I am very excited to bring you the reproduction of Sarah Ann Fernley's fun sampler!
I call it the Zodiac Sampler as Sarah used a rhyme on her sampler about the Signs of the Zodiac... not the names we are more familiar with but the descriptive words of each sign. This verse, or rhyme, was penned by Isaac Watts in the 1700s and was found in children's books. While I was unable to find historical information about Sarah Fernley because of not having details of location or age it is most likely she was familiar with the verse from her childhood.
The sampler is quite striking and dramatic all in black thread. It is 134 stitches wide x 160 stitches high. I stitched the model on 40 count Zweigart linen in the color Burch using Splendor silk in black for the cross stitch and Algerian eyelets and Au ver a Soie 100/3 in Noir for the over one cross stitch. I would suggest using your favorite threads or favorite color!
The chart for Sarah Ann Fernley 1826 is available in pdf format in my etsy shop
here and also as hardcopy charts from your favorite needlework shop! The model is on display at Hobby House Needleworks in Pittsford NY.
Thank you for your interest and support! Happy Stitches Always! xx
Krista
