Heather Martin

The ancient art of cross-stitching a wedding sampler has many meanings for the future of the bride and groom, embodying their hopes and dreams for their wedding day, and the life they will soon be sharing.

Each cross-stitch design is a symbol of the life to come and is combined with the personalities of the two people for which it is created. T.S. Eliot's words, "Time present and time past" in his poem "Burnt Norton", says it all when each delicate thread "remains a perpetual possibility" in a world of speculation when it is so carefully laid onto the waiting fabric canvas.

One of my all-time favorites is the third in a series, the "Heirloom Wedding Sampler" with a kit consisting of white silk threads, white silk ribbon, with shimmering metallic and soft white perle cotton. Take a look here: http://www.victoriasampler.com/Catalog/VS_Samplers/p27HeirloomWedding.asp

It has such a pure and soft look to it, with the original having a white linen background to enhance its simple quality. The designer wanted to give the feeling of the wedding dress with a white and silky look, and was spectacularly successful.

Specialty stitches are also called sampler stitches or palette stitches, as compared to the cross-stitch that is basic in design. They are used by some designers on the wedding samplers to give them that "special look": they give a textured, contrasting look and feel, in addition giving some unique shapes and variations. Some stitches used in the wedding samplers are the:

• cross-stitch
• backstitch diamond eyelet stitch
• picots
• woven bars
• Bargello
• scotch stitch.

If you do decide to purchase a kit instead of designing it yourself, some of the items likely to be included are:

• a finished photograph of the stitched sampler
• a material's list
• a clear working chart
• and detailed instructions on any border work and side bands.

Also, make sure the kit includes: detailed stitch diagrams and directions, plus a diagram and directions for each stitch type and how to work them, in addition to hints and tips on the needlework.

Every person has a different wedding date and names, so make sure there is a worksheet with alphabets, numerals and instructions to chart the individual details of the names of the couple and the date of the marriage. As a bonus, many companies provide a back-pack or bag to house the kit of materials.

Each kit is designed for a particular level of needlepoint expertise, so make sure you order the correct degree of difficulty or expert ability. Some designers feel that the specialty packs are easier to work than the others, even though they give a look of quality and expert abilities.

It depends on the person doing the sampler, and what they want to memorialize in the special event, based on their needlepoint abilities. If you are really brave why not design your own wedding sampler, combining the special colors that are available.

The words on the sampler really need to speak from the heart, yet not be "wordy". They need to mean something not just for the moment, but words that will carry throughout the years with the same intent as when they were designed on the wedding day.

Finally! When adding words to the sampler, remember that an extra three-quarters of an inch in length must be added for each additional line of lettering. Specialty stitches are very involved, depending on what is designed and how it looks. Whatever it is, make sure the unfamiliar stitches are practiced on a fabric swatch before attempting to apply them on the good fabric background. Definitely No mistakes allowed for this special day!!