An auspicious start to 2016! Unearthed at an estate sale: three meticulously worked samplers of stitch combinations that tell us: you need to up your embroidery game.

All I know about these, is that they were stitched by a woman names Esther who was born in 1908 and lived to be ONE HUNDRED and EIGHT YEARS OLD. As commented on instagram: proof that embroidery is good for your health.

How many different stitches can you count?

Eyes crossed yet?

One of the samplers bears her name and says "Handcraft - 10th Period". I would have gladly undertaken this as my homework.

But what makes these really special, I think, are her wonderful color choices. And I especially like this section that looks like she was instructed to come up with some original motifs:

If you haven't made a single stitch in your life, just start here. If you've got your basics down, and are now itching to stretch your stitches to new lengths, try my book Embroidered Effects which has a chapter of stitch combinations (I like to call them "stitch recipes"). In the book I also list plenty of not-so-easy-to-find sources for even more creative combos like these!