Sunday, August 6, 2017

The Divine Miss M (M Quertier)

M Quertier
Quaker 1799 (Ackworth School)
Scarlet Letter
#103 India ink Gloriana silk floss
Stash Mystery Linen 

Yes, I'm still stitching.  There have been many distractions:  the heat, weeding, grass cutting, canning tomato juice, corn for the freezer, classes (basket and rug hooking) and the regular stuff aka life.

M Quertier's height is determined she is 11 1/8 inches in height.  I finally have the top most medallion and the bottom most medallion stitched.  I estimate four more medallions and I will be at the half way mark.  Whoo Hoo!

While I have been stitching M, I dug through my needlework books and found Jacqueline Holdsworth's book Ackworth School Sampler Motifs.  Jacqueline writes in the book:  It is typical of Quaker medallions to be stitched as halves or quarters.  M has eight full motifs and seventeen half medallions.  Our M was an ambitious stitcher, had a long school year or did she have a strict teacher at Ackworth?

Passionflower Motif--it is big and beautiful and one of my favorites which is surprising because I did almost as much reverse stitching on this motif as I did forward stitching.  This motif is also on the Beatrix Potter sampler and the Beatrix Potter companion sampler.

This is an undated sampler once owned by Beatrix Potter--the passionflower motif has been stitched into the sampler.

Butterfly Motif

Carnation Motif

Jacqueline calls this motif the Crown Motif (I think it looks more like a poinsettia)

While I have been stitching M, I have been re reading Carol Humphrey's book.  Am glad I purchased this book several years when I checked on Amazon it is right pricey.  Thankfully, Carol writes about M in the book:  It was also noted that the Quertiers were a Channel Island family, and in the extracts from the Minutes of Ackworth for 1800 is found this entry:  "Children from Guernsey admitted, one eight year old as a special case."  When I first read this, it made me a little sad.  Someone saw value in M and she is now a part of the Fitzwilliam collection of samplers--our M was indeed special.

The next motifs I will be stitching is a bird, garland and swan.  Am looking forward to stitching M's cartouche with her initials and date.  We are having a summer shower.  Ugh, I think I hear the weeds and grass growing but while the rains nourishes the flowers, I will continue stitching on M.  

6 comments:

  1. M is looking fabulous. Thank you for sharing some bits of her life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Miss M stitched a beautiful sampler. Thanks for the info, I have stitched the Beatrix Potter and did not know that was a passion flower. I love doing Quaker samplers. They are like lots of little finishes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are doing beautiful work! You obviously are passionate about this, and it shows in the quality of your stitching!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your stitching is gorgeous and it's cool that it has a connection with one B. Potter's samplers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wish I had started M when we discussed her before. Alas I did not and she still sits " a young lady in waiting" I wonder what "special case" meant - some handicap, mental or physical, monetary issues with the family - guess we'll never know. Yours is beautiful ! Heading up your way soon - any chance to make it to PF this weekend??
    Cheers Mel

    ReplyDelete
  6. She's a beauty. So cool to learn more about the history of Quaker samplers while you stitch.

    ReplyDelete