British Patriotic Samplers

28 September 2011

E II diamond jubilee emblem update

Here is my version so far. The thread changes are used: combo blue and sand not lemon. I changed a couple of stitches' colours here and there as it pleased my eye better. Even in counted cross stitch there is room for manoeuvre! (I also think I might have goofed and miscounted here and there, so always use the chart as your authority, not any pics of my fallible work).

25 September 2011

Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Emblem: Free Counted Cross-Stitch Pattern Chart

I've created a free counted cross stitch pattern chart of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee emblem using http://myphotostitch.com/ and an image file of the diamond jubilee emblem found here: http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/DiamondJubileeemblem.aspx.

(Link to the chart is at the end of this post.)

(And yes, there's a chart for the Welsh language version too.)

I chose to specify a maximum of 100 stitches in any one direction and to use only 10 thread colours, as the original is simple in its colour scheme. I tried a few different versions with different sizes and more thread colours but found this version worked out well, as a design at least. The wording seems likely to stitch up with readable clarity, which at smaller numbers of stitches was not the case. If you want to make your own, use the two links above and you've got the tools you need to play around to meet your own specifications (eg. if you want fewer or more stitches in your design, and fewer or more thread colours).

At the time of putting this online, I haven't yet decided on the background colour I'll use, whether a light/medium blue or a darker linen. On a light background such as white or cream Aida cloth or linen, it's likely to 'float' as some of the edges of the design are light cream/white. The royal.gov.uk site has guidelines for use that suggest a particular Pantone shade of blue or red for a background. Click here to read the full guidelines pdf and see examples of the emblem in use (and what they don't want done with it). Remember to calculate enough fabric for a border and turnover (if you're framing it), not just the amount actually occupied by the design.

Note: I am not a cross stitch expert and cannot offer advice on your cross stitch version of this. There are bajillions of ways to learn about cross stitch - internet sites, books, magazines, shops. Likewise tapestry, knitting (you would be extremely unwise to anticipate that I could give useful advice on knitting) &tc. I can't tell you how much thread to buy. There are just too many variations people can choose - type of thread, number of strands, thread count of background fabric etc. I am not responsible for the success of your version (isn't it sad I have to put in a disclaimer like that?). I used the images at a size that myphotostitch could wrangle (which is smaller than the pixel size of the downloaded originals). You're welcome, as said above, to do your own versions using these tools. That said, I'll add info to the blog/this entry as I try stitching my own version.

I'm not selling kits or anything. It's not hard to find stranded embroidery cotton and linen/Aida/counted cloth (or tapestry wool and canvas, if you'd rather use that). I'm not making money from this - I figured I'd share it in case others would like to stitch it up themselves. Sometimes it's great to just put a freebie out there for others to discover and use if they wish.

If you do make your own version, it would be great if you'd add a comment on the blog and a link to a picture/photo of your version, to inspire others and to add to this blog's documentation of British patriotic samplers.

I really like the uneven charm of Katherine Dewar's design (read more here) and hope that, stitched, this chart will replicate that. The Blue Peter children's television program contest to design Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee emblem which she won had 35,000 entries. So she's inspired this pattern. Hurrah for Katherine! Here she is (with her dad) meeting the Queen:

The Queen meets Katherine Dewar, winner of the Blue Peter Diamond Jubilee Emblem Competition

And here she is with a Blue Peter presenter:

2012 Diamond Jubilee emblem competition winner, Katherine Dewar, with Blue Peter Barney Harwood

Cheers!

Ruth

ENGLISH: Here's the link to the pdf file with the chart, including DMC thread colours

WELSH: Here's the link to the pdf file with the Welsh language chart, including DMC colours

The file can be printed in black on white, in which case you can use the symbols to know which colours to use where; or in colour, in which case you have the colours to help you.

NOTE: Each file is seven A4 pages when printed.

