Ellen finished her sampler on Monday, February 3, 1879 when she was 12 years old. The day must have been a momentous one, and we can imagine her excitement. Some 142 years later we are very excited to share the reproduction of her sampler with you.
Ellen Martha Whiting was baptised in St Mary’s Church in the village of Colkirk, Norfolk, England on Wednesday, October 9, 1867.
Our journey with Ellen’s vibrant sampler has been a joyous one. Reproducing her sampler was undertaken in the very early days of the pandemic, and she brought calm and much comfort to all involved at a time of great uncertainty.
We were very drawn to the sampler’s colours and the motifs that Ellen meticulously stitched. Note her verse “as the first efforts of a maiden’s hand” rather than “an infant’s hand”.
There are 4 versions of the pdf. You will be able to download any or all of the following versions of the pdf and the graph:
Version 1 ~ A pdf with a twelve-page colour chart.
Version 2 ~ A pdf with a one-page colour chart (intended to be viewed/used on your tablet, phone, laptop, or computer).
Version 3 ~ A pdf with a twelve-page black and white symbol chart.
Version 4 ~ A pdf with a one-page black and white symbol chart (intended to be viewed/used on your tablet, phone, laptop, or computer).
The design is suitable for needleworkers of all abilities. The stitches used are cross stitch over 1 and 2 threads together with six straight stitches that form the stamens on the two fuchsia heads.
The reproduction of Ellen’s sampler has been a team effort. Her sampler has been painstakingly charted by Sandra Moffitt, the model lovingly stitched by The Contented Stitcher, and her booklet produced by Nicola Parkman.
At the very core of Hands Across the Sea Samplers there is a team of needleworkers who are passionate about antique samplers and being able to share those samplers with you.
Guest checkout ~ Upon completion of purchase you will instantly receive an email confirming your order and giving you a link to download the .pdf. It is important that you ensure the correct email address is given. If the email is not received into your in-box please check your spam folder. You may find it easier to register as a user on our website as you will then be able to visit your account to download the .pdf directly to your PC.
Thread Legend
Ellen’s sampler has been stitched with a rich palette of thirty-two colours from Au Ver à Soie’s range of Soie 100.3. We have provided conversions for Soie d’Alger and DMC. Estimated thread quantities for varying linen counts and the number of strands of thread used have been listed below.
1 Strand of Soie 100.3 on 46ct Linen002 Grey green ~ very light
025 Blue green
048 Golden olive ~ very dark
079 Avocado green ~ dark
080 Tan ~ very light
122 Shell pink ~ ultra light
142 Old gold ~ very light
147 Tan ~ ultra very light
152 Olive green ~ very dark
160 Peach ~ very light
269 Salmon
278 Salmon ~ light
303 Golden olive ~ very light
313 Wedgewood ~ dark
325 Avocado green ~ light
341 Beige brown ~ very light
344 Desert sand ~ light
394 Forest green ~ medium
465 Beige grey ~ medium
474 Antique violet ~ very light
499 Garnet ~ medium
517 Beige brown ~ light
542 Brown ~ very light
572 Beige grey ~ ultra dark
592 Coffee brown ~ ultra dark
646 Wedgewood ~ light
674 Old gold ~ medium
677 Golden olive
681 Salmon ~ very dark
741 Salmon ~ medium
763 Blue green ~ very light
Crème Beige grey ~ light
1 Strand of Soie d’Alger on 36ct, 40ct and 46ct Linen122 Grey green ~ very light
245 Avocado green ~ light
526 Golden olive ~ very dark
1444 Wedgewood ~ light
1446 Wedgewood ~ dark
1822 Blue green ~ very light
2115 Forest green ~ medium
2126 Olive green ~ dark
2214 Olive green ~ very dark
2231 Old gold ~ very light
2234 Golden olive ~ very light
2235 Golden olive
2533 Old gold ~ medium
2911 Peach ~ very light
2912 Desert sand ~ light
2914 Salmon ~ medium
2924 Salmon ~ very dark
2925 Garnet ~ medium
2931 Salmon ~ light
2943 Salmon
3322 Antique violet ~ very light
S3390 Shell pink ~ ultra light
3422 Beige grey ~ medium
3431 Beige brown ~ very light
3711 Beige grey ~ light
3821 Tan ~ very light
3825 Brown ~ very light
4114 Beige brown ~ light
4124 Coffee brown ~ ultra dark
4241 Tan ~ ultra very light
4534 Beige grey ~ ultra dark
5023 Blue green
2 Strand of Soie d’Alger on 28ct Linen 122 Grey green ~ very light
245 x 3 Avocado green ~ light
526 Golden olive ~ very dark
1444 Wedgewood ~ light
1446 Wedgewood ~ dark
1822 Blue green ~ very light
2115 x 2 Forest green ~ medium
2126 x 2 Olive green ~ dark
