CN Borders and Motifs - Couleur Tourterelle

The initials C and N are the only clue left by the stitcher. No date, no location, but after all there wasn’t any point in including them, because rather than a sampler intended for needlework practice, this piece was designed to save patterns for a future use, a sort of personal “catalogue” of motifs and borders. Indeed, this small band contains over 40 different designs.

What makes it particularly pretty and decorative is its wonderful mix of colorful designs, tightly fitted together so as many motifs as possible are included. Many motifs are repeat patterns, with only the strictly necessary elements needed to extend the stitching. Themes include many florals, roses of every size, a large pansy, but also interesting foliage motifs of various sizes, one of them a vine. There are a couple of geometric borders and one striking element in the center is the black lace berribonned rose stem - black lace being a popular element of fashion in the late 19th century when this work was presumably completed.

The pattern includes a couple of straight stitches, some Smyrna cross stitches and some cross stitches worked over 1 thread. Meriem Chauvet's (the collector and designer behind Couleur Tourterelle) worked the reproduction sampler in silk thread, matching every color found. Unfortunately some guess work was needed for specific areas of the lace pattern, the only color used that was really damaged over time, but the chart is as close as possible to the original sampler. Photos all show the original in the background, and the reproduction in front.

Reproduction Sampler stitched using Soie d'Alger silk from Au Ver à soie (AVAS) or DMC, with most cross stitches worked over 2 fabric threads on 40ct linen (some over 1 fabric thread). Size 13.7 x 3.5 inch (34 x 9 cm).

For our full Shipping Information, refer here.

Shipping Costs

The shipping cost of your order depends on your location and the value/size of your order. Shipping costs are added to your order total before payment is processed, and include a small packaging fee to cover costs.

As a guide, within Australia a standard letter has a minimum postage of A$4.90. Orders over A$30.00 are sent by Parcel Post (A$12.65) due to the weight/thickness of the parcel, and to allow tracking. Orders over A$80.00 are sent by Express Post. This protects both you and us, as the order can be tracked.

Express Post within Australia: A$10.70 for an A5 letter, A$16.15 up to 500 grams, A$20.75 up to 1kg, A$25.30 up to 3kg, and A$33.30 up to 5kg.

Actual Configured Shipping Rates (from Shopify settings)

This section is generated from our live Shopify shipping configuration, so it always reflects what a customer is actually charged at checkout - useful to compare against the descriptions above.

Domestic (all Australian states and territories):
- Orders under A$30.00: A$5.50 (Envelope)
- Orders A$30.00 - A$79.99: A$12.65 (Standard)
- Orders A$80.00 and over: A$16.15 (Express)
- Express shipping is also available as an option on any order, for a flat A$16.15, regardless of order value.

International Shipping

We offer regular and Express Post within Australia and New Zealand, and ship internationally to select countries.

International orders are sent by the most economical airmail post. If the actual cost of postage is less than what was calculated, we will refund the difference. If you would like to insure your parcel (at your own expense), please let us know at the time of ordering.

Dispatch Times

If your order's items are in stock, they will generally be shipped within 2-3 business days. If we are waiting on a delivery from our suppliers, there may be a delay - we know when the item will arrive, and if the item is not in stock we will contact you.

Missing or Delayed Parcels

All efforts are made to ensure that our parcels are packaged securely, addressed correctly, and carry the appropriate postage. Once your parcel leaves The Crewel Gobelin, we are in the hands of the postal service - we take no responsibility for items once they have left our store, and do not accept liability if products go missing or are damaged in transit. We recommend Express Post delivery if you would like to be able to track your parcel.

If your order has not arrived within the time originally stated at checkout, or what you consider reasonable, please contact us and we will do our best to check and confirm the postage details. If an item is missing from your shipment, please get in touch the same way.

Questions About Shipping

If you would like to know the exact cost of shipping before placing your order, feel free to email us or call +61 2 9498 6831.

For our full Returns Policy, refer here.

When purchasing from The Crewel Gobelin please review your order carefully as we do not refund or exchange if you have a change of mind about your purchase. To protect the interests of our designers, exchange or refund is not available on books, charts and kits. This also applies to custom finished items, special orders and fabric cut to your specifications, these items cannot be returned unless there is a fault in the product.

Special orders once placed cannot be changed. You will be asked to provide a deposit if you wish us to order any items especially for you. If you change your mind and decide not to go ahead with the order the deposit is non-refundable.

If a product is faulty, please return it to us along with your docket within 14 days of purchase for a full refund or replacement. There are no returns or exchange on discounted and sale goods. If items have been marked down due to an imperfection it will be identified as such.