Update:

NOTE RE THREAD COLOURS: A couple of the thread colours selected automatically at myphotostitch.com are, to my eye, not quite right, or so I thought when I assembled them to stitch this emblem chart. I'll provide more information as I try out options, but for now, here are my changes (reference is to DMC colours):

3844 is an almost luminous turquoise. I am going to try substituting this with 803 or 3842, or may try one strand of 3844 and one of either of those or perhaps the other blue specified in the pattern, 517. The blue in the emblem isn't luminous turquoise, at least to my eyes. (I'm using 14 count Aida cloth, so I'm working with two strands)

3078 is the yellow specified for behind the lettering etc. It's a very lemony yellow. The emblem's colour looks more like a sand yellow to me. I'm going to try 676.

I also have a couple of thread colours with which I plan to try replicating the outline/lines you see in the original emblem, and maybe to use here and there outlining to add clarity. 310 is black, but I also have 645, which is a dark grey. I'm going to try both and see which I prefer.

Here is a page with a link to let you see DMC colours online; but remember your monitor can skew tones/shades/colours, so always check with real threads.
http://yarntree.com/075dmc.htm

24 September 2011

Defiant POW cross stitch from World War II

Making is the most powerful way that we solve problems, express ideas and shape our world. What and how we make defines who we are, and communicates who we want to be. *

From this blog entry at Mr X Stitch, I learned about the upcoming Power of Making exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Among the objects displayed is this:

After six months held by the Nazis in a prisoner of war camp, Major Alexis Casdagli was handed a piece of canvas by a fellow inmate. Pinching red and blue thread from a disintegrating pullover belonging to an elderly Cretan general, Casdagli passed the long hours in captivity by painstakingly creating a sampler in cross-stitch. Around decorative swastikas and a banal inscription saying he completed his work in December 1941, the British officer stitched a border of irregular dots and dashes. Over the next four years his work was displayed at the four camps in Germany where he was imprisoned, and his Nazi captors never once deciphered the messages threaded in Morse code: "God Save the King" and "Fuck Hitler".

The Mr X Stitch blog entry has a link to a longer article in the Guardian, Nazis, needlework and my Dad by Patrick Barkham, from which the above quote is taken. The Guardian article has this photo of Major Alexis Casdagli's son, holding one of his father's cross-stitch pieces that illustrates his father's WWII POW cell:

...and here is what the article says about this piece:

In a bleak, claustrophobic part-map and part-diagram, his father created a needlework of "Room 13, Spangenberg castle". The stitching depicted inmates' cells, a few lumps of coal, a sign saying "bath every 14 days", and a menu: "soup, potatoes, wurst, bread, semolina". At the bottom was a Union flag. National flags were forbidden in the camp, so Casdagli sewed a canvas flap over it with "do not open" written on it in German. "Each week the same officer would open the flap and say, 'This is illegal,' and Pa said, 'You're showing it, I'm not showing it.'"

Here is the information from the end of the Guardian article:

Power of Making is at the V&A from Tuesday until 2 January 2012, www.vam.ac.uk. A Stitch in Time: God Save the King – Fu*k Hitler! by Captain A Casdagli, available from lulu.com. Tony Casdagli is participating in a free workshop at the V&A. Crafting the Collection: Power of Making, 17 September, 11am-4pm.

About the Power of Making exhibition:

The V&A and Crafts Council celebrate the role of making in our lives by presenting an eclectic selection of over 100 exquisitely crafted objects, ranging from a life-size crochet bear to a ceramic eye patch, a fine metal flute to dry stone walling. Power of Making is a cabinet of curiosities showing works by both amateurs and leading makers from around the world to present a snapshot of making in our time.

The exhibition showcases works made using a diverse range of skills and explores how materials can be used in imaginative and spectacular ways, whether for medical innovation, entertainment, social networking or artistic endeavour.

Making is the most powerful way that we solve problems, express ideas and shape our world. What and how we make defines who we are, and communicates who we want to be.

For many people, making is critical for survival. For others, it is a chosen vocation: a way of thinking, inventing and innovating. And for some it is simply a delight to be able to shape a material and say ‘I made that’. The power of making is that it fulfills each of these human needs and desires.

