Scutt reminds me a bit of Mary Hollingworth in color and symmetry so that is why I am still considering this...

I would love to get your thoughts on this too...

By the way, you'll notice in the picture of the entire sampler (Ann Scutt) how restrained the use of the color red is - it almost seems like it was put in to be 'auditioned' but then it was decided not to use it at all and work the sampler in 3 colors only : blue, green, light gold.  I decided to use a darker gold (same color family) because I felt that the lighter gold would not show up from a distance and the viewer may see an absence of color/stitching in some areas.  I like the overall effect of working in both of the gold colors - this way the entire sampler is visible to the viewer... samplers are now displayed on walls whereas in the 17th century they were rolled up and kept in a drawer as a pattern record. 

So, here are the pictures of the 3 samplers as they are at present....

All 3 samplers - 2 finished, 1 WIP
The Song of my Needle

All 3 samplers - 2 finished, 1 WIP
The Song of my Needle



Ann Scutt 1675
The Song of my Needle

Elizabeth Harborne 1647
The Song of my Needle

This adventure back into stitching samplers again after a long time has been a lot of fun.
Please do let me know what you think... I will revisit this 'width problem' in the next few days.
At this point because they are not 'true' reproductions because I added stitches etc. I want to 'finish' this sampler in a way that will make me happy to see it on my wall.

Thank you all for your kind comments and emails - I have enjoyed sharing my progress with you all "out there" and am humbled by your comments of my work inspiring  some of you to try your hand at some of these samplers that are considered 'advanced'.  Band samplers are a lot of fun, you can set smaller goals and achieve them one band at a time, learn new stitches etc. etc....they teach us a lot, not just in the needlework arena but also about the history, design and symbolism.  I am glad that this blog has enticed some of you to try ... it is a great adventure - one that we can fully control with just a needle and thread!

Another thing - many of you commented on the 'speed' of my stitching... I don't think that speed is an important thing.... I am a deliberate, disciplined, focused stitcher - I am not necessarily a fast stitcher - technique and quality of my stitching  is more important to me than anything else.  The only other thing that has equal importance for me is to spend my 'free' time doing something I enjoy and needlework fits the bill beautifully at present...
this is the first time I kept track of my days - most days I stitch for about 3-4 hours while 'watching' TV with breaks for meals etc.- on the snow days I averaged about 5hours during the day and the normal evening 2-4 hours...  so, I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't focus on the time it takes to complete a piece, I prefer to focus on each stitch and 'stay in the moment' of this great adventure.  I truly feel privileged to be able to spend some time each week doing some type of needlework...

Ann Scutt - Day 12 Completed the sampler

Thanks to the snow days last week and having time this weekend and stitching into the night,  I was able to finish Ann Scutt this evening.
This sampler is beautiful - it is a sampler that has many bands that are commonly found in samplers of this time period.  The unique feature of this sampler is the way so much interest is created by the placement of stitches and within the confines of a very limited color palette. Only 4 colors are used : blue, green, gold and a scant amount of red.  It is a good study in color and design, as well as stitch texture.
Even though this sampler is listed as an 'advanced' sampler I would strongly recommend it for anyone... it is 'logical' and easy to count and stitch because of it's fairly symmetrical bands.  The
stitches used are mostly cross stitch, satin stitch, double running and Montenegrin stitch in straight lines.  I added other stitches to keep it interesting and I wanted to study their effects - the stitches added were a variety of pulled thread stitches, fly, Algerian eyelets but in general, I do think that a motivated beginner could work their way through this one band at a time.

