Well here she is, Rebecca's Primer!
The charts are at the printer now, I will be picking them up in the next day or so. I hope you love this primitive styled sampler. She is not a reproduction, but was inspired by an antique example. One of the things I noted on the inspiration piece was how the uppercase alphabets were so precisely stitched, but the lowercase was not. I wonder if the original stitcher had a guide for the uppercase but created the lowercase as she stitched? Either way, it seemed it was a real learning piece, hence the "primer" part of the name. You will also note the use of the "f" type letter for the lowercase "s," definitely a Pennsylvania German trait. I added my own great-grandmother's name in the piece just for fun and her birthdate. It would be a great spot to add your own name and date to personalize the piece. The chart also includes this corresponding piece, Rebecca's Pinkeep.
Just a fun design that can be worked into so many little finishes. I love pincushions, so that is how I finished it, but it would also make a nice pocket. Actually it is about the size of my iPhone 4. I really considered making it into a phone pocket.
Now for the specifics of the models. They were both stitched over two on 30 ct. Straw linen from Weeks Dye Works with over-dyed floss from The Gentle Art. The frame for the sampler is from East Side Mouldings, one of their Olde Towne Commons frames in black. Also note that the sampler includes some fun stitches, Algerian Eye and Four-sided Stitch along with the cross stitch. I included stitch diagrams to help you along. They are both easy and fun stitches to enhance your piece.
Here is a close-up, so you can see the four-sided stitch and Algerian eye a little bit better. I really love the old feel that this sampler emits. As I have sat at my desk the last few days with her hanging on the wall beside me, I have really bonded with this piece. It will be hard to let it go on the road with my trunk show.
And speaking of the trunk show, right now it is at Strawberry Sampler in Glen Mills, PA with Beth and Molly. I will be joining them on Saturday, 22 June for a "Meet the Designer" day. I am really excited about going, so if you are in the area, please stop by, I would love to meet you. I will also be bring Rebecca's Primer with me.
Well all for now, we are in the midst of remodeling our kitchen, so I need to get back to sanding and painting. Ugh! It will be wonderful when it is done, but you know how it is when your kitchen is torn up. Making a meal can be a challenge. I will post a few pics once things are looking a bit better!
All my Best,
Beth
