They include cradles, cooking utensils, tableware, a beaver hat, the portrait of Penelope Winslow and the portrait of Elizabeth Paddy Wensley. All these artifacts relate directly to women, but they were all made by men. As books of patterns appeared, the sampler's importance as a reference began to lessen and its importance as a showpiece to display excellence and versatility in needlecraft began to grow. By the 17 th century, the needle arts were part of the formal education of English girls and samplers were serving a dual purpose as both reference and showpiece. Samplers were generally worked in colored silks on linen.
Early samplers are long and narrow, with random designs.
The first step in the evolution of the sampler , beginning in the mid-16 th century, was the designs being worked, not randomly, but in bands. The next step saw the introduction of signatures and rhymes. It is at this point that the American sampler story begins. The first American-made sampler is the sampler embroidered by Loara Standish.