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The Scarlet Letter

ROSA

A 17th Century Canvaswork Vignette

From pagan symbol for love to complex metaphor for Christian virtues, the rose appears again and again in legend and art throughout history. Roses blooming in mid-winter, roses without thorns springing from the graves of lovers, its spectral fragrance scenting the air in the chill of autumn, the Virgin Mary as a rose, the five-petalled rosa mystica of medieval ascetics: it blossoms in many different forms, its symbolism as varied as the culture that interprets it. The rose has also been a popular needlework motif, symbolically, politically (e.g. the Tudor rose), and aesthetically. This design was derived from an early 17th century "slip" (i.e. a motif worked by itself, meant to be cut out and applied to a larger piece), based on illustrations in early 16th century herbals. These designs were generally drawn onto the linen canvas then outlined in black cross stitch. Our design, worked on a 30 count linen, employs cross stitch over one thread of linen (petit point). The finished piece will measure approximately 3-1/2 inches square.

$14.00 incl. GST

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ELLENOR WYKCS 1656

This English band sampler retains most of its original brilliant color, used lavishly in twelve elaborate arcaded pattern bands of lilies, roses, acorns, strawberries, pansies, and carnations, with alphabets and an inscription.


Origin and date: England, 1656
Rated: Intermediate
Linen count and finished size: 35 count, 7-1/2"x29"
Stitches: Cross, double running, counted satin, and Montenegrin cross
Source: The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England

$38.00 incl. GST

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ANNE DEPAUW 1714

Designed after an exquisite English band sampler. The verse is:
Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain
but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised
Give her the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates
Delight thou in the Lord and He shall give thee thy hearts desire

Origin and date: England, 1714
Rated: Advanced
Linen count and finished size: 35 count, 8"x16-1/2"
Stitches: Eyelet, counted satin, herringbone, whitework, rice, straight, cross
Source: Private collection

$22.00 incl. GST

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ELIZABETH PAIN 1667

This band sampler was designed after a piece in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, most remarkable for the colorful, solidly filled geometric and floral sections. It also features double running stitch sections found on Italian embroideries of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Stitches used in the sampler include double running, cross, back stitch, and cross stitch over one thread of linen (petit point, only in the attribution and date). While nothing is known for certain about Elizabeth Pain, there is a curious story attached to a woman of the same name who was a settler in colonial Boston. She was born around 1652 and died in November of 1704. Some writers and popular tradition claim that her gravestone was the inspiration for the description of the grave of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter because of an unusual coat of arms that appears to be the letter "A" to the right of two lions rampant. While there is no way to prove this was the same Elizabeth Pain who made this sampler, the dates would have her around age fifteen at the time it was stitched. On 35 count linen the finished sampler will measure approximately 8-1/2" x 22-1/2". It is recommended for intermediate to advanced needleworkers.

$42.00 incl. GST

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ELLENOR WYKCS 1656

This English band sampler retains most of its original brilliant color, used lavishly in twelve elaborate arcaded pattern bands of lilies, roses, acorns, strawberries, pansies, and carnations, with alphabets and an inscription.


Origin and date: England, 1656
Rated: Intermediate
Linen count and finished size: 35 count, 7-1/2"x29"
Stitches: Cross, double running, counted satin, and Montenegrin cross
Source: The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England

$38.00 incl. GST

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MARTHA WILKINS 1699

An English Band Sampler. The seventeenth century is considered the Golden Age of samplermaking in England. Samplers created during this period exhibited exquisitely varied stitches, in combination with sophisticated design and color schemes. Martha Wilkin's band sampler exhibits many of these popular contemporary patterns, including diaper motifs, stylized carnations, acorns, grape and vine leaves, pineapples, daisies, and roses.



Origin and date: England, 1699
Rated: Advanced
Linen count and finished size: 35 count, 6"X20"
Stitches: Ubiquitous cross, Montenegrin cross,
algerian eyelet, double running satin, back,
seeding, eyelet, some whitework techniques.
Source: Privately owned

$39.00 incl. GST

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MARTHA SALTER 1651

This is a reproduction of a band sampler in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Its formal design is representative of the very angular and regular designs favored during the reign of James I. The colors are subtle, the stitch variety great, resulting in a beautiful yet relatively simple design. Verses did not often appear on samplers until after 1650, making this sampler one of the earliest known examples with a verse:
The feare of God is an excellent thing

Stitches used include cross, Montenegrin cross, double running, straight, back, and counted thread satin. The original sampler measures 17-1/2"x9", while our reproduction is approximately 18-1/2"x9", the slight difference in size the result of the original having been worked on an uneven weave, versus a modern evenweave linen.

