Lydia C. Mendenhall 1817, Pennsylvania Quaker
                               Antique Sampler Reproduction
 

Linen: 40 count Vintage Meadow Rue by Lakeside Linens
Threads: Needlepoint Ink Silks (NPI), conversion to DMC and 100/3
Stitch Count:  160 wide x 239 high  
Model Finished Size: 8 inches x 11.95 inches
Original: 12 inches wide x 17 inches high, silk on linen
 Stitches Used: cross stich over two, cross stitch over one, satin stitch, rice stitch, smyrna cross, algerian eyelet, four-sided stitch. See diagram for placement and colors.
Charting provided to adapt embroidery in lower right to cross stitch over two as an alternative.

Provenance: Lydia’s sampler is an example of a more decorative Quaker marking sampler containing four different alphabets, six dividing bands, and an often seen swan and birds motif, as well as a floral spray. The colors are muted as in the Quaker style, copying those found in nature. Lydia was a talented young girl who incorporated at least seven different types of stitches into her sampler.
      Muncy Borough, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania is located along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in North Central Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1797. The unincorporated village of Pennsdale is located here, where stands a Quaker Meeting house that was built in 1799 and is one of the oldest buildings and perhaps the oldest house of worship in the county. Surely, Lydia and her family would have spent time there.