Levey and King 1993, p. 12 “Elaborately embroidered clothing, religious objects, and household items often were seen as a mark of wealth and status, as in the case of Opus Anglicanum, a technique used by professional workshops and guilds in medieval England.” Embroidery was a skill marking a girl's path into womanhood as well as conveying rank and social standing. Instead, embroidery is a kind of folk art. The word ‘sampler’ evokes an image of innumerable passive, powerless women just waiting to be