Let’s play a guessing game but first let me fill you in on the back story.
Over the last couple of days you may have noticed an increased interest in samplers. For years I have made and kept samplers as a personal reference and teaching aid. I love them. I always make them 15 cm (6 inches) wide and long like a band sampler. Length changes depending on the fabric I have to hand but never the width. They are kept either rolled up or pinned to my wall.
For a long time I have thought about stitching them together in chronological order so they become one long sampler. Yesterday I finished doing just that!
This is what they ended up looking like. In order to turn the sampler on the table I have folded the corners to a point. Join me in a guessing game. How long is it? The first correct answer left as a comment will win a batch of hand dyed threads from me.
There are some good reasons for stitching these samplers together. There is the practical aspect of being able to travel with a pile of teaching samples as this way they are lighter and more compact – think about how heavy they would be if this amount of teaching samples were housed in plastic slip files in folders. This is what it looks like when wound up.
I have placed them in chronological order as then I can see various developments in both skill and style over the years. It make a nice personal history. They are worked on a number of different fabrics. Linen, aida and cotton are all represented on a number of different counts from 25 count linen to 38 count. I plan to just keep adding to the roll so this sampler will be forever a work in progress.
Annie Whitsed and I get together every week to stitch. Yesterday as we had fun taking photos of this sampler we dreamed up this guessing game.
I do have another reason to stitch them together like this. It is a very logical and practical reason. Can you guess why? The first correct answer left as a comment will win a batch of hand dyed threads from me.
As a hint the table is a large table built by Jerry and not a standard size. So it can be deceptive if you try and judge the size using the table as a guage. This is what it looks like spread on the floor to see it.
So there are two questions guess either one correctly and you have won a prize. What is the prize? Nothing too great but I thought the readers who win might like a batch of my hand dyed threads.
Can you guess how long is this sampler?
Can you guess why I stitched them together like this?
If you guess the answer to either or both questions leave your answer as a comment.
Monday morning my time here in Australia I will tell you the answers so you have till then to join in. . .
I’ll say 1120 cm, and the reason is that you ran out of wall space and plan to hang the sampler from the ceiling. 🙂
36 feet, 9 inches…
pregunta 2: y por que estan de ese modo ubicados los samplers..
posee varias razones
primero el estar enrollado permite con facilidad poder comparar entre una muestra y otra, permite ver las variaciones com mejor facilidad ademas que asi es de facil observar como un mismo punto se comporta de manera distinta al variar hilo, tela, color, tension, oy ademas de variedades de los puntos. y permite ver el avance y ayuda a imaginar la creacion y combinacion de puntadas. ademas de lo practico de llevar y guardar..
They are SPECTACULAR!! My guess to the second question is that you might use this form for a border for something–the idea came from my interest in quilting, but I’m not sure how you might do this!!
My guess is 24.5 ft long and I guess you’vesewn them together for easy transport and so you can unroll them in chronological order.
I think it is 34 feet (10.4 m) long, and if your studio is like mine, you stitched them together so that none of it would get misplaced. (I can usually find 80% of what I am looking for.)
Jane
my guesstamite is 56 feet. and what fun! That’s why I think you did it – for fun- the practical reasons are known. To infinity – and beyond a never ending library of stitches by Sharon B!! It’s wonderful!
por relacion y proporcionn tomando de referencia tanto tus sillas como el ancho del bordado(15 cms) imagino que tu mesa es para 12 persona(mesa: ancho: 1.2 a 1.3 mts, largo 2.40- 2.45) el bordado da 5.5 vueltas del largo de la mesa, por alli deduzco que tu el largo de tu samplers de puntos mide 11.40 a 11.60 metros de largo, es decir 1.71 mts2 a 1.74 mts2 de superficie bordada
y es dificil dar un numero exacto pero si creo es eso tu samplers a de medir 11.40 a 11.60 me quedo con 11.40 ya que la profundidad no es exacta
Hello Sharon,
My guess is 322.5 inches. I’m still thinking about what your logical and practical reason may be.
Karen B.
Ah, Christine has already guessed that (I should read before commenting) – would look wonderful hung at an exhibition, linking all the other embroidery on display
301 1/2 inches.
I think its going to be a table runner and was placed there to show Jerry how much bigger his next masterpiece should be.
My guess is 960 cm. I don’t know why you stitched it together, other than the reason you mentioned that it is easy to carry.
