This volume considers samplers made in Scotland within the context of girl's lives. It is illustrated by a wide selection of pieces from public and private collections and shows the remarkable variety that was made by young girls as they learnt needle skills. The aim of this book is to look at samplers made in Scotland as well as their place in the education of girls, putting them within the social context of the period. The time spanned covers the first emergence of a specific Scottish style and ends with the introduction of the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act. The contents include a brief history of samplers, before considering the documentary evidence for samplers in Scotland and the earliest surviving pieces. Naomi E A Tarrant was for many years the Curator of Costume and Textiles at the National Museums of Scotland.