SC Samplers

1843 Jane McEwen Jackson with Mary Morrison Jackson
York Co., SC
17 1/4"V x 16 1/4"H
Photograph: Culture and Heritage Museums, York, SC


The latest issue of the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts features an article on Carolina Piedmont samplers by Pat Veasey. The article expounds upon Pat's previous research, documented in the catalog Virtue Leads and Grace Reveals: Embroideries and Education in Antebellum South Carolina.

Citation for article: Veasey, Patricia V. "Samplers of the Carolina Piedmont: The Presbyterian Connection and the Bethel Group." Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts Vols. XXXI-XXXII. Issues 2, 1 and 2 (Winter 2005/2006): 103-148.

An Intriguing Find

1877 Memorial Pincushion (obverse and reverse)
Hartsville, Trousdale Co.?
5 3/4"V X 5"W x 1"D © TSS 118

Neither Janet nor I have ever seen a memorial pincushion. The example above was found in the attic of an old home in Hartsville, Trousdale Co., that had been inhabited by the same family for several generations. The stitched inscription on the front reads:

GOD TOOK
Lizzie
JULY. 8th
1877.

The back features a bird motif.

The sides once held pins that spelled out words or perhaps the alphabet, as can be seen in the this view:



Pincushions like this were once used to commemorate the birth of a child. With the greeting "Welcome, Little Stranger" or similar aphorism one one side and a design on the other, the cushions were sometimes presented as christening gifts. The pins represented the pangs of childbirth.

Was this pinkeep originally intended to celebrate the birth of Lizzie and then adapted to memorialize her death in infancy?

Modern Middle Tennessee Sampler

For the past three years, two groups of stitchers have been working on the Middle Tennessee Sampler, a sampler I designed based on Middle Tennessee motifs. Carol, who chose to work her sampler in a horizontal format, is the most recent finisher. Her sampler, worked in silk on linen, is picured below:


A detail of Band 4, which features turkey work:



Samplers worked by Patricia, Cathy, and Teresa can be seen in this previous post.