:: November 2000 
Feature
Adam and Eve
The Adam and Eve motif is one of the most enduring designs in American needlework. It appeared in the American colonies on school girls' samplers as early as 1741 in the Boston area and on a Southern sampler in 1766. Early depictions of Adam and Eve show modest, fig- leaf covered figures, often with lots of hair. Since the story gives the stitcher precious little clothing to embellish, the hair of the first couple appears to have received extra attention!
Crossstitch and/or Embroidery
If you want to stitch an Adam and Eve piece using crossstitch and/or embroidery, you have several design elements from which to choose. For an expansive project, you can include an alphabet, a verse, and a depiction of the couple. For a simple project, you may choose to omit the alphabet and/or the verse and concentrate on the Adam and Eve figures entirely.
Consider the different messages conveyed by two sampler verses from the late 1700's:
Verse A
Adam and Eve whilst innocent
in Paradise were placed;
but soon the serpent by his wiles
the happy Pair disgraced.
Verse B
Adam alone in Paradise did grieve
and thought Eden a desert Without Eve.
Until God Pittiing of his lonesome state,
Crowned all his Wishes with a Loveing mate.
What reason then hath Man to slight or flout her
That Could not Live in Paradise without her?
Verse A succinctly tells the story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace. Verse B celebrates the joy of male-female companionship.
Knitting/Crocheting/Needlepoint
Numerous Adam and Eve crossstitch charts are available and can be adapted for knitting, crocheting, and needlepoint. Try to use needlepoint canvas with the same stitch count per inch as the crossstitch pattern in order to maintain the proportions of the design. When knitting or crocheting, maintain the same stitch count as the pattern, matching your gauge as closely as possible to the stitches per inch of the crossstitch fabric, unless you want the proportions of your project to differ with those of the pattern (e.g. larger in scale for a sweater front).
Cyberfibres recommends the following patterns:
"Temptation" by Sheepish Designs. A simple small piece with a prominent serpent. http://www.sheepishdesigns.com Tel. (704)875-1402.
"Merry Christmas, No.3" by Mary Beale. A very easy ornament with an apple outline of the simple figures of Adam and Eve and the apple tree. No serpent, but an easy addition to make yourself. Available from You Count (919)469-2857.
"Fallen World Sampler" in CrossStitch Sampler, Fall, 1994. An simple sampler with alphabet, date, three-sided border, apple tree, and serpent, but no Adam and Eve!
"Adam and Eve" in Traditional Samplers, by Sarah Don, Viking Penguin, Inc., 1986. A small Dutch version with Adam and Eve, the apple tree with two birds, the serpert around the trunk, and a four-sided border
Embroidery
Crossstitch patterns can be adapted for embroidery projects by you! Consider the portions of the pattern you want to stitch as crossstitches (if any) and proceed to choose stitches for the rest of the pattern that please you and make the overall effect attractive.
Applique Quilting and Tapestry Weaving
Crossstitch patterns can give you general placements for shapes and figures, so make use of them insofar as they prove useful. Another source of inspiration for your project is fine art. There are beautiful illustrations of the Adam and Eve story in Bible story books and in books on manuscript paintings of the 1300's and1400's (Belbello