Sampler Book - Letitia Brown

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ProvenanceA sampler book belonging to and worked by Letitia Brown in1841 at a school at Moneydig, a small village near Coleraine, in the parish of Desertoghill, near Kilrea, Ireland. Letitita was born in 1820 and never married. For 34 years she was the principal teacher at the Moneydig school and is buried in the graveyard of Kilrea (First) Presbyterian Church. She died in 1887. Her headstone reads 'For thirty four years Principal teacher of Moneydig ....... School'. The sampler book was passed down through the family. Letitita's brother, John Brown, was the donor's great great-grandfather.SignificanceIllustrative of the needlework done in schools during the 1800s.DescriptionSampler book with coloured threads and different materials. The specimens done in sequence are marked 4th class, 5th class, 6th class, etc. which were probably of half term duration. There are traditional cross stitch alphabet samplers, cotton on linen. Also dressmaking specimens of tucking, pleating, plain sewing, buttonholes, etc. Also squares of sample knitting, wool embroidery on canvas, silk and/or cotton embroidery on net, bobbin lace edgings, straw coiling (for hats), 10th class stitched slash, 11th class curved knitting, knotting, fringing and tassel making. List of specimens in order in the sampler book. Page 1: Chain stitch or tambour on net. 'The following Specimens of needlework were executed in Kilrea Female School by Letitia Brown 1841. Cream thread on cream net. Border in red, pink and green silk surface stitches flower pattern. Edge bound in pink silk ribbon. 22.5 X 36 cm. Page 2: Traditional alphabet sampler. Linen thread and crewel wool on natural coloured linen. 4 alphabets. Floral border. 2 flower and bud motifs, 1 stag and lettering LETITIA BROWN KW & CW. (the latter probably the initials of her teachers) Colours used red, blue, pink, brown, greens, orange. 29 x 39.5 cm. Page 3: Miniature dress: white organdie with gathered waist and short sleeves. Trimmed white bobbin lace. Navy feather stitch neck and belt. 22.5 cm length width skirt 32 cm all round hem. Square of white lawn showing tucks and gathered edging frill. 13.5 x 13.5 cm. Page 4: Third class specimen. Square of white voile with rows of open herring bone stitch in brown, green and yellow 8.5 x 8.5 cm. Third class specimen. Patterned and plain cotton strip patches cut and joined to form chevrons. Navy/red print pattern. 14 x 13 cm. 2 x 4th class specimens in white cotton rows of fine back stitching in wine, navy, yellow. The cotton lawn has been seamed and turned to form miniature cuffs. ea 7.5 x 3.5 cm. Page 5: First class 1st specimen. Green coated paper with hemming stitch all round 5 x 7.5 cm. Handkerchief corner. First class 2nd specimen - missing. Second class 1st specimen - pink glazed cotton - hemming stitch hem all round. 7.5 x 4 cm. Second class 2nd specimen - brown glazed cotton, small hem all round and 2 tucks 7.2 x 7.7 cm and 1 lap and fell seam. Page 6: 5th class 1st specimen white calico with buttonhole stitch edge, brown. Line inside this edge back stitch, navy blue. 5 buttonholes, 4 brown with bar ends, 1 navy with round ends. 5th class 2nd specimen. White lawn miniature cuff, 6.5 x 3.5 cm, with an overcast edge (yellow) inside line back stitch, navy. 5 buttonholes all with bar ends in tailor's buttonhole stitch 2 brown, 2 yellow, 1 tan. 7.5 x 3.3 cm. 6th class 1st specimen - white lawn strip gathered to two miniature cuffs. Strip with hemmed edge. Cuffs with overcast ends and rows of back stitch lines. Navy and tan. 14.5 x 5 cm. Rest of page torn. Sampler missing 7th class, 1st specimen. Page 7: 8th class 1st specimen - cream cotton. Diagonally knitted square, garter stitch, stocking stitch. Central pom pom. Fringed edge, 4 corner tassels 14 x 14 cm. Rest of page torn. Sampler missing? Page 8: 8th class specimen - traditional sampler on fine cream linen. One alphabet in cross stich and double running - Gothic letter forms. In ochre coloured silk. Hem turned and stitched in navy hemming. Motifs 2 sprigs, 2 bars and 1 urn in navy gold and tan. 15 x 21 cm. Page 9: 8th class 2nd specimen. Traditional sampler on fine cream linen hemstitched edge. Cross stich alphabet with chequer-board treatment of letter forms in navy. Letitia Brown Kilrea in ochre. Wavy line border in wine colour. 15 x 18.5 cm. Page 10: 8th class specimen. On open weave natural linen. Pulled work in cross stich, wine, green, orange, purple, 2 alphabets 1 uppercase 1 lowercase with straight lines and at bottom a chequered 2 row band. Hemstitched hem 15.5 x 22.3 cm. Page 11: 9th class specimens - 6 examples of coloured pattern darning (one over a hole). Plain weave, twill weave, twill weave in a check, two in brocade darning and one solid stitching over a hole. All examples on loose weave linen, with hem stitched edges. Colours used tan, green, wine, beige, rust. All measure 7.5 x 7.5 cm. Page 12: 9th class specimen - plain square patch in white lawn. Very finely hemmed edges. Wool patchwork. A set of diamond shapes arranged alternately red and navy to form a star of 8 points. 16 x 16 cm. Cotton knit fabric with a turned in edge. Stitched with herring bone stitch. Back stitched square in centre (re-enforcement) 7.5 x 7.5 cm. Page 13: 10th class specimen. Square of fine white glazed cotton, with a slash. All edges turned in and held with beige seed stitches, inner line backstitched in dark green. Decorative diamond to match at head of slash. Slash reinforced at end with dark green buttonhole stitch 10 x 10 cm. 10th class specimens. Cream wool square, knitted garter stitch with a circle in red satin stitch at each corner. 