Erica Michaels Designs ~ Bristol Berries 1

From Linda:

These berries capture the essence of the beloved Bristol orphanage samplers and pay homage to those children and the Bristol orphanages. This chartpak includes the ever-present Bristol Squirrel shown full size, and another chart with a smaller squirrel sized to fit a typical linen berry.

The orphanage berry and mini sampler are a nod to the mission George Műller and his wife began in 1836. With the exception of the buildings in the designs, all of the motifs come from a sampler stitched by Maria Hancock; her original sampler is in the collection at The Cleveland Museum of Art.

Throughout the series, I will use mostly the traditional red color palette, but will switch up the fabric and thread selections a bit. Please feel free to use your favorite fabrics, threads and reds for your pieces.

Many thanks to Claudia Dutcher Kistler of Dutch Treat Designs who has generously shared her knowledge and resources about these wonderful samplers. Learn more at www.bristolsamplers.com

Watch for Bristol Berries II and III, coming later in 2021.