Southern Garden Sampler #104, The Victoria Sampler

The Southern Garden Sampler holds a special place in my heart, because it was originally created as a teaching sampler for a retreat I taught in the Savannah a few years ago. Much like the historic learning samplers stitched by young women in centuries past, this piece was designed to guide stitchers through a wide variety of specialty stitches, building both confidence and skill while creating something beautiful.

At the top of the sampler, you’ll find a glimpse of Savannah’s charming riverfront, complete with old warehouses and a stately riverboat. Moving downward, twenty-four tiny “garden squares” unfold like miniature lessons. Each square is dedicated to a different stitch, echoing the purpose of antique samplers where every motif represented knowledge gained and mastery achieved. In the very center sits a tiny frog, a playful reminder not to take our stitching too seriously. At the base, Southern belles in flowing dresses sip mint juleps under the shade of Live Oaks, framed by wrought-iron fences so typical of the South.

In many ways, this sampler mirrors the historic tradition of stitching as both art and education. Just as schoolgirls once filled their cloth with alphabets, borders, and motifs to demonstrate their progress, today’s stitchers can experience the same joy of learning, one motif at a time.

The Southern Garden Sampler is more than just a design—it’s a journey through stitches, Southern charm, and the timeless tradition of samplers as tools for growth and creativity. The sampler introduces you to an impressive variety of stitches: Satin Stitches, Half Rhodes, Algerian Eyelets, Lazy Daisies, French Knots, Diamond Rays, and so many more—over two dozen in all! Each one is taught in a gentle, accessible way, so even advanced techniques feel achievable

• Design Area: 44w x 165h (3.1” wide x 11.8” high)
• Model: 28ct Cashel Linen - Raw Linen:
• Cut fabric: 9“wide x 18” high for framing 

Suggested Materials

• Access Soie Perlee #Creme - cream (16m spool)
• Gloriana silk #045 “Lacquered Gold” - multi golds and #116 “Olive Grove” - multi greens
• Caron Collection Waterlilies #155 “Steel” - grey blues
• Kreinik Mori #6124 - purple med, #6126 - purple dk and #8050 - black
• Needlepoint Inc. #0143 - wine red dk and #0324 - blue dk
• Au ver a Soie #4645 - rose med
• Kreinik #4 Braid #102 - Vatican gold
• Kreinik Mori #0103 - rose lt, #5053 - blue lt and #8000 - white
• Needlepoint Inc. #0974 - brown
• Kreinik Mori #4215 - olive green med, #4216 - olive green dk and #0523 - grey lt
• Au ver a Soie #4147 - pink lt
• Needlepoint Inc. #0964 - taupe med and #0126 - brick red dk
• Zweigart 28ct Cashel Linen - Raw Linen
• DMC #12 Perle Cotton #642 taupe lt or other choice of thread for Hemstitching.
• #24 tapestry needle