Threads of Christmas Past  is available as a printed booklet and as a PDF download. Click HERE for the PDF download. The printed booklet will start shipping around November 25, 2025.

Under the soft gleam of a winter lamp, a square of linen lies unfurled on my worktable – its surface alive with threads of crimson and green that weave together more than just patterns. At first glance, it appears a simple sampler: a neat arrangement of alphabets, numerals, and flourishes stitched with quiet discipline. But linger for a while, and this piece reveals itself as something far richer – a whispered story of devotion, patience, and festive joy, lovingly preserved in every cross-stitch.

The sampler bears the initials MB and the date 1914, stitched proudly near its base. The year alone invites reflection. It was a time of both innocence and upheaval – when the comforts of hearth and home coexisted with the uncertainty of a world on the brink of war. Against that backdrop, this sampler feels like a small act of hope: a declaration that beauty and care could still exist in the midst of change. One can easily imagine MB, perhaps a child or young woman, seated by a fireside in the quiet of a December evening. Her needle glides through linen stretched taut on a wooden hoop, each careful stitch a meditation, each thread a prayer for peace and constancy.

Threads of Christmas Past has been reproduced using a palette of five colours carefully matched to the colours found on the front of the sampler. The model was stitched using Soie 100.3 from Au Ver à Soie, and we have included conversions for Soie d’Alger (SDA) and DMC.

MB executed her sampler with cross stitches laid over two threads of linen. The sampler is suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability and can be worked on linen or Aida.