Goringes often have some lovely and important samplers come up for sale and here is a beautiful example stitched by Elizabeth Peace in 1736. This is almost a transition piece - moving from an upper band sampler to a framed text sampler. Beneath the topmost rows of alphabets and numerals there are two rows of crowns and coronets, followed by a broad bargello stitched band. Beneath this is the Creed, Elizabeth's title is
The Belief which is framed by a freely embroidered flowers. She has signed and dated her sampler and I am sure some research will be able to produce more information about her and her family. The sampler concludes with the following lesson: Delight in knowledge soon dost bring/The child to learn the hardest thing. This is a lovely Enlightment touch - the equivalent of
a spoonful of sugar. The auction estimate for this sampler is £400-£600.
Click here for more details. I wag going to say that f you are visiting Lewes for the auction, be sure to visit Anne of Cleve's house, but at present it is closed until March 2010. In that case, lunch at
Bill's by the river - the best deli/diner this side of Manhattan. There are lots of antique shops and thrift shops by the river, but take time to explore the lovely shops in the High Street also -
Flint is one of my favourites but there are many more.
It is interesting that in 1808, just 10 years after this wallet was stitched, Hogarth should write that Irish stitch had long been out of fashion! But patently not in the United States. Irish stitch was construed to be a corruption of Iris Stitch, owing to its resemblance to a rainbow. Poets liken fir trees and hedges to Irish Stitch. Others saw in the stitch the resemblance to flames, though equally Flame could have its origin in Flemming. Other names in use for this stitch are Bargello - from the furniture in the Bargello Palace in Florence, Florentine Stitch, and Hungarian Point. It is such a simple stitch and the design so attractive and easy to follow, that it was stitched almost universally. 
