Thérèse Roux 1880 Reproduction Sampler
CROSS STITCHREPRODUCTION SAMPLER PATTERN, READY TO DOWNLOAD, BY Couleur Tourterelle

This sampler is doubly original. Firstly, because of its signature, our young stitcher tells us that it was made at the "secular communal school" of Moulès, in the South of France. The young girl therefore benefited from an education within the framework of the republican (state) school. This comes as the Jules Ferry laws, which made school compulsory and free, and were promulgated the following year, in 1881. This didn't prevent our stitcher from including a few religious motifs in her sampler, but they are not predominant.

This is not however the most intriguing point: what are the two geometric motifs on either side of the stitched work? They are compass roses, Meriem Chauvet tells us, often used in Provence where the winds play a dominant role. Indeed the young girl lived in a village just outside the city of Arles, on the Crau plateau, where  it turns out her father owned a windmill. The sun-baked, windswept agricultural area would also appeal to Van Gogh, who, in 1888, created some of his masterpiece landscapes there. Who knows, the two young people may have crossed paths when our stitcher turned 18, and Van Gogh painted "The Harvest on the Crau Plateau" and "The Old Mill in the Crau Country"?

The original sampler is quite faded but its original vivid colors can be seen on the wrong side: see last photo showing contrast between the right and wrong side of the original sampler, as well as and the photograph just before, showing the exact match between reproduction (in foreground) and wrong side of original (in background). The antique sampler is part of the personal collection of Meriem Chauvet of Couleur Tourterelle. The reproduction cross stitch chart strictly reproduces every stitch of the original.

Reproduction Sampler stitched using Soie d'Alger silk from Au Ver à soie (AVAS) or DMC, worked on 40ct linen. Size 12.1 x 12.4 inch (31 x 31 cm).
As the design only features full cross stitches, you can stitch it on any fabric of your choice, including over 1 fabric thread, or on Aida fabric.

A cross stitch pattern by Couleur Tourterelle.

>> see more Reproduction Sampler patterns by Couleur Tourterelle
 

Chart info & Needlework supplies for the pattern:
Thérèse Roux 1880 Reproduction Sampler

Chart size in stitches: 242 x 248 (wide x high)
Needlework fabric: 40ct Newcastle linen from Zweigart ,in color 309"
Stitched size: 12.1 x 12.4 inch (31 x 31 cm)
Stitches: cross stitch over 2 threads
Chart: Color and B&W, includes one-page chart for Digital stitching
Threads: Soie d'Alger silk from Au Ver à soie (AVAS) or DMC
Number of colors: 12

Themes: France, late 19th century, wind compass, Provence in South of France, windmill
 

>> see all Late 19th century Reproduction sampler patterns (all designers)

 

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