The verse around which The Scarlet Letter designed this sampler was written after 1596 by the English poet Edmund Spenser, as an introduction to his Cantos of Mutabilitie, and part of his most famous work The Faery Queene, written for Queen Elizabeth I. In these poems he personifies the powers of change and decay by the character of Mutability, whose pride, omnipotence, and omnipresence govern all mortall things beneath the Moone . . .

Proud change (not pleas'd,
in Mortall things,
beneath the Moone, to raigne)
Pretends, as well of Gods, as Men,
to be the Soveraine.

The lettering style comes from an early 17th century sampler. The figure of the Queen with her sword, ready to chop and change, was inspired by similar figures on 17th century samplers. The arcaded pansy border across the top is an amalgam of styles, spanning 17th century England to early 19th century Pennsylvania. Hungarian Point flamestitch across the bottom creates a dramatic sense of treetops in the light of the moon.

Linen count/finished size: 35 count, 7"x9". Kit contains fabric, cotton or silk floss, needle and instructions.

Stitches: Cross, double running, Hungarian point, satin