Get all the latest news from The Victoria Sampler by signing up
THIRD IN THE 'SMALL FARM' SERIES There are so many wonderful small family farms near my home, and over the years I’ve wanted to stitch some of them into samplers. Strawberry Fields Farm is a companion to Ravenhill Farm and Jingle Bells farms. This Farm Sampler was based on one of my favorite memories of childhood, my first paying job picking strawberries! I remember feeling so grown-up (at 12 years old) as I bussed from the city to the fields on our peninsula. There I transferred to the ‘picker’s bus’ and was driven to the fields. I loved those clear summer mornings. It’s probably my imagination, but it seems that there were never any cloudy days, only lovely clear sunny ones, I picked quickly to fill my halecks full of ripe red jam berries. Behind the fields was a secret spring of cool water to slake our thirst in the heat of the day and I often brought ham sandwiches and apples for my lunch. At the end of the day I’d be sunburned but so happy with my days’ wages. I hope I've included at least some of those feelings in this sampler! At the top of the Strawberry Fields Farm sampler you’ll find a yellow farm house, a small shed surrounded by fields of strawberries. Lower down you will see a strawberry picker, harvesting the delicious fruits. Be careful not to taste too many juicy berries! Then another shed for jam making, and the cart full of flats of berry halecks, and the title band surrounded by strawberry vines. Finally, at the bottom is a wonderful Tea House advertising “Tea and Strawberries” with two ladies in their red sun hats enjoying some strawberry iced tea. Each of the bands are separated by interesting specialty stitched bands. Enjoy bringing this delightful farm sampler to life! - Thea