From Past to Present: Adapting a Schoolgirl's Sampler for the Modern Day
Posted by Deirdre Quirk on Feb 18th 2016
The past is a wonderful source of inspiration for stitchers and sewists, but how do you update a historical design while remaining true to the original piece? Barb Adams and Alma Allen of Blackbird Designs are adept at doing just that, as they prove in A Schoolgirl's Work, their book of historical samplers from the Spencer Museum of Art and darling cross-stitch projects inspired by them.
The beautiful sampler below was stitched by an unknown young woman around 1840. You can tell that the border was stitched first and then the center because not quite enough space was left for all the letters.
At the bottom of the sampler is a wonderfully whimsical scene of a willow, flower baskets, and rosebushes nearly as tall as the tree. It was these rosebushes that inspired Barb and Alma's updated project, Rosebud Sachets.
Taking just one element from the original sampler (along with the classic alphabet) allows the design to shine. How wonderful would these be filled with dried rose petals?
