Customer Sampler Gallery

Ann Medd

Dear Marsha -
I was just looking around on your website and saw that you would like to have pictures of finished Scarlett Letter samplers so I thought that I would send a picture of Ann Medd to you.

I so enjoyed working on Ann, although she took me almost five years to finish. The description of "Mother of All Samplers" definitely fit. While I stitched the sampler, I broke it into sections as the sampler seems to be made up of five different samplers. I work a section and then set it down for a while. It is an ambitious project, but you can only imagine my excitement when I finished it. Even my husband, who isn't a sampler person at all, was quite impressed.

The only change I really made to the sampler was the zig-zag border between the verse and the center portion. As I work on a scroll rod and it is rather difficult to turn it to lay the floss for that border, I substituted perle cotton in the same color and it worked like a dream - giving it a little bit of texture.

Thank you Marsha for providing these charts to us. You have made a lot of sampler lovers very, very happy. I always look forward to your new releases.

Debbie Roman
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Samplers by Karen

Dear Marsha,
Hi Marsha.. was just on your site and saw that you are looking for pics for your gallery... I am able to help if you are interested... last year I finished both Jane Rees and Jane Atkinson... I have attached both of them for you and the last several are both pieces up on the wall.. Feel free to use whichever ones you want. And thank you so much for charting these wonderful pieces.. they were a joy to stitch... If you need any more information please feel free to contact me.

Karen Bugg
Myerstown, Pa

Hi again... found another one for you .... Ann Grimshaw and the second photo is her up on the wall among her many friends :))) I guess you would say I am addicted to samplers.. LOL.... hope these help your gallery.. It is great when others can see these charts really do get stitched and not just collected

Karen

Lydia Hart

Dear Marsha,
I love your webside and your reproduced samplers are wonderful!
I stitched the Lydia Hart sampler and want to sent a photo for your customer gallery.
Greetings from germany!

Sigrid Eckel

Personalized Quaker Samplers

Marsha,
I recall reading that the Scarlet Letter was interested in knowing how stitchers personalized samplers. I enjoy stitching reproduction samplers,and was introduced to this in 2003 when I had broken my ankle and needed something to do that was meaningful. I had done cross stitch on aida but never stitched on linen. The dear friend who introduced me stitches her reproductions samplers exactly as printed, changing only the name of the stitcher. I've not been so faithful. I will attach a couple examples.

The first change I ever made was when, while stitching, I rec'd a call that my brother had been hospitalized with a heart attack. In the all black thread sampler, I stopped and stitched one red X instead of a black. On the next sampler i stitched "Jonathan's 25th" on my son's birthday. Things sort of grew from there. While stitching I frequently incorporate the name of a child or sibling on his or her birthday; a graduation, anniversary, engagement, death, a national or international event, such as tsunami or earthquake, the naming of a new pope, a mine disaster, a deadly hurricane. The framers have frequently commented - in an enthusiastic manner- about these small changes.

In one of the photos I sent, there are waves in the upper right quadrant. that was the time of the christmas 2004 tsunami. I have had carpal tunnel surgery in both hands and now am having problems with my thumbs so my stitching has slowed some.

Thanks for your affirmation.

I simply love your site, and so enjoy working your samplers.....the Quaker are my favorite.

Deb McCann
Newark, DE

Betsy Davis and Rebecca Robinson

Congratulations for your knew website, very clear and very easy to explore. I here send you photos of my two samplers made from your collection. I am very sad because I cannot do embroiderie for a certain time because I have a serious problem in my right arm, I just hope that doctors put me fine quickly because I really miss my linen and threads that ae part of my life. I am thinking f doing a site to showll my works and if I do it I will send you a message. Best regards from Portugal.

teresa

Coraggio

I just saw on your web site that you would like photos of work done by your customers, and thought that you would be interested in 'Coraggio' that I did a few years ago. I did it in silk, and it has received many comments. It was displayed at the Albuquerque Internationl Airport for several months, although I don't enter work in competions. I absolutely loved working on it, and would love to make anything else of equal challenge. Thank you so much for the beautiful design.

Yours,
Janice Gail
Placitas, New Mexico

Emilly Lucille

Marsha,
Last year I worked the Scarlet Letter's EMILY LUCILLE sampler. Three changes that I made to it:

1. I used my initials rather than the original
2. It called for filling the entire background with the white silk. But in my growing collection of sampler source books I had seen another variation on this Emily Lucille sampler and the background was not filled in. It showed the design better, in my estimation. Emily Lucille must have gone to an 18th century embroidery where this was one of the standard designs.
3. The biggest change was to the verse. I didn't like the original, and so I found the 18th Century poet Lord Byron and worked his poem into the design.

Ken Sale
A many years eager customer of the Scarlet Letter

Unicorn Bell Pull and MD The Unicorn Sampler

Dear Scarlett Letter,

Please find attached a picture of the finished Unicorn Bell Pull stitched on canvas with DMC floss. Thanks for your advice about finishing the bell pull which was very helpful. I did change one colour – I changed DMC 371 to 372 - to getter better contrast on the birds and animals with brown shading. Really enjoyed this project and get lots of lovely compliments from guests about the colour palette and the design.

Also attached is a mirror image pattern I created and completed in cutwork from the MD 1660 Unicorn Sampler pattern. I have also completed this pattern too.

Kind regards, Jude West
Lower Hutt, New Zealand

The Huntsman and The Hart Lives

Stitched by Pat

Hannah Breed

Stitched by Pat

Scarlet Letter Catalog

Dear Marsha,

Last night over a glass of wine, a friend asked me if I believe in fate. Fate, yes, I answered. Pre-destiny, no. I mention this rather weighty conversation because when I sorely need a diversion from the tedium of life, a Scarlet Letter supplement arrives. Whatever the reason, No. 27 was in my mail box at the end of a long day. I made the time to revel in its color, the descriptions and the type fonts...as I do each time a supplement arrives. My desks are cluttered with "to do" piles, and unread letters & literature; but somehow I always manage to find time for the Scarlet Letter.

I honestly do believe that despite all the newcomers on the scene, and museum catalogs, seminars & the like, you have done more to inculcate a love and understanding of samplers than any other person in the industry (if you can call it that). In any event, I appreciate your work enough to grab my fountain pen and real paper, and tell you so. All too frequently simple "thank yous" are left unspoken. Not this time. It's time for this sentimental slob to get on with her day.

Regards,
Vickie