Origin and date: 1651 England
Rated: Intermediate
Linen count and finished size: 35 count. 18-1/2"x9"
Stitches: Cross, Montenegrin cross, double running, straight, back, and counted thread satin
Source: Victoria & Albert Museum in London

$31.00 incl. GST

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JUDETH PAYNE 1668

This small and brilliantly preserved band sampler demonstrates a wide variety of stitches found on many seventeenth century samplers. The beautifully shaded flower heads and leaves are filled in with connecting tiers of trellis stitch.

Origin and date: England, 1668
Rated: Advanced
Linen count and finished size: 35 count , 7"x15"
Stitches: Montenegrin cross, double running, bullion knots, running, buttonhole, counted satin and trellis
Source: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England

$49.00 incl. GST

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A PATTERN RECORD

circa 1625
Only three colors are used in this sampler, but a great variety of patterns and stitches, including cross, double running, Montenegrin and Italian cross, eyelet, and straight. The patterns might have been drawn from this piece to embellish cuffs, sleeves, cloaks and collars, and they depict acorns, daisies, peas in a pod, stars, carnations, oak leaves and honeysuckle: objects in nature familiar to a seventeenth century homemaker. A piece like this was invaluable for practicing patterns and stitch techniques before committing them to a precious piece of clothing. The densely worked designs demonstrate how the materials were valued, in not that a bit of space was wasted, and the stitching extended clear to the selvages of the linen.
Origin and date: England, 1625
Rated: Intermediate
Linen count and finished size: 35 count, 5-3/4"x29"
Stitches: Cross, double running, Montenegrin cross, Italian, eyelet, straight
Source: Private collection

$26.00 incl. GST

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BAND SAMPLERS FROM THE SCHOOL OF JUDA HAYLE - CHARTS

THREE LATE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
BAND SAMPLERS FROM
THE SCHOOL OF JUDA HAYLE
FROM THE COLLECTION OF
THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM IN
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND
THE SCHOOL OF JUDA HAYLE,
OF IPSWICH, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND
The same two verses, with varied misspellings, occur on many of the samplers:

LOOK WELL TO WHAT YOU TAKE IN HAND
FOR LEARNING I S BETTER THAN HOUSE OR LAND
WHEN LAND IS GONE AND MONEY IS SPENT
THEN LEARNING IS MOST EXCELLENT

and

_____________ IS MY NAME AND WITH MY NEEDLE I WROUGHT THE SAME
AND JUDETH HAYLE WAS (IS) MY DAME (MISTRESS)

The three samplers in this packet all date from the earliest period of Juda Hayle's tenure, and share remarkably similar color palettes, pattern bands, lettering style, overall size, and use of stitches. Two were made by sisters Hannah and Mary Canting, and the third by Sarah Bantoft, all of whom came from relatively wealthy families in and around Ipswich, approximately sixty miles northeast of London Some of the colors used in these three samplers are so similar that it is likely the pattern bands were taught with the same color palette, but hand-dyeing has caused them to fade and alter at differing rates over the centuries. The colors were matched exactly to those at the front side of the samplers, and the palettes vary slightly from sampler to sampler. Stitches used in these samplers are cross, double running, eyelet, back, counted satin, tent, trellis, half cross, Queen, and stem.

$59.00 incl. GST

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ELIZABETH HARBORNE 1647 CHART

This remarkably well-preserved English band sampler pushes back the date of the first documented sampler with a verse (The next earliest is Martha Salter's of 1651, from the Victoria & Albert Museum, also available as a kit.) According to Donald King in Samplers, published by the V&A, the appearance of the verse on a sampler suggests that the function of the sampler was beginning to change from a pattern record to a schoolroom exercise, even at this early date. You might also note the that the verse and attribution appear upside down. There is some evidence that early band samplers were worked from both directions, sometimes by two different stitchers. This characteristic does indicate that the sampler was not intended for display, even though it is marvelously well balanced and beautifully executed, from the traditional arcaded pansy, pineapple, rose and lily bands to the boxers and heraldic frogs at the bottom.