I will write more on this a bit later but here are some pictures of the last few bands for now :


Ann Scutt - Day 12 Completed sampler
The Song of the Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 12 Completed sampler
The Song of the Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 12 Completed sampler
The Song of the Needle 



Ann Scutt - Day 12 Completed sampler
The Song of the Needle 



Ann Scutt - Day 12 Completed sampler
The Song of the Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 10 & 11

I have spent a few hours each day stitching away on Ann Scutt.  It is interesting to note that some of the bands look deceptively simple and easy to stitch when in fact they require pretty intensive stitching -  they are not difficult but just require more time than initially apparent.  The two bands completed in the past two days are perfect examples of this... I did change some of the stitches - added fly stitch, Montenegrin, and changed the direction / pattern of some of the filled areas.  The filling stitches were all the same but I wanted to try and see if I could add interest by changing the texture, light reflection and pattern.  I had not initially planned on changing anything on this sampler and stitch as a "true" reproduction"  but then I needed to add/challenge myself a bit just to break up the monotony of stitching the same thing over and over.
So here is the progress for Day 10 and 11 :

Ann Scutt - Day 10
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 10
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 11
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 11
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 11

Ann Scutt - Day 9

SNOW DAYS!.... I love them... they are Life's unexpected days off and we make it a point to take time to enjoy them and do things at home that we 'want to' ... they bring back the same feeling I felt as a child looking forward to summer vacations.
 
So, yesterday we had just such a day... lots of snow fell during the day from day break into the night -  large steady flakes, wet snow... spent time in the morning taking care of things that had to be taken care of ... made Irish Guinness stew and then we settled down to watching movies on Netflix and I decided to continue with Ann Scutt... even though my original plan was to go to Margret Gatis....

here is a picture of a branch outside during a lull in the storm:



SNOW DAY
The Song of my Needle

... how could one embroider SNOW... lots of techniques possible... look at the shades of white and grey - shadows and contrasts....  


 By early evening I decided to place all the remaining bands - all that is left is the alphabet bands below the bands... so here is the progress as of last night:

Ann Scutt - Day 9
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 9
The Song of my Needle

This morning when driving in to work we were greeted by a beautiful, snowy, sparkly day... everything was blanketed in wet blobs of snow that made the  tree branches bend under the weight...
Coming home for lunch right now was not so pretty... everything is melting, slushy... the entire town seems to be whizzing about getting supplies to prepare for tonight's storm... we are supposed to get more snow through the night.  My only concern now is power outages caused by wet snow and ice - that can be uncomfortable...but more snow days are welcome to me as long as we are not caught up in them and can relax at home and watch Nature's beauty from within and rejoice in doing something totally 'unplanned' ....a true luxury in all of our 'scheduled' normal days.  Who knows - maybe I will finish Ann Scutt thanks to the three snow storms this week!

Ann Scutt - Day 7 & 8

I have gone back to working on Ann Scutt again... stitched a little yesterday evening and then a bit more this afternoon.  This is a really easy sampler to work - the counting is predictable, the stitch placement quite logical and so progress is pretty rapid.  The dividing lines were charted for Montenegrin stitch while all the stitching within each band was charted for cross stitch, backstitch and double running stitch... well, I added some Montenegrin stitch within some of the bands for texture and to make the stitching more interesting... also changed a few other areas (veins in the leaf area - variation of original design) ...plus kept it all double running stitch/Holbein stitch to keep it 'fun'.
I decided to establish a number of the bands yesterday evening and then finished them all today.
So here is the progress as of now :

Ann Scutt - Day 7
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 7
The Song of my Needle



Ann Scutt - Day 8
The Song of my Needle



Ann Scutt - Day 8
The Song of my Needle



Ann Scutt - Day 8
The Song of my Needle

Status report - after Day 6

I thought it would be good to work both Margret Gatis and Ann Scutt together on one frame.  And it sure is ... it is interesting to note how very similar color schemes, stitches and motifs are developed differently.  And then as I worked through both samplers my brain kept thinking of all the variations different needlework techniques could provide with the same design.... that is one of the things that  I find so fascinating about needlework!  There are endless possibilities that can provide me with endless hours of enjoyment...all with a humble needle and thread!

