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Winter Stockings
Size: 3 inches x 5 inches
Description:
A sampler that I viewed at the Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston inspired this design. The sampler was made by Betsy Davis in
Providence, Rhode Island and was finished in April of 1797. Betsy was
a student in a school for young ladies run by Miss Mary Balch, also of
Providence. The samplers by students of Miss Balch are well known for
their distinctive style, the center portraying prominent Rhode Island
buildings and people, and framed by a border of flowers. These
borders are usually formed of large flowers in Queen Stitch. Another
interesting feature of these samplers is the use of Pattern Darning or
Half Cross Stitches to shade the background in certain areas of the
sampler. I have taken these two ideas and designed a rose border for
you with a metallic background of alternating Half Cross Stitches.
When I designed this piece, I chose to use Soie de Paris, a filament
silk, instead of a spun silk to work the stitches. The difference
between the threads is the length of the silk fibers. In a filament
silk they are continuous, whereas in a spun silk they are short. This
results in a high sheen for filament silk, an effect which is seen on
old samplers. Spun silk has a much softer glow. The stitches used
compliment the use of the filament silk. The metallic background
compliments the shine of the filament silk, and imparts the feeling of
an "icy winter covering the budding roses".
Materials Recommended:
36 ct. antique white edinburgh linen, six
colors of Au Ver a Soie Soie de Paris or DMC floss, and Kreinik Japan
Cord.
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