Art
Ann Sayres made this embroidered sampler in 1739 as a schoolgirl, stitching letters, numbers, and decorative patterns in silk thread. Samplers were the everyday proof that a girl had learned to sew with precision—a skill as essential to her future as reading and writing, and a marker of her family's respectability.
Art · Full story
Your fingers work the needle through linen stretched tight on a frame. The silk thread—red, green, gold—slides smooth and bright as you follow the alphabet for the hundredth time. One crooked letter and you start over. By the time you finish, your eyes ache and your fingertips are raw, but the sampler will show everyone you are patient, obedient, and ready for a respectable life.
Reflect
What skill did you have to practice over and over as a child? What did it teach you beyond the basics?