One of the emails concerned silks vs. cotton thread.... all the samplers I have 'blogged' about here have been done with Au Ver a Soie silks. I have done other reproduction samplers with cotton threads ... I will discuss this more at a later time after I take photographs... BUT for now I do want to address this here... there IS a sheen to cotton thread also and it is just as appealing in the end... depends on your stitching and technique.  For some types of samplers I do feel silk gives you an additional luster but in most colorful samplers I truly feel that if the budget doesn't allow the 'silk version'  don't be disheartened and deprive yourself of the enjoyment of stitching a sampler that appeals to you.  I will take pictures to illustrate this 'sometime' in the future but I hope this helps... stitching something that appeals to you is good for the soul... enjoy the journey and try to do the best you can at that moment in time - that is my motto anyway!  I feel lucky that in the times we live in we have so many possibilities, techniques and books available to us...

SO, without further ado - here is the status of both Ann Scutt and Margret Gatis after 6 days of stitching on both; both of them are a testament to enjoyable hours of stitching this past month.  I would have been further along if I had not had the trouble trying to post on blogs - hours spent trying to figure out computer issues and then just as the problems had cropped up they miraculously 'went away' (fingers crossed ;0 ) - wish life's problems would be that easily solved!

Day 6 does not mean however that the same amount of hours were spent on each sampler - Ann Scutt had less progress because of busier days and increased tiredness in the evenings....I rarely concentrate on speed of stitching, 'clocking' hours or progress - the blog has started me keeping track of 'days' and that is as far as I will go with it.... it is a hobby for me and I will continue to concentrate on the enjoyment factor not the speed factor... I think my needlework will always remain a testament to how I chose to spend some of my time "after work".     

Day 6 : Status Report on Ann Scutt (left) and Margret Gatis (right)
The Song of my Needle 

Day 6 : Ann Scutt
The Song of my Needle 

Day 6 - Margret Gatis
The Song of my Needle


Have a great weekend!

Ann Scutt - a bit further along - Day 6

I've spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out why I am having difficult posting things.
Just spent about an hour this evening working on the blackwork band.  I chose to switch to a darker shade on the gold silk so that  all the stitching stands out a bit more.  The lighter gold color will be used still and can be seen  in the satin stitched areas. In this band I decided to just blend both colors
in an arbitrary fashion. 
It was really fun to stitch the strawberries and flower band also.

Ann Scutt - Day 6
The Song of my Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 6
The Song of my Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 6
The Song of my Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 6
The Song of my Needle 

Ann Scutt - Day 5

Decided to continue working on Ann Scutt yesterday evening.  Since I am working both samplers on the same frame it makes it easier to finish the exposed linen on both before rolling up the stitched area to expose more linen.
I chose to change one area on this band by alternating the colors within the main stem.  Again, direction of the  the satin stitch area is my own interpretation.

Ann Scutt - Day 5
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt - Day 5
The Song of my Needle

Ann Scutt (on left) - Margret Gatis (on right)
The Song of my Needle

Samplers & Margret Gatis 1711 - Day 2

As the New Year approaches I am currently focusing on what and which needlework areas and  projects I want to concentrate on.
Samplers are always 'fun' to have in the works - they provide a good break from other complicated projects and I do have a good collection of reproduction samplers in my stash that I have always wanted to stitch/finish.
I have decided that both Ann Scutt and Margret Gatis will be two of the 'new' Scarlet Letter samplers I will be working on besides finishing Elizabeth Harborne and two other samplers (still have to decide which ones) in 2014.

