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August 22, 2011

SNOW Sampler

I'll bet you thought (or wished) I was talking about snow flakes!  It's so hot and humid this summer, I know.  But the SNOW I was referring to was the sampler by a young girl named Louisa B. Snow, a direct descendant of Nicholas Snow and Constance Hopkins.  Everything about the sampler is a bit unusual.  To start with it wasn't stitched on the customary American linen we are used to seeing.  It was stitched on a fabric called Penelope linen that was first made in Germany and then here in the states.


The next striking element of the design are these large and simply gorgeous cabbage styled roses.  I looked through all of my books on antique samplers and didn't find anything like this.  They run in a trail across the bottom of the sampler.


Another aspect of the sampler that I fell in love with is all of the stitched virtues that Louisa included. . . . Friendship, Hope, Charity, Love and Cherish Truth.  The verse itself reads: 
Count that day lost whose low descending sun,
Derives from my hand no worthy action done.


After hinting that I had a Mayflower descendant sampler a while back I received quite a few emails.  It took me a while to figure out the genealogy but with some help from the family who sold it to me I was able to connect the dots.  Louisa was also a descendant of William Brewster.  Another sweet bonus.  I would like to hear from you here on this blog or in personal emails regarding the idea of stitching such an unusual sampler.  It will be no easy task to chart the roses but I'm excited to do it.  I will chart it for 28 count linen (exactly like Louisa's) but how do you feel about the pink roses?  Keep them or go for a more antique look?  Darker??  Help me decide!  I will faithfully reproduce the stitches in the design but the color is up in the air.  I could always stitch it in deeper colors but also provide the original colors for those wishing to stitch it exactly as Louisa did.  Let me hear your thoughts on the sampler, colors, or your Mayflower connection!

Happy Stitching,
Diane


20 comments:

  1. I don't usually stitch a sampler like this, but I like what I see in your peeks....I think I would like to stitch this one. I have no connection to the Mayflower, but am a New Englander who loves the history. I think I would like to stitch it with the pink roses.

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  2. I would keep the pink roses.

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  3. What I see looks gorgeous!!!! I would stitch pink roses but I tend to go for more subdued colors so I love to see a more antiqued color.

    I love that you've branched out into reproductions, I am stitching on M. Turner, she's so sweet. I have considered changing the name to honor one of my great-grandmothers, I need to decide soon :-).

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  4. I would love a Mayflower descendant sampler! I have an ancestor on one family line that goes back to a Mayflower pilgrim. I've designed my own family history sampler paying tribute to my maternal grandfather's family (http://bountifulheirlooms.blogspot.com/2010/03/update-to-family-history-in-stitches.html) but I would love to do a piece specifically about my Mayflower ancestor. Especially since I love your designs and style.

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  5. i love roses too...and i am agree with katrina..
    hugs xx

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  6. I have a bi polar home. I love primitives but my bedroom is pink with cottage roses! I would keep to the original but maybe muted. Anything you design is amazing so go with your muse. I usually do not stitch reproductions but this little peek makes me want to see more. Good luck with it.
    Evette

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  7. I very much enjoyed reading about the "Snow" sampler and the interesting connections you have with the original stitcher. I agree with Katrina, I would prefer an aged look to the roses.

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  8. I like deeper colors but recognize that sometimes with a repro, it's nice to stay "true" to the original.

    Perhaps you could stitch the model's roses in pinks but offer other color numbers on the pattern for those who like the deeper colors.

    I love it that you're doing repro samplers. :-)

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  9. Anonymous11:22 AM

    I like repro samplers to have more muted colors... to look more like they faded over time. Love the saying on this one!

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  10. This sampler is gorgeous and I love the colour of the roses. A couple of options for stitching them would allow people to do what suits them. I want to stitch this one now!

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  11. I think the pink roses look great!

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  12. Anonymous5:01 PM

    The sneak peeks are lovely. I would love to stitch this sampler but I would like the more antique color for the roses....

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  13. As a tribute to Louisa, I would reproduce it exactly how she stitched it. She had to have had a reason for the pink roses and it's one of those mysteries that will never be solved. I think it would be a discredit to her to change it in anyway. JMO

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  14. This looks like a gorgeous and unusual antique sampler. I'd chart it as the original to satisfy the true reproductionists out there, and give the option to change if people want to.

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  15. Anonymous1:41 AM

    I say go for the more antique look.. It brings a real homelike flavor to the home.

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  16. I would love to stitch this sampler! If I may add my two cents...keep the original colors for the "true reproductionists" and provide antique color selections for those who prefer the "antique look." I am a "true reproductionist" and a historian. I love to think about why the original stitcher chose her colors/designs and is one of the reasons I love antique needlework.

    I look forward to seeing Miss Snow!

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  17. Beautiful reproduction. I do not normally do reproductions, but with the history that you described, I would definitely change my mind. I would go with the original colors, but give alternatives for those who like a richer palate.

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  18. Charity C.9:09 AM

    I can't wait to see this reproduction. Like others have said I would keep all the colors like the original and give an alternative for those who would like the antique look. I believe this reproduction was a very good choice and I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

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  19. I think this would be a wonderful reproduction sampler to tackle! I find those roses so unusual and I think that I would keep them just as they are. The pink colour is really lovely. The verse in this one is rather unusual too which makes this piece all the more special.

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  20. Hi Stitchers. . . . I think I will try to find the colors for the original and then provide an alternative deeper set of colors as an alternative. The comments seem evenly split so I think it's the best way to present it. Thanks everyone!

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Thank you so much for taking time from your day to drop me a line or two!

Diane