Those whose craft and ingenuity reach the very highest levels can create amazing things. But making is something everyone can do. The knowledge of how to make – both everyday objects and highly-skilled creations – is one of humanity’s most precious resources.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/power-of-making/power-of-making/

The Guardian has a slideshow of some of the other works in this exhibition:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/sep/08/power-of-making-craft

Not quite the same work as the more usual royal/patriotic fare I find for this blog, but just as important to document and include as British patriotic needlework. Glad to have found it to share. And I like the discussion/explanation of the importance of making.

* source of quote

19 September 2011

Elizabeth II: Diamond Jubilee (I)

With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, designers and crafters and others are already gearing up with ideas. Here's a roundup of some designs, news, exhibitions and ideas I've found recently. I'm sure there will be more to document as the jubilee draws closer, which is why this blog entry is labelled as Diamond Jubilee (I). You can also navigate to entries of interest by using the tags on each entry.

From Katiemae Designs you can obtain the chart for this blackwork embroidery:

Read more and order the chart here:
http://katiemaedesigns.info/Samplers.html
It costs £5 (check on the site re postage costs to your location).

This is the same designer who made a detailed blackwork chart of Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding of William and Kate (as shown in my blog entry about W&K royal wedding samplers).
See it and buy the chart here: http://katiemaedesigns.info/Buildings_and_Landmarks.html

***

Embroidery teacher Jacqui McDonald, who teaches at the Royal School of Needlework, blogs that she is working on a Diamond Jubilee design involving stumpwork, blackwork and goldwork. No image of the design as yet.
Read the blog entry here:
http://www.hand-embroidered.co.uk/blog/read_34020/jubilee-celebrations.html
Read about the three classes in January 2012 which will teach the design:
http://www.hand-embroidered.co.uk/events_71565.html
Later in 2012 there will be a class showing how to mount your embroidery in a Jubilee Casket.
[Is is just me, or does 'casket' just have too much funereal association??? what with the Queen not being precisely young and all, even if her mother did live to be over 100 years old...]

***

Glimpses of Blighty is a competition being run by Madeira Threads and ICHF in the UK. Here is their description:

‘Blighty’ is a slang term for Britain, first used in the latter days of the British Raj. It is now more commonly used as a term of endearment by the expat British community or those on holiday to refer to home.

With the world’s eyes focused on Great Britain, firstly with the Royal Wedding last April, and with the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next year – let your imagination run wild and embroider all that is ‘Best of British’ both past and present, and you could WIN one of our fabulous prizes! There’s a prize for each Category winner and a superb prize for the overall winner!

It will be interesting to see what works might come from this.

18 September 2011

Edward VII and Alexandra: crewel work with flags

These two crewel work pieces were offered on eBay recently with a starting price of 49.99GBP each. They measure approximately 10 inches x 10 inches and the seller dated them to c1905. It's interesting to see the mirror-image in the flags, which would make them sit in a pleasing way as a side-by-side pair, and also the combination of printed picture/photograph with embroidery.

Read more: here is a link to the seller:
http://shop.ebay.com.au/heboy1/

11 September 2011

1939 George VI peace sampler

This one has been offered on eBay UK for several months at 149GBP or best offer.

Here is the seller's description:
This unique vintage sampler dates from 1939. It is unusual in that it depicts hopes for peace, but must have been completed only months before the start of the Second World War. Across the top of the sampler is sewn: 'Peace and Goodwill Toward Mankind'. On the left-hand side at the top is sewn: 'Chamberlain Munich Sept. 1938', and on the right-hand side: 'King George VI Queen Elizabeth Canada America. 1939'. I believe this sampler to be commemorative of the Munich Peace Conference of 1938 and the Commonwealth visit of the King and Queen to Canada and America in 1939.

In the centre of the sampler at the top is depicted the Coventry City crest. Beneath the wording and crest there are scenes of a 1930s American ranch, and beneath this a 1930s house and garden. Across the bottom of the sampler there are depicted various garden tools and implements. In the bottom right-hand corner the initials B.A.N. are stitched. The whole piece has a blue stylised border.

