I mentioned last month that I have some things I’m excited about as I return to normal life and regular stitching…one of those is Dorcas Haynes.

I gave her a start in 2021, but didn’t care for the colors in the Scarlet Letter version which is the only one available to me. I did some sleuthing, and with some luck and generous fellow stitchers, I did get a list of the colors used for Dorcas in the Darlene O’Steen version of this sampler.

There are 20 colors in the Scarlet Letter version and 33 in Darlene’s version, and there is really no practical opportunity to get Darlene’s chart (which was a limited class and it will never be released) so I cannot learn what the color placement it, much less the extra specialty stitches used in it. I will have to determine these elements for myself. It’s been too overwhelming to think of it and plan. I haven’t had the giddyup to fuss with it. But…this year we did have a visitor to the shop bring in her completed Dorcas, which was a complete inspiration. She had made the colors up herself, I believe from studying the antique!…it was beautiful. I don’t have a chance to visit the antique in the Fitzwilliam Museum, but I have the list of colors used and I lot of photos online that I’ve collected. I’ve decided to Just Start and take one band at a time.

Well, the first band is cross stitch in a medium green. That’s not a difficult decision to make. I did it this week.

The next band is also cross stitch, with several colors, but it’s a nice regular pattern. I started it.

I am toying with the idea of chucking all my other plans this year and seeing what I can do with Dorcas. If I finished her within the year I think I’d feel pretty accomplished.