2 rectangles of grey flannel, herringbone stitch, hemmed all round, 2 edges joined as centre seam, overcasting. Stitching dark green 11 x 7.5 cm. Page 14: 11th class specimen. Miniature cape in knitting. Garter stitch and looped fringing. Grey, pink, red. Semi-circular 16 x 6 cm. Miniature muff, circular knitting, garter stitch. Red, pink, wine, charcoal with a yellow fringe at each opening. 7.5 x 3 cm. Rest of page missing. Page 15: 11th class specimen. Square of openwork knitting, fringe all round. Tan, orange, brown, pale green. 13 x 13 cm. Wool. Woven looped fringe - wool. White weave cotton, fringe green crewel wool. 13 x 4.5 cm. Rest of page missing. Page 16: Section of page - loose. Square of white and patterned cotton in square patchwork of 4 squares, each patch hemmed before joining. 11.5 x 11.5 cm. Pattern small geometric motif black/brown. Knitted triangular miniature shawl. Wool. Garter stitch and looped fringe. Dull green and red. 14 x 9 cm. Page 17: Other side of loose torn page. Miniature dress of glazed calico trimmed with red MC -rac braid. 'T' shaped dress with vertical tucks. Braid and hem held with running stitch 18 x hem 42 cm. Page 18: 12th class specimen. Page shows 4 examples of hat straw and 2 examples of how this is stitched to an oval shape (for hat making). The straw is pre-plaited - possibly by machine. Ovals = 9 x 7.5 cm. Page 19: 13th class specimens. 4 small squares of fine white work embroidery. 1 on organdie with sprig in padded satin stitch, buttonhole stitch, scalloped edge. 9 x 9 cm. One Carrickmacross style - fine lawn on gauze. Buttonhole stitch scallops with eyelets for the edge - floral motif in overcasting in centre. 7.5 x 7.5 cm. One needle run net with solid floral motif and vandyked edge in running stitch 9 x 9 cm. One organdie with buttonhole stitched scalloped edge and a motif of sprigs and eyelets in padded satin stitch and one larger circle cut out, backed with net and satin stitched around the edge. 8 x 8 cm. All white on white. Page 20: 20th class specimen. 3 squares white net worked with white silk, and details in cream silk thread. All have vandyke edges, floral motifs and two have cream filling stitched and one has solid satin stitch. All other stitching is running stitch. All measure 9.5 x 9.5 cm. EXTRACTS FROM SAMPLER BOOK IN ORDER OF WORKING, SOME LABELS MISSING SOME SAMPLERS MISSING: Letitia Brown Sampler Book: Specimen No. 1/1 Hemming on paper - Handkerchief corner. 1/2 Missing. 2/1 Hemming on glazed cotton - Handkerchief corner. 2/2 2 tucks 1 lap and fell seam, hemming glazed cotton. 3/1 open herringbone stitch on voile. 3/2 strip patchwork, chevron pieced, patterned and plain cotton. 4/1 back stitch on a miniature cuff - cotton. 4/2 back stitch on a miniature cuff - cotton. 5/1 bar end and round end buttonholes. Buttonhole stitch edge outlined with backstitch. 5/1 bar ended buttonholes. Fine buttonhole stitch edge, outlined with back stitch. 6/1 Miniature sleeve gathers, cuffs, hemming, back stitch and overcasting. Cotton. 7/1 missing. 8/1 knitting, diagonal, cotton yarn. Garter stitch and stocking stitch. Tassels and pompom. 8/- fine cross stitch and holbein stitch Gothic alphabet. Edge hemstitched. Urns and leaves. 8/2 Fine cross stitch chequerboard alphabet. Hem stitch edge. 8/- pulled cross stitch on open weave linen canvas. Upper and lower case alphabet.9/- 6 plus one missing linen pattern darning specimens. One over a hole. All hemstitch edges. 9/- square patch. Hemmed over a hole. Cotton lawn. 10/- decorative slash. Hem held with seed stitch (back stitched) and outlined in fine back stitch. Curve of slash buttonhole stitched. 10/- knitting - wool garterstitch square with satin stitched eyelets embroidered in corners. 11/- semicircular knitted cape with collar and looped fringe all round. Garter stitch. Also muff - circular knit garter stitch with fringe. 11/- missing. 11/- lace knit square, wool, with fringe all round. 12/- oval of straw, stitched. 13/- 4 white work specimen squares a. padded satin stitch leaves, buttonhole stitch dagged edge. b. Carrickmacross style sprig on gauze. Eyelets and buttonhole stich, scalloped edge of lawn. c. needlerun net. d. organdie with inlaid net. Padded satin stitch leaves and padded yelets. 14/- 3 white work samplers - all embroidered net. a. needlerun flower with patterned parts. b. scattered flowers with patterned parts. c. satin stich spray. 15/- 3 canvas work squares with fringed edges. a. Florentine b. tent stitch (tea pot) c. satin stitch diamonds. 16/- 3 canvas work pieces a. knitting stitch rows with pompom edge. b. chevrons - gobelin stitch - fringed edge. c. oval of tufting trimmed and fringed. 16/- 4 specimens. 2 x bobbin lace edging torchon, 2 x decorative knotted netting, 1 small cap in circular crochet with tassel. All these specimens are small 7 to 9 cm square or smaller. Minute stitches. Miniature dresses with plain sewing not labelled.Creator (person) Creator (organisation) Acknowledgement Date of Creation1841Date of Usage1841MaterialPaper
|card
|binding cloth
|cotton
|linen
|straw
|wool
|silk
Accession NumberHT 1991.0116

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