Tudor embroidery sampler from Wollaton Hall c. 1590

This is a piece of linen which someone has been used to practice their embroidery skills. Linen would have been expensive in Tudor England so used scraps like this one were a very useful place to try out new designs and colour patterns. This one may well have belonged to one of Sir Francis Willoughby's daughters.
Practice exercises like these were used by mothers or older women to teach girls and younger women the skills they would need.
This ‘sketch book’ was never meant to be seen. We are very lucky to glimpse a more private side of a real Tudor person.

Nottingham City Museums