Close your eyes and picture a sampler. We bet you are picturing a cross-stitched design with an alphabet on it. This type of sampler is quite common in England and North America, but there are many other types of samplers. In fact, samplers have been made in almost every culture around the world for several thousand years.

This episode is sponsored by Embroydica. Visit Embroydica.com and become part of a growing global archive of embroidery and creative expression. Also check out Alicia's blog post about samplers on Embroydica!

Listen in to learn about:

• The oldest preserved sampler, from the same Peruvian culture that created the mysterious Nazca lines.
• The oldest synthetic dye, Egyptian Blue, plus how to make it yourself (with a thousand-degree kiln)
• The oldest British sampler, which is also the oldest signed sampler, the Jane Bostocke sampler
• 3-D globe samplers (!!!)
• And so much more!

Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in for fun facts to text to your crafting bestie!

Show notes and sources: https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode35

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Also, in May 2026 we are doing a readalong of Jane Healey's The Saturday Evening Girls Club (this is an affiliate link--your purchase will support Handmade History at no cost to you). Grab a copy of this fantastic historical fiction novel and join us on Instagram, Facebook, or Patreon.