The German Sampler Series
The motifs, alphabets and borders used in this series are adapted from a 1769 German sampler in the collection of one of Arachne's designers, Theresa Racht. We do not have any real information on where in Germany it was stitched or by whom; however many features suggest that it originated in the Saxony-Anhalt region that is southwest of Berlin.
The sampler does include a church-like structure, a motif often featured in German samplers of this era, symbolizing the existence and presence of God on Earth. Since this cathedral was not typical of those found in sampler books generally available in 18th Century Germany, we like to think of it as a motif helping to identify the region in which the sampler was stitched. In 2006 and 2007, Theresa learned a few things about her sampler on a visit to Das Deutsche Stickmuster-Museum (The German Sampler Museum) in Celle, Germany, which helped bolster this idea. One of the things she learned was that this structure bears a strong resemblance to the Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice in Magdeburg, Germany. Since the Magdeburg Dom is the tallest gothic cathedral in the Saxony-Anhalt region, it would not be surprising if a sampler stitched in the region in 1769 featured it as a motif.
As you can see, the original sampler is very large, and it will take some years before an adaptation of the entire piece can be published. However, there are so many wonderful elements in it, we couldn’t wait to design with some of them. We also realized that some stitchers may be intimidated by large samplers or only like to stitch certain aspects of a sampler, such as a couple of motifs or an alphabet. So we had this idea: create small samplers that can be put together in different combinations to form larger ones and periodically publish a larger design that combines some of the smaller pieces.
All the designs in the series are stitched on the same fabric, use the same floss palette, and have a similar stitch count width, making it easy to stitch several small pieces in combination as one large sampler. You can see how we combined these designs in First Prosperity Sampler and Second Prosperity Sampler. But we encourage you to be creative and choose your own combinations.
By no means are we at the end of the series, and more “Prosperity” samplers and the smaller designs will be available during the next several years. Join us in our exploration of the motifs of this wonderful sampler!