Lecture, Sun., Apr. 3, 2011

Columbia Female Institute
1838-1932
image: TSLA, Nashville

Janet and I will be giving a lecture on Sun., Apr. 3, 2011, 2:00 pm, at the James K. Polk Home in Columbia, TN. Our topic will be "Reading, Writing, and Refining: 19th Century Female Education in Tennessee." The lecture is the last scheduled activity in conjunction with the exhibit Middle Tennessee Samplers: This My Name Shall Ever Have, which closes Sun., Apr. 10, 2011.

Admission to the sampler exhibit is free to lecture attendees.

The James K. Polk Home is located at 301 West 7th Street, Columbia, TN 38402.

For more information or directions call (931) 388-2354 or email jameskpolk@bellsouth.net.

TSS Reproductions

The first sampler that I charted was the 1854 Margaret Elizabeth Kirkpatrick. The chart packet features everything that I love as a stitcher: photos of both the original and the reproduction, suggestions for adaptations, a biography of the stitcher, info on the historical importance of Middle TN samplers, and a pretty photo of Williamson County. I think the chart is easy to read and handle. The color conversions for three different fiber lines will assist anyone wanting to switch to a different line.

inside cover, showing adaptations

Individuals may purchase this chart for $18 + S/H from:
The Mad Samplar Book Company
1225 Village Drive
Yadkinville, NC 27055
(336) 961-6715
www.madsamplarbooks.com
paige@madsamplarbooks.com

You should call or email Paige with your order; the Needlework Shop section of her website is currently undergoing renovation.

The second sampler I charted was the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson. Rindy Richards and Connie Winslett stitched the model. The chart and an accompanying article were published in the Spring 2009 (Vol. 54) issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly. Back issues can be ordered through SANQ. A materials kit, featuring silks from Olde Willow Stitchery, can be ordered from Martha Pullen. Olde Willow no longer produces overdyed silks, so at a reduced price of $41.40, this is the easiest and cheapest way to stitch this sampler. Please note that the materials kit (of silks and linen) does not include the chart; you must order the magazine separately.

A third chart and article were published in the Fall 2010 (Vol. 60) issue of SANQ. The 1831 Mildred A. F. Nelson sampler is in the collection of the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, TN. Now I will tell you a secret. The 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson is charted for Olde Willow Stitchery silks. The 1831 Mildred A. F. Nelson is charted for NPI, because OWS stopped producing overdyed silks. The original samplers, when examined from the reverse, are almost the exact same color palette. Even though Sarah and Mildred lived about 40 miles apart and went to different schools, they obtained their silks from the same source. (We hypothesize.) If you are a confident and adventurous stitcher, accustomed to changing colors, you COULD buy two materials kits for the Sarah Harriet Stephenson sampler and use one kit for Sarah and one kit for Mildred. Mildred used a dark green and a dark terracotta in hers that is not found in Sarah's--you would have to supplement with a few additional skeins of NPI. Do not do this if you plan on emailing or calling me every two days with complaints.

Here are the Olde Willow Stitchery silks, originally intended for the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson sampler, which can be repurposed for the 1831 Mildred A. F. Nelson sampler, if supplemented with a skeins of NPI. For $41.40, you can buy the linen and 18 skeins of silk. This is a good deal. Note that you must also purchase the back issues of the magazines for the charts. I am not going to promise that Sarah's silks will work out perfectly for Mildred's sampler, but if you plan carefully, you will be working much like the 19th century sampler makers did. They did not have control over dye lots and many samplers show where a green changed from blue-green to yellow-green midway through the grass.

I always enjoy seeing your WIP and finished pieces. Let me know if you stitch a TSS sampler.

Reproductions from Tennessee Musuems

Several people have contacted me asking if any reproductions of Tennessee samplers are available. In my next post, I will feature the three samplers that I have charted, but first I wanted to direct you to the other reproductions available.

The Hermitage: Home of President Andrew Jackson has a kit of the 1817 Emily Tennessee Donelson sampler available. A complete kit can be ordered through their online shop and costs $21.95 plus S/H.

1817 Emily Tennessee Donelson (TSS 047)
original sampler in photo

The Knoxville Sampler Stitchers reproduced a birth record from the collection of the Ramsey House Plantation. The chart for the c.1811 Eliza Jane Naomi Baine Ramsey sampler can be ordered through the gift shop. Call (865) 546-0745 or email info@ramseyhouse.org.

c.1811 Eliza Jane Naomi Baine Ramsey (TSS 075)
original sampler in photo

The James K. Polk Home in Columbia has a chart for the 1812 Mary Wills Sansom sampler. Although Mary lived in Georgia when she stitched her marking sampler, she later moved to Tennessee and married Anderson Childress, the brother of Sarah Childress Polk, wife of President James K. Polk. This sampler was reproduced in the mid-1980s. The chart is hand drawn and the reproduction calls for natural linen and DMC threads. The price is $2.50 plus S/H. Call (931) 388-2354 or email jameskpolk@bellsouth.net to order.

The Polk Home gift shop also stocks all TSS merchandise, in conjunction with the current exhibit on Middle Tennessee samplers. I will describe our products in the next post.

1812 Mary Wills Sansom (TSS 021)
original sampler in photo

If you know of any other Tennessee sampler reproductions, let me know in the comments. I will add them to this post.