Frances’ sampler is a delight for the eye. Originally intended as a travel project for Nicola, the sampler became her main project from the moment the last stitch was charted. Some samplers call so loudly that you cannot ignore them. We hope that she will call loudly to you, too.
Frances (Fanny) Grassby was born on Christmas Day 1835 to Robert, an agricultural implement manufacturer, and his wife Matilda (nee Carrick). She was the second of their daughters to be named Frances, their first daughter having died two months earlier aged just 2 years. Frances was baptised into the Roman Catholic faith on April 26th, 1836 in the Church of the Holy Sacrament which was the only place of worship in Marton. The village can be found in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Frances died in childbirth on August 23rd, 1860 at the age of just 24. Her daughter Fanny Matilda Grassby Batty was baptised 6 days after her mother’s burial.
We wonder if the sampler Frances Grassby “ended” on November 13th, 1846 aged 9 was all Fanny had to cherish from the mother she never knew.
“Lead me to heaven the seat of bliss where pleasure in perfection is”
Hands Across the Sea Samplers are on hand to help those stitching our charts. If you need assistance or have any questions we can be reached via email, address shown below, or the contact page on our website. Our website has stitching tutorials which can be found in the “sewing basket/tools” section.
Thread Legend
Frances’s endearing sampler has been reproduced with Au Ver à Soie d’Alger silks form their 100.3 range and the skein quantities calculated based on 1 strand on 36ct fabric. We have provided conversions for d’Alger and DMC. The model was stitched on Weeks Zweigart linen in Parchment using the mellowed colours found on the front of the original sampler today.
100.3-029 x 1 ~ AVAS-5385 x 1 ~ DMC-926 x 1 ~ Grey green ~ medium
100.3-073 x 1 ~ AVAS-5413 x 1 ~ DMC-3813 x 1 ~ Blue green ~ light
100.3-080 x 1 ~ AVAS-F07 x 1 ~ DMC-712 x 1 ~ Cream
100.3-137 x 1 ~ AVAS-2635 x 1 ~ DMC-355 x 1 ~ Terracotta ~ dark
100.3-303 x 1 ~ AVAS-2243 x 1 ~ DMC-729 x 1 ~ Old gold ~ medium
100.3-494 x 1 ~ AVAS-2915 x 1 ~ DMC-3712 x 1 ~ Salmon ~ medium
100.3-519 x 1 ~ AVAS-4526 x 1 ~ DMC-801 x 1 ~ Coffee brown ~ dark
100.3-542 x 1 ~ AVAS-3825 x 1 ~ DMC-435 x 1 ~ Brown ~ very light
100.3-562 x 1 ~ AVAS-F14 x 1 ~ DMC-613 x 1 ~ Drab brown ~ very light
100.3-580 x 1 ~ AVAS-3733 x 1 ~ DMC-3012 x 1 ~ Khaki green ~ medium
100.3-584 x 1 ~ AVAS-3344 x 1 ~ DMC-840 x 1 ~ Beige brown ~ medium
100.3-666 x 1 ~ AVAS-3413 x 1 ~ DMC-452 x 1 ~ Shell grey ~ medium
100.3-696 x 1 ~ AVAS-4126 x 1 ~ DMC-3371 x 1 ~ Black brown
100.3-718 x 1 ~ AVAS-3714 x 1 ~ DMC-3053 x 1 ~ Green grey
100.3-740 x 1 ~ AVAS-3411 x 1 ~ DMC-3866 x 1 ~ Mocha brown ~ ultra very light
100.3-779 x 1 ~ AVAS-2924 x 1 ~ DMC-321 x 1 ~ Christmas red
LINEN SIZES The design area is 191 stitches (w) x 183 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3” margin for finishing and framing.
28ct: Design: 13.64" x 13.07" Fabric: 19.64" x 19.07"
30ct: Design: 12.73" x 12.20" Fabric: 18.73" x 18.20"
32ct: Design: 11.94" x 11.44" Fabric: 17.94" x 17.44"
36ct: Design: 10.61" x 10.17" Fabric: 16.61" x 16.17"
40ct: Design: 9.55" x 9.15" Fabric: 15.55" x 15.15"
46ct: Design: 8.30" x 7.96" Fabric: 14.30" x 13.96"
Stitch Guide
The sampler is stitched mainly in cross stitch over 2 linen threads with a small amount of cross stitch over 1 linen thread for the verse and a handful of small motifs, together with some satin stitches. The sampler is suitable for needle workers of all levels of ability.
Cross Stitch – is made up of 2 stitches worked over 1 or 2 threads. Make all your stitches cross in the same direction for a neat and uniform finish.
Satin Stitch – run a straight stitch between each thread of fabric in the direction shown on the chart. Use 1 thread making repeated passes until the desired coverage is achieved.
Hands Across the Sea Samplers are on hand to help those stitching our charts. If you need assistance or have any questions we can be reached via email, address shown below, or the contact page on our website. Our website has stitching tutorials which can be found in the “sewing basket/tools” section.
