There are so many talented people in this forum, and I was thinking that apart from doing SALs together, which is great fun, we could do something really unique as well. Some of us can design simple patterns, some are very good at changing the colour schemes, also, there are a lot of free patterns available which don't have any copyright on them (like the very old ones) and can be used as a starting point...

So, my suggestion is that we design a band sampler for our forum. Everyone who wants to participate can design one (or more) bands. A band can be a few stitches or a few inches wide. We only need to agree on a general style, whether it is floral motifs, or mostly geometrical, older style or modern or a mixture - you know

Then everyone who wants to stitch it, can adapt it to their liking as far as the number of colours are concerned, which band to stitch and which to leave out, the width can be different, too, since these are usually repetitive patterns - the possibilities are endless.

Of course, all forum members would be welcome to stitch it, not only those who contribute...

Now, this is just a rough idea, if you think there is some sense in it, help me make it more elaborate. Ideas and opinions welcome.

What a lovely idea to celebrate this great forum with a special project! Strangely enough I am just putting together ideas for a band sampler myself, using the wide linen band I was asking about -- I want it to be like the original band samplers in that it shows different stitches, motifs, threads and techniques for future reference, and I hope to do one with the stitching class if ever I get to season 4 .

So as I love band samplers that part of it appeals to me very much, and so does the idea of creating something that is uniquely of this forum -- the thing that might stop me from joining in is time . I'll be starting the Stashaholic SAL next week, I've still to finish the tea tray and aunt's labrador, I don't want to neglect my silk alphabet and BoInk as much as I did last year... It would depend on when it would start and what sort of pace we'd be taking it at?

At this point I would say.... whatever we want. If you are not free now you can do the, say, 8th band...
Or we can start the whole thing later. Or start now and go as slow as we want.
Anyway, Mabel, dear, it wouldn't take you THAT much to design one band..., come on!

What's a band sampler?

*goes enthusiastically into teacher mode*

When there were no pattern books and every girl learnt to stitch from her mother or older sisters, they would record pretty motifs, useful stitches and so on by actually stitching them on a piece of fabric. Whenever the piece was full they'd sew on another piece (often using various hem stitches which they could then keep for future reference too) until that was full and so on, and they'd end up with a long band (usually kept rolled up) full of motifs and stitches and techniques that they could refer back to when they were stitching their bedlinen or hemming a nightshirt.

The earliest samplers were often band samplers, and they're coming back in fashion -- people now make long narrow samplers with bands of different stitches and techniques, e.g. pulled work, hemming, beads, cross stitch, florentine and so on -- but nowadays of course they are decorative rather than a record of useful stitches.

I had to googble the band sampler.. but I gotta say I love the idea! The only thing is that are going to do it one huge cloth style or sew small bands together...personally I think the sewing the bands together might work better so no one is limited to fabric color/size?
Faith

They sound awefully complicated and pretty!

Ohhh sounds like an interesting idea! but I'm rubbish at designing things.......... might be willing to give it a bash though

Bags me the hardanger or cutwork bit!

When I was beginning to plan my own band sampler I looked into linen band -- I wanted a traditional look -- and someone helpful on this forum (I'm sorry I can't remember who -- apologies!) pointed me to Arts & Designs. They can order anything from the Rico catalogue, which is full of both aida and linen band (click the link, choose English, then embroidery, then catalogue, then Bands).

The catalogue doesn't give prices, but the 20cm wide linen band is £7 per metre and the 10cm linen band £4.25 per metre, which is extremely good value. Using band means you don't have to hem the long sides of your sampler, just the cut edges, which is a bonus .

You could order a metre, filll that, order an other and sew it on to the first, and so on -- I've just been reading a blog of a lady whose band sampler (still in progress and containing a great variety of materials and stitches) now measures 13.5 metres/14.8 yards

but what a fantastic record she's created! Inspiring!

I like the idea of the designs but I would start with a piece of Aida suitable to finish as a bell pull. My mom had a little chocolate box full of short pieces of crocheted lace pieces to use as her "pattern book." She never really learned to read direction so when she got interested in crocheting afghans or other items with repeating blocks I would crochet the motif for her "pattern box."

Oooh yes, I would like to join in with this, but it would have to be suitable for aida for me, or I could leave out the more adventurous bits I suppose.

This sounds like a wonderful idea!

Actually, I always thought they are called band samplers because they place the patterns in lines instead of a central or scattered placement - I may be wrong, though. And I read somewhere that they were made on small and long stripes of fabric because the leftover edge of the fabric was used for teaching the children, that was no good for anything else.

As for the size... I would think a bellpull size would be big enough - but we will see as we proceed, won't we.

So, do you think we need to do a special sign up thread for this? Or let it be more spontaneous, and whoever has an idea, can publish it in the... whatever we call the thread where we can share patters we own the copyright to? Or start it in the SAL section?

I suggest we agree on the width: if the linen band is 20 cms, and we want some frame around it, let's say 14 cms? That's what, 5 and a half inches? And if the pattern is repetitive, anyone can make it longer or shorter if they wish.

And of course, we have to make sure we don't break copyright rules, so it has to be either original or something that has expired, like the ones we have already mentioned, e.g. Beeton's Book of Needlework on the Project Gutenberg site - there are more there, if someone doesn't know, worth checking.