The sampler appears to have been professionally mounted onto a card backing. It is contained within its original frame (not glazed). On the back board of the frame there is the name and address of the person who we believe did the needlework - Beatrice A. Nelson, 71 Kennilworth Road, Coventry. The mounted textile and back board are loose in the frame and need re-pinning.

Condition: The sampler is well-crafted and the colours are still bright and vibrant, with only some slight fading. However, unfortunately the piece is quite heavily foxed and has some brown patches. Some of this may be due to the card that the sampler is pinned to, but the fabric itself is also badly foxed. There are no visible rips and no moth damage that I can see. The frame has some wear and light scuffing to its corners and edges, and as was mentioned above the sampler and back board are loose in the frame. The metal hanging rings have been screwed through the frame so that the ends poke through at the front. An unusual and unique piece of pre-war memorabilia.

This is the auction link from August 2011:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1938-1939-PRE-WAR-KING-GEORGE-VI-PEACE-SAMPLER-COVENTRY-/140516958608?

And this is a link to the seller:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/sladesantiques/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

It may of course be sold/gone by the time you read this.

A curious design, which seems more likely to be the ?adapted design of an individual needlewoman than a standard published pattern.

04 September 2011

Elizabeth II: coronation sampler (Windsor Castle)

Auctioned in 2010 (price unknown), this sampler features Windsor Castle rather than the more usual Buckingham Palace, and mixes classic sampler elements such as alphabet and numbers with more specific royal imagery.

The auctioneer's description:
A Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Sampler depicting Windsor Castle, alphabet, numerals and floral decoration, 1953 unframed, 39cm x 36cm

Read more: http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/a-queen-elizabeth-ii-coronation-sampler-depicting-17-p-473d20cc1f

28 August 2011

Edward VIII: abdication sampler (I)

This one's a kinda sorta coronation sampler, in that the verse acknowledges that he wasn't crowned. Abdication sampler? It's from a 2009 auction and was described thus:

An Edward VIII Coronation sampler, worked with a six verse poem, crowned ER cipher, golf clubs, figures, facade of Hampton Court, boat and factories, completed by AMP 1936, unframed, 23 x 18ins

The website doesn't show the estimated or the realised prices.

Interesting to see how it reflects 'modern life' with the factories and golf clubs and so forth, when most coronation samplers from George VI and Elizabeth II focus on classic British/royal imagery such as beefeaters, crowns, coaches and other symbols.

Read more here: http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/an-edward-viii-coronation-sampler,-23-x-18ins-1-p-bd57a5cbc9

21 August 2011

WWI Patriotic embroidery from the Australian War Memorial

This embroidery is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Here is the description:

Patriotic souvenir embroidery on blue cotton sateen, mainly in red, white, blue and black couched longstitch. The top of the embroidery bears the words 'UNITED WE STAND', and a king's crown. There are Allied flags down each side of the cloth. The centre, underneath the crown and within an embroidered laurel wreath, once bore a 'padded' cloth photograph frame in the shape of a life buoy and a portrait photograph. Both of these are now missing, although the marks made by them can be clearly seen. Underneath the missing frame is a painted picture of a naval engagement between British and German ships, possibly representing the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The picture is 'framed' by brown fabric made to look like brown rope.

Read more: http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/REL/06667

14 August 2011

Queen Elizabeth II: coronation dress

Norman Hartnell's design for the dress

An embroidery sample approved by the Queen

These pictures are from By Appointment, an exhibition curated by the National Gallery of Australia some years ago.
Madame Guillotine's blog has an excellent, detailed, illustrated account of this dress.
http://madameguillotine.org.uk/2011/06/02/the-queens-coronation-dress-2nd-june-1953/

Wikipedia has an entry dedicated to the coronation dress:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_gown_of_Elizabeth_II

Not the main focus of this blog, but still handwork done with British patriotic themes.

07 August 2011

Brilliant source

The blog Linens and Royals has dozens of images of samplers and embroideries and other royal souvenirs, combining the blogger's finds and her own stitched works.

If you're interested in British patriotic samplers, it's an essential source.

Read more: http://linensandroyals.blogspot.com/

Diana: memorial sampler with pink roses

From Flickr, this image of a memorial sampler for Diana.

