If you say the word “sampler” or “samples” over and over again, they will both start sounding like very weird words.
I hesitated to use the title of today’s post, because it seems somewhat redundant. Sampler Samples. That’s like saying samples for samples of samples. But they really are sampler samples.
Last week, I mentioned an idea I wanted to develop this year and here’s a little more development on the idea.
I’m cheating a little on the color on this sample. My only opportunity to take photos this past week was on a phone, in evening light, and I couldn’t get a true color.
When I tried color correcting in Photoshop, I have to admit, I liked the result – almost better than the original color scheme!
If your monitor is giving you anything similar to what my laptop screen is giving me, the sample above is more green than blue.
In fact, this sampler is worked in a very lovely range of blues – wintery blues.
This one isn’t quite there yet, either, color-wise, but it’s a little closer.
These little sampler samples are going to finish into little Somethings soon. I hope they turn out as I envision them! If not, I’ll make a few adjustments and start the process over.
These are small pieces. The width of the design is probably 1.5″ – 1.75″. The height is about 3″.
They’re little pieces, but they pack a might punch when it comes to showing off stitches! As these pieces develop – and when we finally get to the finish line – I’ll definitely share them in depth with you! But at this point, until I work out the kinks, I’m afraid it’s just a glimpse here and there.
In the meantime, it this sparks a little interest and you’re keen to stitch your own embroidery samples on a sampler of sorts, I do have quite a few articles here on Needle ‘n Thread about stitch sampling, doodle cloths, and the like. Here’s a list that will get you started:
The Stitch Sampler vs The Doodle Cloth
Developing an Embroidered Spot Sampler
Stitch Fun: Lattice Sampler
On Stitches and Samplers and Such
Embroidery Stitch Dictionaries
Besides the innumerable online resources available for learning embroidery stitches these days, it’s a great idea to invest in a stitch dictionary or two, to have on hand as a good reference for learning stitches.
Here are my reviews of a few stitch dictionaries that I love. Take a look – you might find one or two that interest you. It never hurts to have more than one stitch dictionary, because not all stitch dictionaries cover the same stitches and they each have a different approach, which can be very helpful when it comes to learning and building confidence with stitches.
If your budget will only allow one right now, that’s ok! Any of these are good!
The Embroidery Stitch Bible – Book Review
The A-Z Series of Embroidery Books (and especially their Embroidery Stitches and Embroidery Stitches 2 books)
Embroidery Stitches Step-by-Step or Stitch Sampler – this particular book has been available under different titles for years. The various titles can make it confusing. But it’s a great stitch dictionary!
Mary Thomas’s Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches – a classic! It should be on your bookshelf!
