Blog #37 - The 'Favoured Shades' Sampler Exhibition

Tuesday  -  2 June  2015

WOW!  What a wonderful weekend!!

So many visitors came to the Gallery to view the exhibitions
of the 'Favoured Shades' Samplers, Joy’s stitched sampler designs
and Elizabeth’s stitched sampler inspired designs.

Thank you.  Thank you, to everyone who loaned their pieces of needlework
so that I could create the displays.

Without you, this event would not have been possible.
 
And, thank you too, to everyone who visited.
Without you, the exhibition would not have been a success.

To recap - this sampler was presented
as a ‘Mystery Sampler’ in 2014 -
six parts over six months.

No-one knew beforehand the finished look
of the sampler and the participants

had to choose the fabric they wanted
to stitch on and the thread colours

were their choice - 
seven shades of one colour :
their favourite colour. 

Stitches and/or rows of stitches
could be changed or deleted, 

a verse could be added, etc.  

This sampler gave every participant
an enjoyable challenge 
and the opportunity
to create their own sampler.

Here is a photo of my original sampler that I stitched in 2006

and the one I had to stitch again when it was decided 

that this would be the 2014 mystery project.

In 2006 I had not intended to publish this design and so my charts
were only roughly hand-drawn and no thought had been given

to writing stitching instructions.

Consequently I needed to stitch this piece again

as I printed charts, wrote instructions and drew stitch diagrams.

The reason for the difference in size is due to the 2006 sampler
being worked on Cashel Linen fabric  (28 count)

and the 2014 sampler being worked on Permin Linen  (35 count).

A few pictures of the overall display in the dining room.

On the dining room table -

in front of the fireplace -

and on the sideboard -

As already mentioned above, this sampler was to be the needleworker’s 

“own” sampler  which meant that each participant 

had to choose their favourite colour and then choose seven shades

of that one colour.  

 It was amazing to see how the samplers looked so different 

due to the choice of colour and shadings of that colour.

And, as already mentioned, the other choices they had were that they could change

or adapt stitches or rows, add a verse or a different pattern band.

Once again these changes made each sampler unique.

To follow are pictures of the samplers on display.  

Some are completely finished, others have yet to be framed

or made into bellpulls, others still a ’work-in-progress’.

Note:  Description of colour combinations : mine 

Glennis Harris

Waipawa

Dark Chocolate

Joy Hurford

Hastings

Brethren

Blues

Alison McCluskey

Taradale

Garden

Greens

Pam Hales

Otane

Rust
&
Old Bricks

Janet Jones

Hastings

Sweet Pea

Mauves

Linda Graham 

Christchurch

Ice Blues

Maryann Kingston

Waipawa

Sampler

Blues

Annette Webb

Hastings

Cerise

&

Lavender

Robyn Phillips

Hastings

Shades

of 

Teal

Marilyn Thorp

Taradale

Rusty

Peaches

Sharon Gordon

Napier

Indigo

Blues

&

Violet

Ruth Kerr

Taradale

Apricot

Floss

Karyn Roberts

Hastings

Navy

Blues

Elisabeth Beachen

Napier

Anenome

Violet

Cherry Neal

Auckland

Aqua

Seas

Sharon Gordon

Napier

Cobalt

& Lime

(this is Sharon's

second sampler :

stitching it for cousin, Trudi

who chose the colours

to suit her home)

As mentioned in my previous blog,

visitors to the exhibition had the opportunity to vote

for their favourite sampler -

that is, the one that “caught their eye”.

The winner of this Viewer’s Choice”

would be given a small gift of a pack of special

‘Limited Edition’ Sampler Threads

by The Gentle Art.

Photo of the winner and her sampler

will be in another blog. 

I will announce though that the blues have it!

So too, photos of the other displays during the weekend -

that is, samplers stitched by my friend, Joy Hurford

& sampler inspired pieces by another friend, 

Elizabeth Darrah.