2214 Olive green ~ very dark
2231 Old gold ~ very light
2234 Golden olive ~ very light
2235 Golden olive
2533 Old gold ~ medium
2911 Peach ~ very light
2912 Desert sand ~ light
2914 Salmon ~ medium
2924 Salmon ~ very dark
2925 Garnet ~ medium
2931 Salmon ~ light
2943 Salmon
3322 Antique violet ~ very light
S3390 Shell pink ~ ultra light
3422 Beige grey ~ medium
3431 Beige brown ~ very light
3711 Beige grey ~ light
3821 Tan ~ very light
3825 Brown ~ very light
4114 Beige brown ~ light
4124 Coffee brown ~ ultra dark
4241 Tan ~ ultra very light
4534 Beige grey ~ ultra dark
5023 Blue green
1 Strand of DMC on 40ct Linen 225 Shell pink ~ ultra light
347 Salmon ~ very dark
435 Brown ~ very light
470 Avocado green ~ light
502 Blue green
504 Blue green ~ very light
517 Wedgewood ~ dark
518 Wedgewood ~ light
644 Beige grey ~ medium
677 Old gold ~ very light
729 Old gold ~ medium
730 Olive green ~ very dark
738 Tan ~ very light
739 Tan ~ ultra very light
760 Salmon
815 Garnet ~ medium
822 Beige grey ~ light
829 Golden olive ~ very dark
832 Golden olive
834 Golden olive ~ very light
841 Beige brown ~ light
842 Beige brown ~ very light
928 Grey green ~ very light
935 Avocado green ~ dark
938 Coffee brown ~ ultra dark
948 Peach ~ very light
950 Desert sand ~ light
988 Forest green ~ medium
3712 Salmon ~ medium
3743 Antique violet ~ very light
3790 Beige grey ~ ultra dark
2 Strands of DMC on 36ct Linen 225 Shell pink ~ ultra light
347 Salmon ~ very dark
435 Brown ~ very light
470 x 2 Avocado green ~ light
502 Blue green
504 Blue green ~ very light
517 Wedgewood ~ dark
518 Wedgewood ~ light
644 Beige grey ~ medium
677 Old gold ~ very light
729 Old gold ~ medium
730 Olive green ~ very dark
738 Tan ~ very light
739 Tan ~ ultra very light
760 Salmon
815 Garnet ~ medium
822 Beige grey ~ light
829 Golden olive ~ very dark
832 Golden olive
834 Golden olive ~ very light
841 Beige brown ~ light
842 Beige brown ~ very light
928 Grey green ~ very light
935 Avocado green ~ dark
938 Coffee brown ~ ultra dark
948 Peach ~ very light
950 Desert sand ~ light
988 Forest green ~ medium
3712 Salmon ~ medium
3743 Antique violet ~ very light
3790 Beige grey ~ ultra dark
2 Strands of DMC on 28ct Linen 225 Shell pink ~ ultra light
347 Salmon ~ very dark
435 Brown ~ very light
470 x 2 Avocado green ~ light
502 Blue green
504 Blue green ~ very light
517 Wedgewood ~ dark
518 Wedgewood ~ light
644 Beige grey ~ medium
677 Old gold ~ very light
729 Old gold ~ medium
730 Olive green ~ very dark
738 Tan ~ very light
739 Tan ~ ultra very light
760 Salmon
815 Garnet ~ medium
822 Beige grey ~ light
829 Golden olive ~ very dark
832 Golden olive
834 Golden olive ~ very light
841 Beige brown ~ light
842 Beige brown ~ very light
928 Grey green ~ very light
935 x 2 Avocado green ~ dark
938 Coffee brown ~ ultra dark
948 Peach ~ very light
950 Desert sand ~ light
988 x 2 Forest green ~ medium
3712 Salmon ~ medium
3743 Antique violet ~ very light
3790 Beige grey ~ ultra dark
Linen Sizes
The design area is 250 stitches (w) x 266 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3" margin for finishing and framing.
The model was stitched on Weeks Dye Works 46ct Zweigart-based linen in Straw. This colour is available in various counts. You should use a count and colour of linen that you will enjoy working on.
28ct: Design: 17.86" x 19.00" Fabric: 23.86" x 25.00"
30ct: Design: 16.67" x 17.73" Fabric: 22.67" x 23.73"
32ct: Design: 15.63" x 16.63" Fabric: 21.63" x 22.63"
36ct: Design: 13.89" x 14.78" Fabric: 19.89" x 20.78"
40ct: Design: 12.5" x 13.30" Fabric: 18.5" x 19.30"
46ct: Design: 10.87" x 11.57" Fabric: 16.87" x 17.57"
56ct: Design: 8.93" x 9.50" Fabric: 14.93" x 15.50"
62/52ct: Design: 8.06" x 10.23" Fabric: 14.06" x 16.23"
Stitch Guide
The design is suitable for needleworkers of all abilities. The stitches used are cross stitch over 1 and 2 threads together with six straight stitches that form the stamens on the two fuchsia heads.
Cross stitch ~ Is made up of two stitches worked over one or two threads. You should make all your stitches cross in the same direction for a neat and uniform finish.
You have to be careful not to pull the thread through the intersection of the woven linen threads. The warp and weft fibres are not “interlocked” at intersections; they simply pass over and under one another.
As a result, when stitching over one thread, some stitches can slip and disappear. Lay your stitches away from the direction you are working. This prevents the thread from slipping through the intersections.
