Mary Bate's lovely sampler has arrived

Mary Bate's sampler from 1796 is even more lovely than I figured. The colors are golds, greens and antique rose. The linen is about a 52 count, and the size of the original is 12 by 15 1/2.

The sampler is mounted on a wooden frame with little nails/tacks. I always hate removing the samplers from these frames, because I am always so afraid to tear the piece. But it'll have to come off at some point. It's not good for the life of the sampler for it to stay mounted on wood. It'll get conservation framed after I reproduce it. I do not yet have plans for a release date for this sampler.

Here's a cute picture of Graham from our vacation. We visited the Fargo Zoo the first full day we were in town, and he wanted to ride the merry-go-round. Even though he's 14, you can see he was kind of pleased with the situation.

And this is the last picture I took of Chi and Soba before I took them to PetSmart two weeks ago. They were adopted within a few days. But it makes me a little sad, because this was their last cuddly nap together on a favorite chair at the house. I do miss them, but have been in contact with Chi's (right) new owner. Andrea loves Chi, now called "Stella." They sit and watch movies together in the evenings, and Andrea has bought Stella new cat toys and a black gingham collar with a bow.

Have a great weekend. I hope you get some stitching done!