Salem Witch Sampler

I enjoyed every single stitch on this sampler. I enjoyed the research, I enjoyed adapting the motifs from Daniel Low's thimbles and I loved stitching the Witch House.  Most people will think this is for Halloween but I think it is much more: it is a piece of Macabre Americana indeed.

The Witch House  and the graveyard are at the center of my sampler and you will find the decorative elements of 'SALEM' and the Cresent Moon, the Witch herself, '1692,' the Witch Pins and a Scaredy Cat, all adapted from Daniel Low's Memorable Salem Witch thimbles made in 1892 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials.

I stitched the sampler in 21 different colors of Soie d'Alger, plus a favorite Planet Earth 'sky.'

The kit includes 6 spools of Kreinik braid in different colors and 4 more partial spools for details on the pumpkins and the Scaredy Cat's eyes. I asked Jan who proofed the sampler, is it worth my putting in a length of bright emerald green for the Cat's eyes and when she finished the sampler, she said 'absolutely.'

The sampler is 7.5" tall x 9" wide on a piece of white congress cloth 12" tall by 14" wide. The instructions are 50 pages long plus 8 Oversize Graphs, a title page and a color copy of my sampler.

My Witch Sampler in Place

Here is our firepace mantle, Witch Sampler -- alas still unframed -- in place for the fall.

Covid and My Salem Witch Sampler

Poor Witch Sampler: it is yet unframed because I don't go out still. It's just one of many things that this house needs! We have chairs, a pair of them so in need of reupholstering, it is embarrassing....

I did learn one thing: because of our paper decorations, I need to have the Witch framed larger than I would have tought originally. Maybe sometimes there is a benefit not to hurry.

Daniel Low and the Salem Witch commemoratives

For the 200th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials, Salem Jeweler, Daniel Low commissioned Ketcham & McDougall and Webster companies to make commemorative thimbles using Daniel's son Seth's Witch design.

Daniel Low's Salem Witch Spoons

Joining the craze for collecting Souvenir spoons, Daniel Low commissioned two different spoons, each with Seth's Witch.

I succumbed and have four spoons: one of the originals and one original demitasse spoon, one of the second and a modern repro of the spoon.

Original Witch Scissors, made in Germany and sold in Daniel Low's catalogue.