Oh, Susanna!

 Susanna Kriebel is killing me.

Susanna Kriebel was 16 years old in 1841

and she fancied herself a sampler stitcher.

She was of Schwenkfelder heritage

and sampler stitching was one of those things young women

did to prove they would make suitable and capable wives.

Well, I surely hope her cooking and cleaning was up to par.

As a stitcher ..... maybe not so much.

Stitching a reproduction of her sampler* is killing me. 

She didn't even spell her own name correctly. 

Her spacing is crazy wonky

and constantly having me check if I'm doing it right 

ummm --- correctly wrong?

Take a look.

In spite of all that .... I DO think it is pretty. 

Back in late August I purchased four sampler patterns in hopes of making a "sampler wall". I bought this one when we visited the Schwenkfelder Heritage center (a museum local to us). 

All the samplers I purchased have something in common with me... one was done the year our house was built, one was done by someone living in the town my mom was from and where I went to high school, and one is of Pennsylvania German heritage which is my heritage on my father's side. 

Of the four, Susanna's was started first --- on the 1st of September and I was hoping to have it done by the end of Sampler September. Unfortunately, I have been having some issues with my hands and just can't knit and stitch quite as long.

There is just a little more to be done on Susanna. 

Maybe by the end of December I can take it to the framer.

*Susanna's granddaughter charted the reproduction of her sampler just as Susanna stitched it. I am keeping true to her original even if it IS giving me a bit of a twitch.