Needlemade Designs ~ Cathrin Sherar 1829 - A Scottish Sampler

Stitch Count: 203 x 200

Model Fabric: 40 ct. Button Box, Medium-Dark from Mason Linens. 

Belle Soie Floss: Boysen Beauty, Chester's Blue, Poison Apple, Slate, Vanilla Pudding, Walk the Plank, Weathered Vine

Another beautiful Scottish reproduction sampler. I'm very taken with the house that she used in her sampler. These whitewashed stone cottages appear all over Scotland and Ireland. However, one of the unique things about this house is the blue roof. Being curious, I Googled blue slate in Scotland, just in case there was a basis in fact for what would otherwise be a fanciful roof color. As it turns out, there was! A quarry that was located in the north eastern part of Scotland, the MacDuff, used to produce blue slate. Cathrin's home, on the north coast of Scotland in Drainie was less than 40 miles by land, or 20 by sea from the slate mine. The antique also included an extensive family history listing on the back of the framed sampler. So I was able to learn a great deal about her life.