How did the term frogging come to be? Back in the old days, we just said we needed to rip it out. Of all the reproductions that I've stitched, I can't remember one that didn't have a mis-stitch. Is that a word? I'm sure there are some that are perfect, and frankly I hope I never stitch them. The young girls whose names are on the those samplers, made some obvious miscalculations and we embrace - not change them. Wonky borders, missing stitches, and my personal irritant - those few stitches extending from the outline of the design that make framing difficult. We're stitching from a chart, but it's still our work that is the final product, and if we change the size, color of linen, or thread, it's our interpretation of the design. Those changes and our errors personalize the piece. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Researching the history of needlework or samplers isn't important to me. Someone stitched it. I like it. I'll stitch it. I don't care where it originated, or if the stitcher was 8 or 40 years old. I do get upset with some of the young snots that were obviously trying to show off with their design's complexity. So here's a question for you schooled needleworkers....were these young women's more detailed samplers charted before stitching? Or did they pick up a needle and wing it? How do we know for sure? Is this a stupid question because we all should know? Are there any old papers found that show their designs were planned? I thought the complex borders would require forethought but they don't if the top and one side are completed before the center. Doing a large focal point in the center would just require a fold, or an extension of the border. Maybe some did and some didn't, or just certain aspects were planned in advance. Do I care? No, not really. I was just curious and wanted justification for having my own uncorrected errors. I had this post planned about linen colors and got all my pictures ready and then I go off on a tangent about this. Maybe tomorrow.
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