There Was Just Something About Maria.

Sorry that I'm taking long periods between blogs.  I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately.

Since my last post, I have finished Marquoir de Justine.  Just need to get a frame for her.  Joined the SAL for Susan Singleton, but that's another story and started this beautiful sampler.

This one of my dream samplers.  Her name is Maria Foster and she is an Australian Sampler although they think that she was worked in England and brought to Australia at some time, probably when people were coming here to Colonize Australia.

I first saw Maria about 15 or 16 years ago in an Australian Magazine called Handmade.  They were doing a story about Peg Fraser who charted this beautiful sampler.  The sampler is on display at Sovereign Hill Museum in Victoria.  It is an old Gold Mining area and the Museum is one of those ones where everybody gets dressed up in period costume.  I remember reading that every time Peg went there to take photos or sit and chart it, she had to get dressed into costume.  As soon as I saw Maria I fell in love with her and she was on my wish list for a long time.

Earlier in the year I became friends with a lovely lady who had just moved to the Mountains and she invited me to come for morning tea.  While there she showed me her work.  My goodness, my new friend does the most beautiful work.  It is a pity that she doesn't have a blog as her work is really beautiful.  It was while we were comparing our stash that I saw that she had Maria and straight away I knew that I had found her.  My friend gave me a copy of her.  I have searched high and low on the internet and have been able to nothing on this beautiful sampler.

 

 So this is what Maria looks like.  She has a lot of reds and greens with a little bit of turquoise and gold.

This is where I am up to at the moment.

 Isn't she beautiful.  The right hand side is similar to the left hand side btw.

 All this area underneath the house has a collection of animals.  Some are a bit hard to see at the moment.  There are 2 people, some dogs, a goose or is it a duck lol.  A funny looking cow.  I'm working on a turkey at the moment and there is of course a SHEEP.  I like sheep lol.

I have also been working on this little piece.  As soon as I saw this cushion from With Thy Needle and Thread, I fell in love with it.  I thought that it would look nice done on 40ct linen and when I have finished it I will put it on top of my bowl of cushions. 

 Now you may be wondering about this.  This is something that is really old.  It is about 100 years old was done by my Great Grandfather who was English.  He and my Great Grandmother came to Australia along with my Grandmother before World War I.  Many years ago one of my Aunts gave it to me and thought that I would appreciate it. 

Yesterday I brought it out and showed it to my Youngest Son who since his trip to England has become English mad.  I was trying to teach him how to do Berlin Woolwork to finish it off but I have a feeling that I will be doing that.  I told him that if he looked after it, that he could have it.  It now hangs over the end of his bed and when he gets into bed he folds it up and puts it onto the chair in his room.

 I have decided to take part in Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year.  I have decided to finish off my Rebecca Cullin Sampler.  That one is quite a challenge.  I haven't done anything on it since I posted about it in a previous post.

Well, that's about it at the moment.  I promise to not take so long to post next time.

Thank you for stopping by.