Re-visiting 1758 via Elizabeth Simon

I'm excited to be joining Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year Challenge with my stitching of Elizabeth Simon's 1758 sampler!  This is a beautiful reproduction of Elizabeth's sampler which was charted by The Scarlet Letter.

Here's a picture of what the completed piece will look like:

Anyone can join this challenge - I posted the complete "rules" in my previous post which I copied and pasted from Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year blog (section three). 

Check out the gorgeous reproduction samplers available as charts or full kits with fabric and/or cotton or silk flosses at The Scarlet Letter's site: 

http://www.scarlet-letter.com/

Even if you're new to counted cross stitch, there are reproduction samplers you can try.  The site identifies each sampler as Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.  Don't be afraid! Counted cross stitch is fun, relaxing, and a great way to meet new people and create lasting pieces of art to use as gifts or to display in your home.  (It's also great therapy for pain management - trust me on that one.) 

If you've never explored cross stitch, or think the only designs and kits available are those for sale at the mega craft stores like Michael's, you don't know what you're missing. Samplers are only one genre of counted cross stitch, and new and exciting designs are being created every day by many companies and designers. 

A site you might like to explore, just to take a look at some of the varied designs on the market today, is www.stitchandfrog.com.  There are tons of sites out there on the Internet, and you may even have a  LNS (local needlework shop) right in your area that you've never explored!  I'm fortunate to have The Crossstitch Cupboard in my own backyard of Fort Lauderdale, but these types of shops are all over the country (and world!) 

Take a look today and see what's out there.  Maybe you'll discover a brand new hobby, or find a new project to enjoy.  Or perhaps you'll join the Scarlet Letter Challenge with us!