Pink Fridays - Diana, Princess of Wales Commemorative Sampler

And the link, in case the picture above doesn't work for you:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniemcc/3995919912/

It was auctioned for a Pink Ribbon charity. Please leave a comment if you know the source/designer/any other info about this design.

Queen's 60th Jubilee: logos past and present

Originally on another blog, but also placed here as fitting in with this blog's focus.

Digging around for something else, this caught (and delighted) my eye:

Is the official logo for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 fun or what? It was the winner in a design competition run by the iconic British TV program for kids, Blue Peter, and was designed by Katherine Dewar.

Compare the energy and charm of this with the logos for her previous jubilees:

which did come in assorted colourways/forms:

,,,but seriously, don't they make you yawn just a tad in comparison to Katherine Dewar's design? A bit stuffy, a lot safe...

The Diamond Jubilee logo also comes in a Welsh version:

It's absolutely charming. Has all the gear it needs: Union Jack, crown, fabulous diamonds, necessary text. Read about the logo, the guidelines for using it and find downloadable files in various formats/sizes by clicking here. Read about the contest and Katherine's reaction to winning by clicking here.

Seeing the threee together also gives a neato snapshot of design styles and fashions over this period; no way anything as Establishment as the monarchy would have countenanced Katherine Dewar's design in 1977.

What do you think?

ADDED LATER: I've used this image to make a counted cross stitch chart (the English version and the Welsh version). It's free. Read all about it and get the links at this blog entry.

Image sources:
double jubilee logo
silver jubilee logo
white bg golden jubilee logo
diamond jubilee logos

William & Kate: royal wedding sampler in QR code

Another wedding sampler entry from another blog of mine, repeated here as it also fits this blog's focus.

Inspired by a QR code cross stitch sampler by Omega Chicken on Craftster - I found it on Mr X stitch here - I got to thinking about QR codes, and how their grid lends itself to cross stitch. (I'd been thinking about them in relation to their possibilities for work, and this took me sideways into stitching options).

OK, why not stitch a QR code royal wedding cross stitch? Very 2011! Bamboozle 'em proper in fifty years' time!

There is a recommended wording for royal wedding souvenirs. Read all about it here. The wording is:
To Commemorate the Marriage of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton, 29th April 2011

qrcode

And that wording is represented by this QR code. Really and truly. I generated it using the free online QR code generator here. Try this online QR code decoder if you wish to check my veracity: http://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx. If you have a smartphone, you can get free QR reader apps - just point your smartphone's camera at a QR code using the app, and bingo, up comes the information in the QR code.

If, at this point, you are wondering what the heck a QR code is, it's like a barcode but it can do more, convey more information than a number. Read the Wikipedia entry here. You'll see them around - the SMH sometimes uses them to link readers to further contents, and advertisers are jumping on the bandwagon.

The size of the QR code is influenced by the amount of content. So just : Will + Kate looks like this:
qrcode

(Generated that with the same QR code generator as above).

Will I get stitching myself? Dunno. But if you'd like to borrow the idea for your own personal use, you are welcome. If you do, or you link to this entry, do leave a comment so I can follow your progress!

Cheers

Ruth

PS/Added later: here's a gallery of more cross-stitch and sewn designs incorporating QR codes:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/jun/15/cross-stitch-craft-qr-code?intcmp=239#/?picture=375759912&index=0

William & Kate: royal wedding samplers

This blog entry first appeared on another blog in April 2011, but I am repeating it here as its content is precisely right for British Patriotic Samplers.

I am intrigued to see how crafters are choosing to document the royal wedding - most particularly with cross stitch/embroidery. There's a commitment of time involved, and the fact that people feel engaged enough (um, bad pun) to spend that time. The social history of it interests me.

Having had a couple of other vintage royal samplers find their way to me (although I'm not exactly a rabid royalist - or republican, either: but social history, yes, I'm interested!), I went looking to see what's about in the royal wedding sampler/craft stakes - stuff to stitch and sew, rather than commemorative souvenirs to buy. Some of these are free/downloadable patterns, some are commercial patterns and kits. A snapshot of designers' responses to the challenge of this event.

