Make An "Antique" Samplerby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 05 Feb 2007 10:55 AM
Just a little while ago, as I was putting my daughter down for her nap, I started browsing through an antiques magazine. Molly likes me to be there are she falls asleep, and it is a nice way for me to catch up on a very small amount of reading in the five minutes it takes for her to drift off. I didn't get much past the ads for this gorgeous magazine (the subscription was free, by the way), but my eyes settled on a photo of an old needlework sampler. The sampler was done by a little girl sometime in the early 19th century, and I could just picture it hanging in our new home. When I looked up the gallery, however, I was stunned by the price tag. Ah well. But then an idea hit me as I was doing my second load of laundry today. Why not make an "antique" sampler? If you are handy with a needle, you can create your sampler by hand or with a kit. Some of the kits have the patterns stamped on the canvas to make it easier to follow. And, since these samplers were typically done by little girls just learning needle-craft, you don't have to worry about the result being perfect. You can also purchase an already made sampler or half-made sampler at the thrift store. I always see various cross stitch kits and finished samplers there. Now, here is the way to make it antique: Tea dye the sampler. This will give it that antique effect, making it look like it is a lot older than it really is. Tea dying is really easy to do. Simply make a pot of tea and let it cool a bit. Soak your sampler for a few minutes and then let it dry. If you want a darker color, just repeat the process. While you can just leave the sampler in the tea to make it darker, you'll get a much better effect if you dye it in layers, by letting it complete dry before soaking it again. Put your sampler in a nice simple frame, and hang it on your wall! Related Articles: Decorating Your Outdoor Space with Found Objects Inexpensive Decorating Projects for Your Home Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags Decorating, home, needlework, sampler Discuss this article
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Want a quaint antique sampler to hang on your wall, but don't want to spend big dollars for it? With a little ingenuity, you can make one yourself!