How great! You can put them in your napsack and say ” Have Stitches Will Travel”, Having all the small bits of Art together, seems to be a better way of keeping control. I love your work and ideas. Maybe in my next life I can be you. LOL Ok, 44 feet . Rene
396″ or 10.05 meters; I have no idea why you’d sew it together except that you said it was easier to store and transport being lighter and more compact. Was that a reading comprehension question?
My guess is 37 feet 5 inches.
My guess is 33 feet long. For a reason because if you roll them up they fit in a suitcase better to visit us in the US? You can also roll them from both ends in a scroll form so that you can move through it chronologically, which is a really cool idea. Too bad all my samplers have been on varying widths of fabric… I may rethink future samplers I do, ’cause this is a good idea!”
Hokay… my first two guesses are already taken so I’m guessing… 43ft 9in. This is an extraordinary accomplishment, Sharon.
What a lovely work!
I would say 780cm and I hope it would be dispayed for the next textile fair in Australia!
My guess is 1147 cm, and I think it will be displayed in an exhibition.
Well, I would say length : 26 feet. Use : personal stitch dictionnary.
Goodness gracious – this is hard and I made it harder by reading everyone else’s guesses!! Now I can’t remember them all so I am saying 41.5 feet (which is a lot more than my initial estimate of 27 feet!!). Reason for stitching them together – apart from teh reasons you have already given I can only think continuum…it doesn’t ever have to finish whereas every other shape I can think of would become either unworkable or not reflect the time sequence effectively. Come to think of it, it is also easy!! Just add a few more inches….Anyway it is FABULOUS!!
First I’d like to say how impressive they are.
Now for my guess 43 feet and 6 inches.
CA
Just had another thought, you could always display it hung round a (large) room like the Beyeaux Tapestry
I was going to say about 40 feet long (sorry I dont think in metric). You have said that the reason you stitched them together was for ease of carrying etc and that is what I would have guessed but other than that I would say for ease of reference and to have all your samples in one place. You can also use it as a back support when you have been sitting stitching for too long!!
Okay, sneaky scale measuring and calculating gives me 810 cm long or 8.1 metres. Now I’d say that must qualify for a Guiness World Record, but I think you might also sew the strips together and make a very unusual table runner or cover, would certainly start some conversations over dinner (I suggest some clear heavy plastic on top though, LOL)
Hooroo,
Christine
http://missmuffettwo.blogspot.com/
And when you take them to classes there’s a lot less danger in having any of them go missing for one reason or another.
Well I going to say that it’s gotta be a bit easier to store them rolled like that 🙂
My guess is 13.5 metres.
The practical reason for joining them together is so that you don’t lose a peice when you take them to and from classes. It would be very difficult to keep track of all the bits. In one peice it would be simple to roll it up and you have all the samplers there together. So much faster and convenient.
Karen
I’m guessing 140in x 5.75 = 805 in and you put them together for stitch/color themes.
Maryjo
(but I think we are all truly guessing ….)
I don’t have any guesses, but I have to say that the stitched together sampler is beautiful.
Although sewing all your samplers into one means you don’t have to update your will when you make a new sampler – if anyone still leaves samplers as bequests.
I would say that the sampler is 8.62 meters long and I guess that you will use it as a border for your studio wall.
Did you stitch them together so you can roll them up and store them in a certain drawer or hat box?
I’m guessing 38.5′.
Why, for storage and transportation purposes.
I’m guessing at 31ft.6ins or 378 ins long.
Was going to say 32 ft but someone’s already guessed that.
Are they stitched the way they are because each type of embroidery has been put in it’s own section of the sampler.
Length: 7620 cm
Purpose: Chair Rail
I’m guessing the table is 4′ wide and about 8′ long so my guess is 42.5′.
I think that glorious sampler is 15.3m long, and I am guessing the other reason you sewed them together like that is so that no pieces ever get lost! 🙂
Jocelyn
Most people have suggested the obvious reasons but the only reason I can think of is that you may be going to exhibit them somewhere and if they are all stitched together they can’t get lost or heaven forbid stolen.
Doreen
http://doreeng.blogspot.com/
Well, I have absolutely no idea, but I’ll say 10.5 meters for length. And I think the idea to roll it up and carry it in a circular sewing basket is a good one. But my guess for reason is so that you have timeline of your work and an easy reference should someone ask you about such and such a stitch for such and such a class, you can just roll to the right spot. And you can also see what you were doing before and after–how your work led into new ideas.
By the way, I have updated my blog to reflect my TIF progress.
My guess is 9.8 metres Sharon
Regards Doreen
http://doreeng.blogspot.com/