CountryThemed Sampler of Cherished Patchwork Heart Keepsakes

This colorful little sampler from 1985 has a delightful sampling of patchwork hearts!

And Yes, More Hearts!

What can I say.  More hearts!  I love the cow jumping over the moon.

And Three More Hearts

And here are yet another three hearts.  I believe there was some kind of contest that year with so many entries they included a lot of them.  These are more floral than the previous set.

Nine Hearts

I am not sure, but I think these nine hearts were the winners of a competition to design a heart pattern.  They used to have these competitions all of the time, to design a small themed piece, and I always wanted to participate.  But was working too many hours back then to take the time.
These nine hearts are all winners in my mind and I have used several over the years to make small thank-you gifts.  I wish there had been a clear photo of all nine finished hearts, but there wasn't.

Wedding Sampler

Back in the day, in many European and related cultures, it was traditional for a young woman to make a "sampler" of her embroidery skills to celebrate her wedding day.  Many "samplers" were also used as a sort of resume if one was going to work in a household that could afford to hire assistance.  Most people still could not read or had access to education, but almost everyone was taught a skill they could use for employment.  So if you could not read or write, you could send a sample of your skills.