MTS - Samplers

SAMPLERS

Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric with a supplementary structure of yarns or threads. Embroidery has been practiced throughout history in every part of the world, and remains highly collectible. Samplers are among the most commonly collected forms of American embroidery, having been produced often by young women from the colonial times through the twentieth century.

Historic embroidery often shows a loss of embroidery threads, damage to the foundation fabric, and dye fading. Conservation treatment will improve the appearance of the textile, remove harmful deterioration products, replace the mount with archival materials, and either reuse an old frame or replace it with a new, period frame.

Samplers were often glued to cardboard, like this example from 1827.

Here you can see the pattern of the sampler on the old cardboard backing. Where the silk fibers were in contact with the cardboard, the cardboard remained a lighter color.

The sampler was wet cleaned to remove deterioration products and adhesive residue. It was then stitched to a fabric-covered, acid-free board using a curved needle.