Available as a professionally printed booklet and downloadable PDF. Click here to purchase the downloadable PDF edition.
There are some samplers that captivate through grandeur. Others speak quietly, drawing us ever closer. Emma Pack belongs firmly to the latter.
Worked in 1886 by thirteen-year-old Emma Pack whilst living at George Müller’s famous orphanage at Ashley Down, Bristol, this charming monochrome sampler is a delightful example of the distinctive needlework taught within one of Victorian Britain’s most remarkable charitable institutions.
Although measuring only around a quarter of the size of a traditional Bristol orphanage sampler, Emma’s needlework contains all the hallmarks of the celebrated Bristol orphanage tradition. Beautifully arranged alphabets, practical marking patterns, decorative bands and simple motifs come together in a design that is both balanced and immensely satisfying to stitch. Affectionately known in our studio as The Baby Bristol, it offers all the character of its larger companions in a wonderfully approachable format.
Emma’s own story is every bit as compelling as her sampler. Orphaned at just eleven years of age after the death of both parents, she entered George Müller’s famous orphanage in 1884. There she received not only shelter and education but also the practical skills that would prepare her for adult life. Emma remained at the orphanage as a housemaid before entering domestic service, marrying, raising a family and living to the remarkable age of ninety-six. Her sampler stands today as a lasting reminder that even the smallest samplers can preserve the stories of ordinary lives with extraordinary dignity.
Reproduced with meticulous attention to every stitch, Emma Pack is suitable for stitchers of all abilities. Whether you are new to historical sampler reproduction or an experienced stitcher looking for a rewarding monochrome project, Emma offers an absorbing journey into Victorian education, marking traditions and the enduring resilience of one young girl.
As with every Hands Across the Sea Samplers reproduction, extensive historical research accompanies the chart, allowing Emma’s voice to be heard once more through the stitches she left behind.
This reproduction is dedicated to the memory of Bertie-Boo, Nicola’s faithful boxer and constant companion throughout many years of charting antique samplers. Emma’s sampler was the final design Nicola charted with Bertie-Boo lying at her feet, making this little sampler a particularly poignant addition to the Hands Across the Sea Samplers collection.
Your printed booklet includes
• A full-colour professionally printed booklet.
• Extensive historical research into Emma Pack, her family and George Müller’s Bristol Orphanage.
• Large, clear chart with easy-to-follow symbols.
• Thread conversions for Soie 100.3, Soie d’Alger and DMC.
• Linen calculations for a range of fabric counts.
• Suitable for stitchers of all abilities.
Every Hands Across the Sea Samplers reproduction is a collaborative endeavour. We are deeply grateful to Linda Clews, whose beautiful stitching and meticulous attention to detail have brought Nicola’s faithful reproduction of Emma Pack’s sampler to life. It is always a privilege to watch an historic sampler emerge, stitch by stitch, into a finished work that once again reflects the skill and quiet accomplishment of its young maker.
