Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sampling History at the More House: Learning the Basics

by: Kajsa Sabatke, Interpretive Projects Coordinator
Now that I have looked at Mary More’s sampler and learned more about her, I am beginning the process of actually making my own sampler based on hers. I worked with Gwen to collect the right supplies, assemble a sewing basket, and block out the first few rows of letters on graph paper. During my first day of cross stitching in the More House, I accomplished more than I expected as I talked to museum visitors about the house and the sampler project. I finished twelve letters and considered it a major victory every time I completed one without having to fix a mistake (that only happened a handful of times). Most of the letters required fixing after I counted incorrectly, got distracted, or pulled the thread through the wrong hole. I thought I was getting better as the day progressed, but then I had to rip out and restart the letter N three times. After finally getting it right, though, I practically jumped up and down in celebration. Yes, I really got that excited about the letter N. This is going to be a challenging and very fun project!

2 comments:

willwalker said...

Sounds like fun! You should start a sampler group.

Kajsa Sabatke said...

Some of the museum staff met weekly over the winter to eat lunch and work on needlework projects: mostly knitting, crocheting, and cross stitching. I was an observer this year, but I think this project will help me get motivated to start on my own work beyond the sampler.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin