CHANGING STYLES: THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
100 YEARS OF SAMPLER MAKING

This newest exhibition at Witney Antiques focuses on the evolution of sampler styles throughout the eighteenth century. The catalogue charts this development from the emerging importance of women's literacy, the influence of moral excellence on young minds, the period of pastoral and bucolic infatuation, and the growth in popularity of the needle arts as practiced in fashionable boarding schools for young ladies.

The catalogue is illustrated in full color, with many previously unpublished and unrecorded samplers, including a very rare and unique group of eight Scottish family samplers, spanning a period of forty years. The cover is illustrated below, as well as some details from the book itself. 
Price $50.00

 

The Judith Hayle Samplers Edwina Ehrman A new book on the famous needlework teacher from Ipswich, England, named Juda Hayle. The book contains information that researchers will want, including genealogies, historical perspectives, provenances, contents of wills, examinations of sampler motifs and origins. Research is thorough and comprehensive, and everything is in full color except for documents and engravings. The text includes a biography of the life of Judeth/Juda/Judeth Hayle and her daughter Rebecca Thomson in the context of Ipswich and the wider, European maritime community, as well as the background of their pupils. $45.00
THE EMBROIDERIES AT HARDWICK HALL: A catalogue by Santina M. Levey The collection of late 16th century embroidery, needlework and wrought linen at the National Trust's Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is a remarkable survival. Largely commissioned by the redoubtable Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury- otherwise known as "Bess of Hardwick"- the pieces range from small panels of needlework and linen sewn with gold and colored silks to a dramatic set of huge wall hangings depicting "Heroic Women of the Ancient World." Most of the pieces were made within her household and have subsequently remained in the charge of the Dukes of Devonshire for over 400 years. Despite the relative remoteness of her Derbyshire home, Bess of Hardwick moved in the highest echelons of society and was on friendly terms with Queen Elizabeth I. She was an intelligent and discerning woman, aware of contemporary interests and with a keen eye for quality. This is reflected in the superb textiles with which she furnished her house at Chatsworth and the two halls at Hardwick. The surviving embroidery collection numbers over 200 individual items, including many of outstanding workmanship. This comprehensive catalogue has an introductory section, which provides essential background information and compares the surviving pieces at Hardwick with the furnishings of Bess of Hardwick's contemporaries. The catalogue itself is divided by technique and, within each section, by type of object. Santina Levey looks at each piece in turn, explaining how it was made and by which type of embroiderer. Many of the items are well documented, and Levey throws new light on the ways in which they were displayed and even re-used at different times. She also provides fascinating new material on design sources. Illustrated in full color, this enables close examination of materials and techniques. Many of the pieces have not been described or illustrated before. This book will be a collector's item. Hardbound, 400 pages, $130.00
ALPHABET DE LA BRODEUSE: Monogrammes et Festons for cross stitch embroidery and whitework. This facsimile edition of a book of French alphabets, monograms, motifs, and borders includes eighty patterns in red and blue, in many different styles. Softbound, 90 pages, $17.95
THE PRAIRIE GIRL'S GUIDE TO LIFE: How to sew a sampler quilt and 49 other pioneer projects for the modern girl by Jennifer Worick Whether looking to escape today's hectic world or get in touch with your creative self, there's comfort in returning to the simple life on the prairie. While you may not have to truss a turkey or embroider a pillowcase on a daily basis, it pays for modern girls to possess the skills of a pioneer woman, especially in a challenging urban landscape. This book can teach you the skills your grandmother might never have shown you. Hardbound, 200 pages, $15.00