Map, Little Dog Samplers of Middle Tennessee

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Map showing the locations of the homes of the stitchers. We know of 11 Little Dog samplers, ranging in date from 1831 to c. 1853.

Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly

The spring issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly is here! The cover features a reproduction of a Tennessee sampler, the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson. In addition to the chart for the sampler, there is an article on the Little Dog samplers (of which this is an example).


The model was stitched on 28 ct. light sand linen from Zweigart using custom dyed silks from Olde Willow Stitchery. A materials kit is available from SANQ for $69 (plus S/H). Call (800) 547-4176 ext. 2 to order. Refer to order number K-JCS15.

Special thanks to RIndy Richards and Connie Winslett, who stitched the model, Janet Hasson who conducted the genealogical research, and the editors of SANQ for allowing TSS this opportunity.


Core, Jennifer C. "The Little Dog Samplers of Middle Tennessee." Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly, Vol. 54 (Spring 2009). pp. 5-9.

Core, Jennifer C. "1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson Sampler (chart and instructions)." Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly, Vol. 54 (Spring 2009). pp. 10-16.

Little Dog Sampler Featured on Antiques Roadshow

1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson (detail)
Maury Co. and Williamson Co.
16 1/4"V x 18"H © TSS 015

The PBS program Antiques Roadshow has featured a Tennessee sampler. The program, filmed in Dallas on June 28, 2008, aired last night, February 9, 2009. Ken Farmer was the appraiser.

The 1833 sampler by Nancy Jane Hughes is almost identical to the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson sampler. A little dog stands guard beside a four chimnied, two-story house. A rectangular catouche encloses the maker's name and the date of completion. The initials "MC" (which probably stand for "Maury County") complete the text.

See the video and photographs at Antiques Roadshow's web site.

1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson Model Finished

1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson
Spring Hill, Maury Co.
16 1/4"V x 18"H © TSS 015



Connie Winslett finished the model for the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson (TSS 015) reproduction this week. Many thanks to Connie for stitching so quickly and expertly!

Here is a sneak peak at one of the motifs--the little dog that gives this group of samplers their name (original sampler is on the left; reproduction sampler is on the right). I matched the stitching threads (from Olde Willow Stitchery, especially dyed for this project) to the back of the sampler, which account for the difference in color.

Make sure to pick up a copy of the spring issue (Vol. 54) of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly, which will publish the complete chart and an article I wrote about Middle Tennessee samplers.

1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson Schematic

I met with Rindy Richards, who is stitching the model for the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson reproduction (TSS 015) this evening. We refined some color selections. Rindy is such a beautiful and productive stitcher. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Mystery Sampler Revealed

Mary Elizabeth Terrell
February 28, 1836—July 10, 1917
Burwood, Williamson Co.
September 18, 1846
Wool on cotton learning canvas
16" vertical x 17" horizontal
Private Collection
TSS 196



Our most recent documentation is the Mystery Sampler that I referred to in an earlier post (02/19/2008). Our "Little Dog" makes an appearance. The name "Mary de Patterson" appears above the cartouche. Janet's research has revealed that Mary Elizabeth Terrell's family made payment to Mary D. Patterson for embroidery instruction. We have found the elusive teacher for the later samplers in this group.

Color Palette

The silks from Olde Willow Stitchery arrived today. Robin did a fabulous job of matching the colors to the original 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson sampler. The model stitching begins this weekend!

The silks are shown against the ground fabric I have selected, a 28 ct. light sand linen from Zweigart.

Mystery Sampler?

The best part of our work is receiving emails and phone calls alerting us to previously unknown samplers. My pulse races when I see the words "mystery sampler," "unknown sampler," or "sampler help" in an email heading.

Today our colleague Rick Warwick emailed us an image of a sampler and some family history on the stitcher. This new-to-us sampler, an exciting find, clearly belongs to the "Little Dog" grouping. It comes with a very extensive provenance. The sampler also has additional names and initials on it, which may help us identify the teacher.

Every sampler adds to our understanding of the ones we have already documented. I hate jigsaw puzzles, but I love patterns and repetition. When I unfold my map of Tennessee, and see that two girls who worked similar samplers in the same year lived less than five miles from one another, I feel as if I have been invited to a very select party.

Above, the "Little Dog" from the 1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson sampler (TSS 015), the piece I am currently charting for reproduction.

1831 Sarah Harriet Stephenson

Sarah Harriet Stephenson
January 1, 1819—February 11, 1848
Spring Hill
Williamson County/Maury County
Tennessee
June 18, 1831
Silk on linen
16 ½” vertical x 18” horizontal
Private Collection
TSS 015

I've been charting the second sampler for reproduction. Rindy Richards will be stitching the model, with silks custom dyed for us by Olde Willow Stitchery. Rindy and I went to visit the sampler on Friday and match both DMC and NPI to the obverse and reverse.

The model will be worked with the colors from the back. This sampler is part of a group of five I am calling "The Little Dog Samplers of Middle Tennessee." The charting has been going well--Sarah was a good little stitcher with regular repeats in the border and dividing band. The owner was stunned that I thought this sampler was worth reproducing. She said, "Will people really be interested in this?" Rindy said, "The colors are beautiful, it is in great condition, it has the name, exact date, and county in the inscription, there are an upper case alphabet, lower case alphabet, and numbers, we know a lot about Sarah, and it has a house and a dog! Of course people will want to stitch it!"

I can't begin to describe how lovely and intense the colors are. The blue just jumps out at the eye. Terracotta, chartreuse, lavender... somehow they all come together to make a beautiful piece.