$36.00 incl. GST

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MARGRET GATIS 1711 CHART

The focal point of this amazing English band sampler is its knot garden, which we have never before seen depicted in quite this fashion. Traditional pattern bands feature a unique twist on brightly colored roses and rosebuds, carnations, violets, diaper patterns, and deeply cut undulating borders. Sections of whitework, and a cutwork band, complete this exceptional sampler which is worked over a combination of two and three threads of linen. Clear detailed charts and instructions are provided for all sections including the cutwork.

$48.00 incl. GST

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EN 1657 CHART

A 17th century short band sampler
Band samplers of the 17th century exhibit the widest range of stitches and techniques. Counted thread stitches on linen were artfully combined with panels of floral, geometric, or figural cut and drawn work- a technique where the background threads of linen are carefully bound, then cut and pulled away to reveal the desired pattern. Cut/drawn work was used to create the popular lace ruffs, collars, cuffs and handkerchiefs, popular in 17th century England. Of unusual diminutive size for a complete 17th century band sampler, this piece still exhibits many traditional patterns, including arcaded floral bands, as well as a cutwork vignette in the lower right. Stitches used are Montenegrin and traditional cross, stem, tent, chain, detached and regular buttonhole, double running, and satin, all clearly diagrammed in the instructions. On 35 count linen, which is very similar to the original, the finished piece will measure approximately 8" x 15-1/2". This sampler is recommended for more advanced (or ambitious) needle workers.

$28.00 incl. GST

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EK SAMPLER 1653 CHART

A SAMPLER BY EK
DATED 1653
Brilliant and extreme color combinations, complex floral patterns, extreme length, and a pleasing symmetry are demonstrated in this striking band sampler. The crisp, vivid color still remains on the front of the sampler. Patterns include reversed and formal honeysuckle, Stuart S motifs, acorns, daisies, boxers bearing fruits, strawberries, lilies, and carnations.

$39.00 incl. GST

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EH 1669 CHART

AN ENGLISH BAND SAMPLER
This is a reproduction of a band sampler in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England. What is most unusual is the wide, flowing floral pattern in the upper third, that has only been previously documented on Italian embroideries of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Stitches used include double running, cross, seeding, trellis, eyelet, and counted satin.

$42.00 incl. GST

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MARY COOPER 1655 CHART

An early English band sampler, ex-collectio The Scarlet Letter
The English seventeenth century polychrome band sampler was usually worked by a school girl between the ages of seven and twelve, as her first embroidery project. Extant pieces range from quite simple to quite sophisticated designs. Pattern books of the period were generally referred to only for more elaborate pictorial work. One type of ornamentation often appearing in printed books of the Baroque period is the popular Greek Fretwork pattern, which appears on this sampler. It is most likely that the type of stitches and patterns employed on these instructional band samplers were learned by observation of stitched samples, and by classroom demonstration. Mary Cooper's sampler was not as finely worked as others of the period, which we have reproduced. Her linen was a bit coarse, as was the silk floss she used, but the pattern bands, color palette and stitches are representative of that half century's body of sampler work. Using only five colors, she created a pleasing and symmetrical design that made use of various stitches listed below. Like the original, our reproduction is worked over three threads of linen, and is almost exactly the size of the original, at 16-3/4"x8-1/4".

$29.00 incl. GST

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BOSCOBEL OAK KIT

An English Band Sampler of the 1660's from the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England. Worked almost entirely in double running and running stitches, this unusual band sampler manages to incorporate lessons in needlework with politics and English history. The large oak tree in the lower-most panel contains three gold crowns, an obvious reference to the oak tree in the grounds of Boscobel House in Shropshire where Charles II was hidden after fleeing the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The local people assisted him in his escape, which explains the figure of the hunter saluting the tree. The mansion and formal garden in the upper third appear in some fashion on at least three other dated English samplers; Frances Cheyney's of 1663 in the Burrell Collection, Elizabeth Sexton's of 1660 now in a private collection, and Margret Mason's of 1660 in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

$129.00 incl. GST

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MARIE ABBOTT KIT

circa 1680
This band sampler consists of sixteen horizontal and two vertical pattern bands, as well as a section of spot embroidery, a verse and an alphabet. Worked on a long, narrow strip of plain weave linen with four hemmed edges, the sampler would be easy to roll, store, and transport and certainly survived in its present state due to the high quality of materials used as well as the fact that it was never displayed. The verse is succinct: Have God in Minde.

$99.00 incl. GST

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