Stitched motto samplers are distant cousins of educational samplers, traced back to the mid-1600s. Later motto samplers came as kits with supplies and directions, and were made by homemakers from about 1927 until 1939. Today, collectors often look for a stitcher’s first sampler, in such categories as friendship, black-and-white, welcome home, guest, and more. Start looking for them at flea markets and antiques shows. Brand-new kits are still being sold and made, so avoid reproductions by buying from a trusted dealer. An authentic vintage motto sampler is rarely signed and dated, so look for signs of age and a tightly woven linen without any sheen.

Visit dealer Joan Carter’s Web site, wiswallhouseantiques.com to see her motto sampler inventory.