See stitched models in the gallery

For many centuries, French women washed their laundry at the communal "Lavoir" on the banks of the river. It was a social gathering place and groups of women would do their laundry together. In order to be able to identify the linen afterwards, all the household and personal linen was embroidered with the family's initials. Some French women would collect patterns of the initials found within their own family and embroider them onto a "marquoir", to be used at a later date.
This sampler is based on that tradition. Of course, it is impossible to include the initials which are important to each one of your families. So, as well as the central alphabet, I have included the initials that spell out the three little words which are the most important for any family. And of course, as this is a French-style sampler, those three little words are in French. I have also included many motifs which symbolise love and marriage, hearth and home. The design can easily be turned into a wedding or anniversary sampler by using some of the frames within the design to embroider the initials of the bride and groom and the date of their wedding.