Midweek Progress...

Welcome dear needlefolk friends!

Such a lovely day I've been enjoying ~

~ five mile morning walk (treadmill)

~ dishes, laundry & kitchen floor swept

~ lunch...shrimp & veggie stir fry 

~ online orders filled and shipped

~ quality stitching time...ahhh!

~ blog break ~ progress update...

Working on the greenery...

~ leaves added to the border

~ leaves & stems all done

Tonight, after supper I'll finish with 

the green by adding grass to the lower 

portion of the sampler.

Then, I can finally start adding some 

new colours...can't wait to start 

adding the fruit, flowers and

a final mystery motif!

☙❧

The featured topic for today's needle wisdom segment

will be ~ Sampler Verses

And now, a quick little glimpse from the past!

Needle Wisdom... 

A sampler, was a record of a blossoming young woman

at the time when she hoped to become the center of attention

of at least one man.  

If not always worked with the expertise she would gain later...

 most old samplers show true accomplishment!

The sampler was likely to be charming, creative, 

and, perhaps most important made for the maker herself.  

A sampler was her direct expression, and it would serve 

her the rest of her life, even functioning as a sort of 

memorial after she died.  

The following is an example from a sampler

stitched by Jane Simon ~

The Gracious God Did Give Me Time

To Do ths Work You See that Others Mayd

 Larn The Same When I Shall Cease to Be.

Another sampler verse ended ~

When gredy worms my body eat 

In this you may read by name complete.

Sampler verses, a virtual catalog of ideals that females

cherished, show us the character traits that these girls were

supposed to exhibit.  

There are odes to virtue, humility, selflessness, cheerfulness,

and industry;  dire warnings against the corresponding evils;

and, as the two verses just cited reveal, and ever~present

preoccupation, indeed an almost morbid fascination,

with death!

Over and over, girls began their verse with 

"When I am dead and laid in my grave,"  or some

similar line.  

Perhaps, these verses served as a means for young

 girls to reconcile themselves to death.

☙❧

Midweek Soul Food...

God, grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr 

I like to also think of this prayer as...

God, grant me the serenity to accept

the people I cannot change, 

the courage to change the one I can,

and the wisdom to know it's ME!

☙❧

I enjoyed sharing my break time with you,

now it's time to start thinking about supper!

Enjoy a lovely evening,

Tammy