Still have to decide which projects will be on my list in other areas... good things to keep my brain occupied while I stitch on these samplers.
To make things more accessible to me and to decrease the pile of frames in my needlework area downstairs I decided to frame both Ann Scutt and Margaret Gatis together - this will give me a chance to work on both of them at the same time.  This is what they look like together :

Ann Scutt (left side) and Margret Gatis (right side)
- Framed together - hope this will work
The Song of my Needle

I was most intrigued by Band 5 of Margaret Gatis  and skipped over to that band and work on that yesterday - spent a glorious afternoon stitching after a very long time!  It felt really good to take some time out...
Here are some of the pictures of my progress so far - I decided to change the gold colored silk from the lighter color specified for the blackwork area to one of the others - I felt that the lighter color was hardly visible from afar.  So even though I thought I would work this exactly as charted I've made a change right from the start.  The stitch direction of the central flower is not specified nor is it very clear on the photograph provided with the chart so this is my interpretation of it... it was an interesting and time consuming area but fun.  I would have loved to have seen close ups of the original sampler though - it may have given me more insights into what the thought processes of stitchers in those times were.  I stitched this flower from the outside in but if stitched differently there would be a different profile/dimension... in this interpretation the central area is foreground and the outermost red petal satin stitch area is receding/background.  While I was stitching it I was tempted to use other stitches (fly stitch for example) but decided to stick with just satin stitch as specified and not make it too complicated.

Progress on Marget Gatis so far :

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

mj - if this is the band/flower you were referring to let me know - perhaps this closeup above will help you figure it out (if you like my interpretation that is) ... these are just some of the pictures and I would be glad to send you others if you feel it helps.

Ann Scutt 1675 - Day 4 - & another new start : Margret Gatis 1711

Only had a little time to stitch on Thursday, Dec. 26.  I have been thinking about all the needlework projects I would like to tackle in the New Year as well as what I would like to focus on most.... still trying to sort through things in my mind.

          Anyway, here is the progress as of Thursday night...

Ann Scutt - Day 4

I have been thinking about all the stuff I would like to do in 2014 and after the past week of non stop activity and late nights I was too exhausted to do much else ... my plan had been to start Margret Gatis on Christmas Day because of the colors but then did not do so .... so I started just about an hour ago on a whim.   So here are the first few stitches into that sampler...   

Margret Gatis - a new start!

Margret Gatis
40 ct. Sandstone, AVAS silks 

 Hope to finalize my thoughts on my 'major' projects soon and also decide what new needlework adventures lie ahead in 2014!

   

Ann Scutt 1675 - Day 3

So here is the progress after stitching for a little while this morning :

Ann Scutt 1675- Day 3 AM

And then tonight :


Ann Scutt 1675- Day 3 PM

A New Beginning - Ann Scutt, c. 1675 ... started on Dec.20,2013

Hi Everyone!
It has been a while since I have posted - things have been busy on all fronts.  My intention was to finish Elizabeth Harborne by Christmas but an error in packing things for the holidays necessitated a
change in plans.  I packed Elizabeth's linen and threads but forgot to pack the instructions... but I successfully packed all of Ann Scutt and Margret Gatis! 
So, I decided to start Ann Scutt ... got things ready and have stitched for just about an hour on Dec. 20 and then this morning.  I am using 35 ct. ivory linen, AVAS silks and at present Bohin Tapestry needle #28 (but I switch needles in different areas depending on the stitch and what 'feels' right).  Luckily I had packed all that along with a 'junky pair' of scissors and my Dovo foldable ones.
I know that all of you who know me also know of my love for my Dovo scissors (3set Anniversary model) - I am now not taking them along when I travel.  I am most pleased to report that the foldable Dovo scissors do not disappoint... I have used them now for a variety of techniques and so far so good... the 'junky pair' is for all purpose use (paper, metallic etc.)... so I now have a good TSA approved set for travel again.  The only other scissors that I love are the handmade professional Japanese embroidery scissors... there is such a big difference between machine made scissors and hand forged/ hand honed scissors.

Anyway, here is the progress so far...

As of Dec.20

Ann Scutt - 35 ct. Ivory linen, AVAS silks
The Song of my Needle 

Ann Scutt - The Scarlet Letter
The Song of my Needle

 As of Dec 23 night....

Ann Scutt - The Scarlet Letter
The Song of my Needle

 As of this morning, Dec. 24...

Ann Scutt - The Scarlet Letter
The Song of my Needle