Band samplers

 Our next block of work in Blackwork is to do some coloured embroidery, in band samplers. 

I have found it hard to find much about what these are, most of my embroidery books, of which I do not have a lot, do not mention band samplers. 

It doesn't help that when I went onto the computer, I was initially looking up bandwork embroidery in blackwork. Autocorrect and other such things kept giving me handwork! 

Then I found something that mentioned band samplers. Now I have found some information! I probably didn't really have to look it up, we were given some images to inspire us. But I was interested to know what made these 'band samplers' rather than the other samplers we have been doing. 

One article I read says that band samplers were made as a way of recording and passing on designs, before printing became common. Also, young girls were usually the embroiderers and it was a way of educating them as they sometimes had letters and they would have had some discussion about the meanings of the patterns (I assume). 

I am still not certain I really know but I think I just have to work my designs in bands. 

We have done a sample of motifs, of our own design or copied; border and corner patterns; shading ideas using either different thicknesses of thread or density of pattern changing. So I assume I will be ok with border patterns as they will work well in bands. 

I will have to go through my cottons now, see what colours I have. 

I have mostly stranded cottons, in a large variety of colours but we have been advised that stranded cotton is difficult because the needle can separate the strands and make the blackwork not sit properly. So I'll have to go through all my other yarns and see what I have. 

In this strange time of lockdown I can't go to a shop to browse. I have done an online order but had to rely on the images which, as a tactile textile person, isn't as satisfactory. And I have to wait for it to arrive. Still, it could be fun to go through stuff, as long as I don't make too big a mess before having to pack it away again.