Ann's Arrival

Following of long day of a  holiday shopping frenzy, I arrived home yesterday to find the Ann Grimshaw Sampler pattern nestled in my mailbox.  I so enjoy ordering patterns from The Scarlett Letter.  With each pattern there is a background/biography page included like the one pictured above.  I was more than happy to pour myself a cup of tea, put my feet up, and journey back in time.  Ann Grimshaw was born in Calverley, Yorkshire and attended Ackworth School from 1816 to 1818, during which time she created this sampler of cross stitching. The amazing fact is that she was only 13 years old at the time!  Can you imagine?
I'm still in the process of deciding what type and color of linen to stitch this on but I've got it narrowed down to two options. Both are dyed in a manner that provide a time-worn, aged appearance. I hope to order my fabric by Monday so I can begin stitching by next weekend  once I'm finished with my last craft show. I'm also putting together some background information and photos of the Ackworth school where Ann attended to share with you as well.  I think I enjoy the history just as much as I do the stitching.
Blessings....

Welcome....

Welcome to Abbey Rose Needleworks! I'm so glad you've found your way here.

Let's get acquainted....

 About Me:

My name is Abigail Callaghan-Schafer. I was born and raised in Cork County, Ireland, and moved to the United States at age 24 when my husband was offered a teaching position within the History Department at a well-known east coast university. We currently reside in Massachusetts. I'm the mother of four children, three boys and one girl; all of whom are grown and on their own with the exception of my youngest daughter who is still in college and commuting from home.  I've been sewing since I was a very young girl and over the years have developed a deep passion for historical samplers. I have also been stitching small keepsakes and folk art ornaments for over 15 years that I've sold at local charity craft events each year.  However, with the encouragement from my daughter, I have decided to leave the craft show venue behind and offer my items online following this holiday season.
Abbey Rose Needleworks:
Here on my blog, I hope to share with you my latest projects and items that will be available for purchase.  I always seem to have more than one stitching project in the works at a time, usually one large sampler piece and several little items.  I'm most anxious to share with you my historical sampler projects. Each piece is a journey back in time, a puzzle to decode filled with symbols, virtues, and lessons to be learned of days gone by.  I hope you will join me in my journey of stitches. 

I'm currently finishing up some holiday items and will share those later this week.  My next sampler project, which I hope to begin within the next week, is the Ann Gremshaw Sampler, circa. 1818:

 (Photo courtesy of  The Scarlet Letter)

I look forward to sharing this project with you !  Won't you join me and follow this journey of stitches back in time?