A week ago today, my friend Linda and I packed up the car and headed to Morgantown, West Virginia for a lecture by Pat Ryan and Ann Robbins of
R & R Reproductions at
West Virginia University. We were a little hesitant early in the week knowing "Sandy" was coming but after confirming the lecture was a go we set off. We ran into some spots of rain and drizzle but nothing major.
We made one stop on the way there in Wheeling, West Virginia, at the Russell Stover store! It was my first time there. Check out this huge box of chocolates! I've never seen a box that big before...two and a half pounds worth!!! W-O-W! No, I didn't buy one. I'd hurt myself with that much chocolate!
Of course I couldn't get out of there without a few things! I had to have one of the 100th anniversary tins that came with the neatest little Whitman history booklet and a couple other goodies for my honey.
We arrived in Morgantown in time to unpack and settle in a bit. We decided to walk to the restaurant next door for dinner before the lecture. This was all that was left of the snow they'd gotten the day before. Our waiter said they had gotten 6" but that it had all melted away in the rain that followed. Did we get lucky or what?!
The lecture was incredible. I learned so much and I took three pages of notes. Yep, I'm a perpetual college student at heart, what can I say. I'm also a lover of history so this lecture was right up my alley!
Before the lecture, I had been given a "heads up" that Pat had written a book on historic samplers back in the 1990's and was lucky enough to find one for a decent price on
Amazon before the trip. I took it with me to get it autographed. That was so cool!
The best part was we got to see almost every sampler pictured in the book and even a few that weren't in the book! Ann passed the samplers around while Pat talked about them. I was amazed at how beautiful they were in person. It was fascinating to hear each one's story and get to see them close up.
So what did I learn? Several things! Pat talked a lot about symbolism. I learned that two birds facing each other means harmony in the household. If they are facing away there is discord in the household. A rabbit means fertility. Strawberries were considered symbols of the fruit of life.
We learned about red dyes. The colorfast reds were made with
cochineal bugs. This was familiar to me from my quilt history studies and I was happy to have that connection to samplers too. We learned that some reds were made with cranberry dye which faded to pink and ultimately white in a matter of six months! So if you see an antique sampler that has a pink or white where a red would have made sense, it most likely was a cranberry dye.
We heard about the various historic houses and museums Pat visited to study the samplers she reproduced. Some were laid back and others very protective of their samplers. One even had a guard that stood over her as she worked. Talk about no pressure! Not! LOL!
We learned about the funny symbols you see on Quaker samplers (look at the line under the numbers) and learned their meaning. If another Quaker saw the symbols then they knew they could speak freely of their religion in that household! I always wondered what those things were.
We also learned that Quaker samplers don't say January, February, March, etc. Instead they say first month, second month, third month, etc. That's another clue I didn't know. Just look at Sally Starbuck's sampler above. Yes, Sally is related to
the Starbucks as in coffee! Cool isn't it?!
We saw a Mormon sampler by Mary Smithies and learned about the
hand cart brigade migration. I had no idea those folks walked to Utah! We learned that this sampler was stitched on a "learner's cloth" and still had the blue threads in it! Pat said she had to weave the blue threads into the reproduction
before starting the actual stitching! I really like this one.
We saw two samplers stitched by little boys. George Eisenbrey was naughty and was made to stitch this sampler with the little girls. We don't know what he did to receive this punishment but I'm sure stitching this sampler was enough to straighten him out.
The other boy's sampler was done by Julian Chamberlain. He had been ill and stitched his while in recovery. I liked how he used the space below his name to practice some specialty stitches.
This sampler by Sarah Ann Buck was one of my favorites. I love the green fabric she chose. We learned the fabric color represents the color of slate chalkboards of the time. I love how the colors just pop off that background!
In total we saw 45 amazing samplers and I learned so many new-to-me things! It was fun to make some connections between samplers, quilts, and woven coverlets too. I hope to make many more of these connections in the future. I always love an opportunity to learn new things and this was very much worth the five hour drive!
I'd love to show you all 45 samplers but you'll just have to go find a copy of Pat's book! It's worth it to hunt one up because there are charts for every sampler in it! I've already added several to my "to stitch someday" list. The samplers in the book now have a very special memory of a wonderful night spent with special friends old and new. I can't wait to get stitching!
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The next morning we had to go find the University parking office to pay the parking ticket we were gifted the night before! We did not see a sign anywhere telling us it was a permit only space nor did we see a sign telling us where we should park. Oh well, we made our donation and off we went.
Well, we did have to stop across the street for a Starbuck's salted caramel hot chocolate and a pumpkin scone! Yum! Yes, my peep, Linda has me addicted to those things! Thank goodness they are seasonal. LOL!
Our trip home was uneventful and we arrived back at my house late afternoon. It was a great mini getaway and I'm so glad we went! I can't wait for another opportunity to road trip with Linda. We had a blast!!! It's always good to drink from the well of knowledge and spend time with a good friend too.
This post has gotten pretty lengthy today. Thanks for taking time to visit with me! I hope your day is good.
Until next time,
The Inspired Stitcher
