The word ”sampler” is from the Latin exemplar, meaning ”pattern,” and that`s exactly what the early samplers were. Stitched on long, narrow pieces of cloth, samplers were records of random stitches in ...

In 2003, Julie Jackson stopped by a craft store to buy a really ornate cross-stitch sampler — the kind with a guide to stitching the alphabet so it could be personalized as a wedding gift — as a kind ...

On nearly every wall in JoAnn Myers' home hangs at least one sampler featuring the alphabet, animals, flowers and decorative borders. Myers created most of the samplers, often using a magnifying glass ...

Click to open image viewer. CC0 Usage Conditions ApplyClick for more information. A botanical alphabet blooms on this colorful cross-stitch sampler bordered in green. As early as the fifteenth century ...

The first person to realize that the tiny holes in a fabric’s weave were the perfect guide for stitching precise little Xs might have trouble recognizing what is now known as counted cross-stitch. The ...

The serenity prayer takes on a whole new meaning when you add a little Jabba. Needle artists Steotch take classic sampler themes and add a hefty dose of cross-stitched pop culture. Most of Steotch’s ...