Sarah Welch 1764

Antique Sampler Reproduction
 
   Fabric:  40 count Tobias by Seraphim Linen
   Floss:  Classic Colorworks, Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Art Threads
          Stitch Count: 146 wide x 286 high   Design Size: 7.3 inches wide x 14.3 inches high 
The Antique: 7 inches wide x 16.25 inches high over two threads with silk on 42 count linen
Stitches used: cross stitch over two, satin stitch

   Provenance: Several girls named Sarah Welch appear in the historical records born in the year1756, in Devon and Berkshire, England, and so without more information it is hard to say which Sarah stitched this sampler at the age of eight in 1764. History does chronicle what was happening in England at that time: Parliament passed the Sugar Act and also the Currency Act which prohibited the American colonies from issuing paper currency of any form. Protests began in Boston, Massachusetts against Britain’s colonial policies, and the Mozart family did a grand tour with their eight-year-old  settling in London for a year where young Wolfgang Mozart composed his Symphony No. 1, at the same age as Sarah Welch, two distinct melodies from young creative talents. Sarah’s sampler is a band sampler typical of the time, with mirrored images flanking a stately tree, playful squirrels appear on either side of a trio of carnations, and what looks like Tudor roses grow out of ornately handled urns. An undulating archaic border encloses the top and bottom tying in the colors neatly.