Today we have a meet and greet with Tinka of Victorian Rose
Needlearts! Tinka shares with us how her
stitching journey began, along with some of her beautiful antique samplers and what
inspires her when choosing new samplers to reproduce – for us all to love! Pull up a seat with Tinka and me, and
enjoy!
Tinka, how old were you
when you first picked up a needle and who taught you to stitch?
*The first time that
I picked up a needle wasn’t to do cross stitch, but to help my grandmother
quilt. I remember helping her hand piece
quilts when I was in fourth grade. She
made beautiful quilts, many of which I still use today. The first time that I did cross stitch was
back in the 80’s. I remember loving to
see pieces come to life as I stitched them.
I loved the Lavender & Lace angels and Mirabilia.
I was a self-taught
stitcher, but have attended many classes since then. I’ve attended Christmas in Williamsburg and
Celebrations of Needlework for many years.
What was the very first
sampler that you stitched?
*The first sampler that I stitched was Scarlet Letter’s Jenning
Band sampler. It is a remnant of a
sampler dated circa 1690 and has many interesting stitches – Montenegrin,
fishbone, Holbein, counted satin, and eyelet.
I loved every stitch that I put into the sampler!
When did you start charting
reproduction samplers / designing your own samplers? How did Victorian
Rose Needlearts start?
*I first started
charting reproduction samplers about a year ago. My first release was Leontine de Hert in
August of last year. It’s a Belgian
schoolgirl sampler that I bought from Gigi and has such lovely elegant
alphabets and motifs. Victorian Rose
Needlearts sprang out of my passion for preserving our heritage. We live in such a disposable society focused
on technological advancement that we often forget our past. The young girls that stitched the samplers
had such an amazing talent! In our fast
paced modern world we often don’t take the time to appreciate and preserve
their work. I started Victorian Rose
Needlearts in an effort to honor and promote the love of our past.
What was the first sampler
you charted?
*Maria Bowen was the
first sampler that I charted, but Leontine de Hert was the first that I
finished stitching and released. Maria
was such a joy to chart. The colors
really appealed to me, but the sampler was stitched down to backing board and
threatened to disintegrate if I removed it.
I very carefully pried some of the stitches loose and lifted it to see
the back so that I could get a view of what the true colors should be. The front was so faded that it was hard to
tell that the colors were so beautiful when first stitched. I prefer antique needlework that isn’t
mounted; it’s so much easier to work with than the ones that are in cumbersome
frames. The frames may be nice for
display, but for reproductionists they are more of a nuisance than a necessity.
Maria Bowen
Leontine de Hert
Can you tell us about your
creative process of reproducing samplers / designing samplers? What
inspires you?
*I select a sampler
that I feel strongly about because I know if I don’t the chances of completion
are not great. Once I have a sampler
that speaks to me, I just sit in a quiet place and start charting it. I have to decide what linen is best for the
piece and what fibers I’ll be using. I
let the piece itself dictate those requirements. I constantly change colors as I stitch, which
drives my husband crazy because of the amount that I rip out. I just think of it as part of the process,
but he looks at how much more I could accomplish if it wasn’t! I’m just not able to let it go until I’m
happy with it.
What
do you look for when choosing a sampler to chart for your collection?
*I let the piece speak to me.
Some of them do and others just don’t.
Sometimes it’s the colors that the original stitcher used. Sometimes it’s a dominant visual
element. Other times it’s the
verse. It’s not always the same thing
that speaks to me about a piece. I
tend to stay away from samplers that have a lot of void area and like pieces
that are symmetrical and well balanced.
Beyond that though, I look for a piece that the stitcher had a true
connection with. You can tell if a young
girl loved the piece that she was working on or if it was just a classroom
exercise.
What is your favorite time
of day to stitch? Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to
have on hand?
*I grab time
whenever I can to stitch, so there’s no set time of day. I don’t really have a set place to stitch and
usually am only doing cross stitch, so the only tool that I really need is a
good pair of scissors. I usually use
Dovos or Ginghers, anything with a very fine point in case I need to cut
stitches out (when the frog comes to pay a visit). I have a few pair of handmade scissors, but
honestly usually just use them for display.
If I need a laying
tool, such as when I’m doing satin stitch, I will put my scroll rods on a floor
frame and use a tekobari. A few strokes and
the stitches just naturally behave themselves – almost like magic!
Do you use the stick and
stab technique, or a sewing stitch? Do you prefer to stitch in hand, or
with a hoop or frame?
*I usually stitch
with a scroll rod or q-snap if the design can fit inside. I don’t like crushing threads, so it’s
important to me that nothing touch the actual stitching. I find that using a scroll rod or q-snap
helps block the stitched piece as I go and cuts down on fraying. I use the stick and stab technique and would
like to learn to stitch two handed. I’ve
given it a try a couple of times, but it’s not something that comes naturally
yet.
Do
you have a favorite linen? Do you prefer to use silk threads?
*I use a variety of linen and thread – I let the piece speak to me
about what materials to use. I mainly
look at the colors that I need for the piece and choose accordingly.
Is
there a specialty stitch or embroidery technique you enjoy most?
