This is my very first full size cross stitch project. It was stitched back in 1988, over one, on some sort of linen/evenweave material. I bought the material in a fabric store near where I worked at the time in downtown Toronto. I'd been told to go in and ask for material to cross stitch a sampler
on, which is what I did. The sales person pulled out this huge bolt of fabric and
asked if it was suitable for my needs. I said that it would do just fine - like
I really knew what I was talking about back then. So she cut me a huge piece
of this material and I happily took it home.

The sampler that I chose to work on was from a book that I'd bought, published
by Better Homes and Gardens called, appropriately enough, "Cross-Stitch Samplers". It's actually the project that was featured on the front of the book. I would eventually do two projects from this book, and my Mom did one as well which I will blog about another day.

I remember well working on this project because I had a really nasty virus which had me off work for about a week. I sat in the kitchen of my apartment and worked away at this piece between coughing and sneezing bouts. I especially loved doing the lettering on it. If I ran into difficulties with something or had a question about what I was doing I would phone my friend Linda (crafts person extraordinair) who would advise me on how to proceed.
At that time she lived across the city from me so getting together wasn't easy and especially not when I was hacking up a lung.

I have also included a picture of this sampler on the wall where it currently hangs in our den so that you can see how it is framed.