:: Fall 2009 
Feature
‘Dear Aunt’ Miniature Sampler
This is a lovely miniature sampler CyberFibres ordered materials to make many years ago from The Scarlet Letter, of Sullivan, Wisconsin. Fortunately, The Scarlet Letter, http://www.scarlet-letter.com, is still in business, and the linen, silk flosses, and stitching chart are available from them.
An alphabet graph is included, making it very easy to substitute ‘Friend’, ‘Husband’, ‘Neighbor’, or any other title or name after the salutation of ‘Dear’. This sampler is worked entirely in crossstitch (lower case letters are stitched over one thread), and makes a very personal gift for a cherished relative or friend.
According to The Scarlett Letter, miniature samplers are rare. Some were possibly fabric pages from a needleworker’s stitching portfolio, used by a nineteenth century girl as a reference for subsequent hand-sewn projects. The original ‘Dear Aunt’ sampler is in a private collection, and is framed in a simple style with pine that was painted black. CyberFibres chose a frame of gold and muted green tones to accentuate the silk threads of those colors in the design.