*My favorite specialty stitch would be the Queen stitch. I just love the feel of executing it and the
beauty of it once done. I have a sampler
that I want to reproduce that uses it profusely, but just the one so far. The Queen stitch was first used on samplers
in the 17th century and it is just a beautiful stitch.
What is your favourite
period of sampler-making and why?
*My favorite period
would be the Victorian period; mainly because of their inclusion of Scripture
or religious verses. The 18th century
was focused on technique, but not until the latter part of that century do we
see any type of verse. Since I like to
make a connection with the stitcher’s worldview, I am attracted to the verses
that they choose as a way of gaining insight into their aesthetic and/or
spirituality.
Which designs appeal to you
the most?
*I have a particular
fondness for designs that have a spiritual meaning. I love samplers with scripture verses. The faith of the young girls really speaks to
me. I also love designs with roses and animals.
Has working with
reproduction samplers given you any new insight into the lives of the girls and
women in the 17-18-19th centuries that you did not realize before?
*My biggest
realization has been that they are just as human as we are. Some loved the samplers that they were
stitching, but others would really have rather been somewhere else, doing
something else. You can tell by the
quirky mistakes that are made. Sometimes
they would run out of room for the motif they were working and would just keep
going. They would often cross 1, 2 or
even 3 threads and weren’t confined by the rigidness of our system of
stitching. Whereas we want uniformity in
our stitching, it wasn’t a big deal to them.
We also want our ends tucked neatly into place, again no big problem to
them if they left the tail hanging. We
admire their work so much that sometimes we’re tempted to define them by their
stitching, but these women were not unidimensional – this was only one sphere
of their lives. And they never conceived
that someone would be coming behind them centuries later trying to reproduce
their work.
How do you display your
stitched samplers? Do you frame them? Hang them singularly or in
groupings?
*Most of my stitched
samplers have been framed. I’m very
lucky to have a wonderful local framer who is very creative and does excellent
work: Cindy Dunlow frames in Ocala. Most
of the samplers from my collection that I’ve stitched so far are on display at
my local needlework shop, Brick City Cross Stitch in Ocala. Brick City also displays the Glendon Place
collection. Cheryl also has her framing
done at Cindy’s, whose shop is right next to the cross stitch shop.
Do you collect antique
samplers? Or have any other collections special to you?
*Antique samplers
are my love and passion. I have a
collection of over one hundred and growing all the time! I am just fascinated by the talent of the
young girls of the 18 and 19th centuries. Today’s world
is so hurried that most people don’t take the time to perfect a craft such as
stitching, but it really keeps us in touch with our heritage.
Do you have other types of
hand work that you enjoy?
*Although I began my
journey with needlework quilting with my grandmother, I didn’t keep up the
hobby. I’ve also tried lacis and
beading, but my passion is for stitching samplers and that’s what consumes my
time.
What has been your worst
needlework disaster?
*I’m still waiting
for something horrible to happen, but I find needlework very forgiving. If you make a mistake, you just have to find
it and rip out to that point. I like
that it’s not something set in stone, that it allows room for error.
Are you currently working
on a project that you can share with us?
*Currently I’m
working on two classes that I’ll be teaching for Spirit of Cross Stitch in
Richmond, VA in October, Ann Topham and Hannah Atkinson.
Ann Topham
Hannah Atkinson is a
red house sampler. Another favorite of
mine are red house samplers - there’s
such a variety of them from simple folkart pieces to more elaborate pieces. Hannah is more of a simple folkart red house
sampler.
One that I’m looking
forward to releasing as charts in the next couple of months is Margaret Iceton,
a Solomon’s Temple sampler. I love the
pinks – the colors remained just amazing on this sampler.
Margaret Iceton
Here is a sneak peek
of another one that I’m currently working on.
I love the sweet little doves in this piece.
If you can pick just one,
which is your favorite sampler that you stitched? And why?
*My favorite has
been Maria Bowen. It’s just such a
classic sampler. I love the deer, love
the verse. I had such fun doing the
colors. I wasn’t sure that I was at all
on the right track with the colors until I unpicked some of the stitches to
take a peek at the back. I was very
happy to see that they were actually the colors that she used for the original,
although I began working with the colors intuitively instead of because I knew
what she had used. Sometimes the
creative process is one of intuition.
What
other hobbies or interests do you enjoy?
*I
love spending time with my family; whether it is traveling or a quiet evening
at home. I treasure the time that I get
to spend with them. My mom is going to
be 91 next month and she is still quite lively and spry. She loves spending time outside and still
takes care of cattle, which amazes me.
I met my husband in 9th grade and he is still my soulmate. He has
been very encouraging in my endeavors with Victorian Rose Needlearts.
Thank
you so much, Tinka!! It is wonderful to
hear how you got started in stitching and how it has taken you to the world of
reproduction samplers. Your samplers,
both antique and reproduced, are a treat to see!! I am sure we all wish we could attend your
teaching classes at the Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival. Thank you for keeping the spirit of
needlework alive with teaching it to others and creating patterns for us all
to enjoy!
To keep up on the future endeavors of Tinka
and Victorian Rose Needlearts please be sure to visit her website here
and facebook page here!
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