The sampler that makes me laugh!

Since I met Joy Jarrett and purchased my first three samplers, I've become hooked at looking at samplers online, perusing auction house catalogues and even bidding in a live, online auction (that was exciting!). The sampler below is the first one I purchased from an auction house in a live, online auction. If you've never had that experience, imagine watching the auction on a little screen on your computer - a bit like television - but you can only hear the auctioneers voice and see a photo of whatever is being auctioned. When the lot you want comes up for auction, you click a button on the screen to place your bid - having been pre-approved by the auction house first.My heart was pounding and I was just as excited as if I'd been in the room. Although one of the samplers I wanted went for more than I had decided to pay (very important to set a limit and stick with it - remember there will always be another sampler another day) this one came in under my limit and I was so pleased!It isn't very old - 1901 - and it isn't very fine, nor is it particularly well stitched but, oh, it makes me laugh every time I read it! Whomever M. Dewey was, she certainly didn't like embroidery very much and she wasn't too impressed with her own skills. She did, however, persevere and finish her sampler!It says (and this warms an old school teacher's heart!) "Here a figure, there a letter, One done bad, another better".Well...yes. Life's like that, isn't it? Some things we do badly and others we do better.The sampler arrived, having been packed quite well but not well enough to withstand the rough treatment of the shipping company, with the glass broken. Fortunately the sampler didn't cost very much and it wasn't damaged. I managed to get all the glass out, cutting my finger only once, before I thought to put on leather gloves. No blood dripped onto the sampler so the goddess of embroidery was watching over me that day!Then my good luck became apparent - the sampler hadn't been attached to anything. It had been laid over a piece of hardboard (bad choice!) and the hardboard had been held in the frame with only a few nails. So, although the edges of the sampler were slightly stained from the hardboard, it didn't have any holes in it from nails or staples. It came right away from the board and was flat and fresh looking.I could see how fine the fabric was - in fact, I could see through the sampler to the places where our less than enthusiastic embroiderer had let her threads travel across the fabric without regard to them showing through or not!There is another little poem at the bottom and it looks as though spatial planning was also not high on the list of her priorities! It took my husband and me more than a few readings to figure out what the poem said, because the words are squished together and split in places."Forget me not, this simple flower betrays my heart and breathes for me the wish I wot, it bids my thoughts to language start and asks thee to forget me not".She's worked the alphabet in upper and lower case letters across the top with the p and the q facing one another on the left side in perfect symmetry. The little shapes of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades tell us she knew about card playing. Dogs, birds, flowers, a candle, a crown, a cross and a jar are all things that would have been part of her life. Her figures are done well, I think!Since the sampler came out of the frame, it gave me the chance to see the back side where the original colours are still as vibrant as the day she finished her work. I must admit I prefer the faded violet and soft rose colours to the strident purple and pink. Some of the colours were made of dyes that hadn't faded and it's rather nice that the combination still works in spite of the changes from sunlight and age.Because this sampler isn't especially valuable or important (simply charming), I've decided to mount it myself onto an acid free board covered with cotton wadding and linen using a special restoration thread. It will be sewn flat onto the linen - not folded over the sides of the backing -  so the edges of the sampler may show once it's been framed, depending on the width of the frame I choose. Remember how much I moaned about mounting the Water canvaswork piece? And how I said it was an important skill to have, even if I did find it awful? Well, I've just proved my own point! I wouldn't take on anything older, more valuable or important; I'd leave that to a textile restorer. I'm thankful that I have enough skill to mount this piece.