If you plan to download/print/buy/sew any of these, I'd suggest getting in sooner rather than later, as after 29 April 2011 the interest in William and Kate's nuptials will likely wane; links may disappear, kits run out and not be replaced.

My utter favourite is this one:

Designed by Julie Jackson of Subversive Cross Stitch, it is a free pattern. Find out more here, including the link to the free PDF. I gather it was designed in response to a challenge from the Independent newspaper to young designers for something a bit quirky by way of royal wedding souvenirs. See the entire collection of ideas by clicking here. With Keep Calm and its many cousins and variants being so popular at present, this is a fun nod to a current trend. The tag line at the bottom is about the royal wedding being brought to you in association with the coalition government - perhaps an allusion most clear to those in the UK/familiar with current UK politics (I know there is currently a coalition govt in the UK, but the finer nuances of this tag line escape me).

Kell Smurthwaite of Kincavel Crosses has designed a couple of free royal wedding sampler patterns. She blogged about this one here; find a larger image of the graph here.

From the same designer, another free pattern for a smaller sampler. Read about it here.

From the same designer (has she been busy or what??) this one, called Kind Hearts and Coronets:

It's also a freebie pattern. Read about it and find the chart by clicking here.

I note, in passing, (is that a bad pun?) that a lot of samplers I've seen have been carefully avoiding the happy couple's formal initials: WC having Other Associations......

Another quick and simple vintage style initial sampler is this freebie from Sarah Lindfield of Craftymoo:

Read her blog entry about the design here. See a finished version as an ornie (ornament) here. She went with WK.....

Taking a moment out for knitting, which I don't do...Selling gangbusters, and a hoot to boot is Fiona Goble's Knit Your Own Royal Wedding book

Love the corgis! Available all sorts of places: if you're in Australia and can't find it easily, Book Depository (either http://www.bookdepository.com/ or http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/ offer free shipping; or check at http://www.booko.com.au/ for other prices/sources).

Among the commercially available samplers is this tapestry in two colourways from Beth Russell of Designers Forum:

Find out more on her website by clicking here.

US-based The Sampler Girl has this design, referencing the charming randomness of vintage samplers:

Read her blog entry about it here. Buy the e-pattern or a mailed version of the pattern, and read details of size etc by clicking here. The ribbon at the bottom is a printed one she sourced from Etsy (she provides the link).

The UK cross stitch magazines have jumped on the bandwagon: one that seems to be turning up all over (and which cleverly includes the current Cool Britannia decor enthusiasm for Union Jacks and bunting) is this one in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 238 (not yet out in Australia, but you can find it on http://www.ebay.co.uk/ if you just can't wait).

Read about it here and here. It was designed by Jacqui Pearce of Granny Knits. You can buy the pattern from her here, or a kit (canvas, wool, chart etc) from her here.

If you like that pretty look but want something even simpler, Laura Howard of Bugs and Fishes designed this:

Click here for her free pattern and instructions.

Referencing the charming illustrations from children's books, Bustle and Sew has this royal wedding embroidery pattern:

It's available from this Etsy shop: listing link; shop link. As an e-pattern, I'm sure if that listing is sold you can convo (converse with/contact) the seller to enquire about another one. Found this via the Feeling Stitchy blog here.

Taking another slight detour, Makower in the UK have updated their Charles and Diana wedding fabric design into a William and Kate design, which they have produced as a limited edition in two colourways:

They sold 40,000 metres of the Charles and Diana fabric, so 'limited edition' means time rather than quantity, I would guess... Read more on the Makower site by clicking here. It's for sale from quilt/fabric shops (esp. in the UK, I would guess; less likely to make it abroad) and from sellers on http://www.ebay.co.uk/ and likely http://www.etsy.com/ . There are etsy sellers using this to make bags/tea cosies etc.

Majesty magazine's shop offers this sampler from One Off designs - they got in early with an engagement version:

Click here for the shop page (the pattern offers engagement/wedding lettering).

You can see (and also buy) the wedding version from Sew Inspiring here.

