The Embroideress

In 2004, Eileen Bennett and I co-designed some sampler bands in honor of the six wives of Henry VIII, a Tudor Terror when it came to domestic bliss.

We decided to each take the responsibility for researching the lives and preparing a band for three of Henry's spouses. Eileen, being the icon of sampler designers, got first choice of queens and picked Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr. I designed bands for Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Kathryn Howard.

It was a fun project. I set the size of the bands. They were all one width but varying heights (within limits). Eileen chose the colors we would use and provided a useful alphabet. Neither of us saw each other's designs until we reached Rockome Gardens where we would present the designs at a Country Evening event at the National Counted Cross Stitch Show. It is a design only distributed to the participants of the event as a limited edition, so it is special.

We had a fun evening with games and a bit of Tudor history aided by slides as we explored Henry's marital habits.

I know at least one stitcher, Adana Adams, has completed the project because she blogs about it in her blog, Confessions of a Midwest Stitcher. She used imagination in her interpretation by adding the names of the Queens and stitching a crown for each of these historic wives. I'm glad she enjoyed the evening and stitching her sampler and I can't wait to see it at Rockome this year. Come to the show in June if you'd like to see Adana's sampler as well.

I don't know how Adana manages her crowded life as an executive in the healthcare industry, a stitcher, and a busy family member. Do read her blog if you'd like a taste of stitching-from-the-heart of a stitcher from the heartland.

Labels: Adana Adams, Eileen Bennett, National Counted Cross Stitch Show, Needlework Samplers, Queens Sampler