Hands Across the Sea Samplers are pleased to present to you “Helen Kedslie 1815” an impressive and exquisitely stitched example of samplers worked in Scotland during this period. The majority of Scottish samplers were stitched in the Scottish School System or with a teacher who specialized in sewing and embroidery. Learning to sew was a very important lesson for girls.
The sampler’s colourful, trailing rose vine border contains several motifs associated with Scottish school girl samplers. The large building featured is found on many Scottish samplers and it is possible that it is a School. The two story pediment building has a lawn in front stitched in varying shades of green together with an imposing set of gates, stone wall and picket fence.
Other motifs of note on the sampler include two six tailed peacocks; a lion with his tail curved over his back in an “S” shape; a pyramid of strawberries; a beautiful basket filled with flowers and a basket of fruit; numerous birds, including eagles or phoenixes and a stylised swan; deer, rabbits, cat and dog. Diamond shaped fir trees, worked in cross stitch, often seen in Scottish samplers are featured together with four unusual and distinctive stem and satin stitched trees which we have carefully counted out for you within the graph. A beautiful moss rose and Scotland’s national floral emblem, the thistle, are also featured.
There is a story that Scotland was under attack by marauding Vikings and the attack was foiled when one of the Vikings stepped on a thistle and cried out alerting the Scots. Numerous family initials are also included along with a collection of crowns. Crowns were worked to show the ranks of nobility and range from king, prince, duke, marquis, earl, viscount to baron. They were used above parents’ and family initials.
Whilst we have been unable to trace Helen’s birth records from the initials stitched within the sampler we believe her parents to be John Kedslie and Alison (Aleson) Haig and siblings Anthony, Elizabeth and Alexander, who were all born in the years around Helen’s birth. Elizabeth is of particular interest as she was christened in 1803 and it is possible that Helen’s absence from the records is due to her being “Elizabeth Helen Kedslie”. The initials found in her parent’s family tree also match those in the sampler.
The family were from the Royal Burgh of Lauder, a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies 27 miles south east of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills. The sampler is well travelled having been acquired by Nicola Parkman in England, from an auction house in Canada where Kedslies from Scotland are known to have settled in the 1800’s.
Helen chose Ecclesiastes 12.1 as the verse on her sampler, and it can be found on samplers from 1763-1876. Both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland used the 1611 version of the Bible which was translated by King James VI (Scotland) and I (England) and it is still used today.
Remember now thy creator in
The days of thy youth while the
Evil days come not nor the years
Draw nigh when though shalt say
I have no pleasure in them.
Helen’s sampler has been rated as suitable for a confident intermediate or advanced stitcher. All the motifs have been counted out for you within the graph, there is no tracing required. There are a variety of stitches including cross stitch over 1 and 2 threads, satin stitch, a handful of queen stitches, rice stitch, stem stitch, back stitch, double running stitch and bullion stitch.
The graph has been annotated with instructions, stitch diagrams and shade numbers for ease of use.