Coats Crafts has a free downloadable pdf pattern for their wedding sampler:

Click here for more information and the PDF link.

The Royal School of Needlework has a whitework kit in their shop.

Sorry it's so blurry, but the pic's just tiny on their website. Read all about it (and buy if you wish) here.

Florashell offer this coat of arms royal wedding sampler:

They sell through their website (click here) and also have this listed on http://www.ebay.co.uk/. Chart only, or complete kits.

This design is from Mary Hickmott:

On her website you can order the chart, or kits with Belfast/aida. Click here for the link.

On http://www.ebay.co.uk/, seller cathduff52 is selling this blackwork design:

The item number is 170628849170 and she is selling multiple copies (of the same chart) at this item number. Blackwork Royal Wedding Embroidery Chart is the item's title.

If blackwork's your thing, this is (yet another) free chart from Lady Kell of Kincavel, aka Kell Smurthwaite:

Click here for the blog entry and chart. Unlike some of the others, this is a wedding sampler that could be adapted to other people.

DMC has a range of royal wedding samplers in kit form.

Read about the DMC kits here.

John Clayton Royal Collection has a pictorial cross stitch kit, rather than a sampler.

Find out more by clicking here.

Monica Solorio-Snow of the blog, Happy Zombie (unsupervised and armed with scissors!) has this colour-in style modern embroidery as a free pattern on her site:

Read more about here "Kiss Me Kate" design here. PDF link is here.

Crafter News had this collage of royal wedding crafts:

Click here for the links to each of the crafts/designers/designs illustrated.

There are a few designs where I can only find images, not links to buy. Some may be findable on eBay etc, or by you doing more creative googling than I have managed. I'm putting them here to record the range/variety of items available.

Cross Stitch Collection magazine issue 195 includes a huge royal wedding souvenir cross stitch, another pictorial one:

An unknown magazine had this cushion design:

I think this one is also from a magazine pattern:

One keen stitcher blogging about her royal wedding sampler stitching is Linens and Royals. Her projects include the One Off sampler and the John Clifton design. Playing with Needles has an entry on royal wedding blogs here: and her needlework based on the Queen's coronation gown - together with extensive information in photos and text - is definitely worth reading.

If you know of any other Will and Kate/William and Catherine/ WC/WK/Royal Wedding samplers or stitcheries etc that I've missed, please leave a comment with linkydinks so folks reading this can follow and find more!

Is this the most comprehensive roundup of royal wedding samplers and patterns on the internet right now?

Dunno.

But it's fun to have recorded them. For me, a number have really cliched fonts/lettering, and I wonder how they will wear over time. There are classic design elements that don't date - coat of arms as a f''r'instance: but the silhouettes on the DMC design look cliched to me, as do their curlicues. Given that I prefer vintage-style samplers, the hugely pictorial ones (like the John Clifton, or or the Cross Stitch Collection one) are less to my taste. Partly, it's because when I've done cross-stitch, I avoid the patterns/designs that occupy every inch of the linen with a stitch: I like the white space (and it's faster to stitch up, too!). To each their own: a friend of mine does astonishing, prize-winning cross stitches of the pictorial kind, which are beautiful. I just know I wouldn't choose to sew them myself.

Cheers

Ruth

PS if you would like to boggle at the range of royal wedding souvenirs available, http://royalweddingtat.tumblr.com/ will enable you to boggle comprehensively.

About this blog

The focus of this blog is British patriotic samplers and embroideries, especially those from 1901 to the present day. Its purpose is to be a catalogue/reference of the remarkable array of these hand-made works. Each one is a piece of social history, someone's time and skill and heart-felt emotion stitched to commemorate an event to which they must have felt a strong connection.

If you know of examples not yet here, or further sources or links which could be added to this site, please do leave a comment. All comments are moderated (ie. not published automatically). You can also contact me at rooruu ATgmail DOTcom (remove spaces, replace words with relevant symbols).

The general world of royal and patriotic memorabilia is huge, and the focus here is very narrow; I'm not so much a royalist as a student of social history and needlework. Every one of these items has a story.