Secret Language Samplers is a creative project from Brooke Masek that combines her passion for art, history, and the yarns hidden away in the careful cross stitch and needlepoint work of vintage teaching samplers. Secret Language Samplers offers unique, high quality reproduction patterns and kits inspired by the antique samplers from Masek’s personal collection, with patterns available for people of all skill levels. As a former museum professional with a Masters in Art History, Masek brings a unique approach to the presentation of sampler patterns and kits available on Secret Language Samplers. Each one comes with a wealth of information, not just on its original creator, but also its imagery and the wider historical context in which the antique sampler was made.

Since the first samplers of the Middle Ages – simple pieces of material with patterns and motifs embroidered on them for future reference – young girls and women have shared their stories through the secret language of the threads. As the popularity of needlecraft increased and social mores on ‘feminine’ behavior developed, so did the complexity of these beautiful artworks.

Antique samplers come to us almost exclusively from young, school-aged girls who learned to cross stitch on teaching samplers as a part of their education. These girls span every social class and lived in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Americas. No matter what class or location, there were always clothes to be made and fixed by nimble, skilled fingers!

The antique samplers created by these young girls women are a gift to historians today as historical artifacts in their own right. With each stitch, we hear a voice from the past – with messages that are still relevant today.

What better way to immortalize special occasions like births, graduations, and weddings than a one-of-a-kind commemorative sampler? Get expert help with the creative design and stitching of a sampler destined to become a treasured family heirloom.