Samplers have a fascinating history, and this practical, easy-to-use guide takes you through designing and sewing your own, right from the initial idea to the finished and mounted cross stitch sampler. All the motifs described are charted out to the same basic size, allowing you freely to pick and mix lettering, mottoes, pictorial decoration and borders, to create a unique piece of work. A valuable chapter on blackwork embroidery, a logical progression from cross stitch, shows how this technique can be used to enhance designs, and a final chapter deals with translating all you have learned into pictures, gifts and greetings cards with a truly personal touch.