This delightful sampler is brought to you as part of a series of “Little Gems” that are available as a .pdf download by Hands Across the Sea Samplers.
Who was this little girl? Jane offers us very few clues in her sampler other than her name and a year.
The General Records Office holds over 260 million records, yet we are unable to find a birth having been registered for Jane Harth!
We do find a Jane Harth born in around the year 1854 recorded in the 1871 census working as one of two servants in the household of George Shepherd, a retired grocer, and his adult son. This Jane was born in Tetney, Lincolnshire. If this was our Jane, then she would have stitched her sampler when she was 14 years old. We would not expect a humble servant to have remained in school until this age.
There is a recorded sampler stitched by Margaret Spender in 1810 that features the same distinctive vase with carnations either side of a tulip. Whilst this is much faded, it is unmistakably the same motif that Jane stitched 58 years later.
Whilst Jane may have faded from living memory and her identity lost in the passing of the years, her sampler will now be enjoyed by needleworkers in the 21st century. Once they have seen it, who could forget her psychedelic art that could grace a Jimi Hendrix album cover!
“If we experienced life through the eyes of a child, everything would be magical and extraordinary.”
~ Akiane Kramarik
The two graphs included in the download are:
Graph 1 ~ a nine-page colour symbol graph.
Graph 2 ~ a nine-page black and white symbol graph.
The sampler is stitched entirely in cross stitch over two and can be stitched on linen or Aida. Jane is suitable for needleworkers of all abilities and would make an ideal “starter” project for those wishing to explore samplers.
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 registered 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
Jane’s vibrant sampler has been reproduced with a palette of 19 colours from Au Ver à Soie’s range of Soie 100.3. We have provided conversions for Soie d’Alger and DMC. Only one spool or skein of each colour is required when stitching with 40ct linen /20ct Aida and higher. If you are using under 40ct linen/20ct Aida, you will need two skeins of DMC 909 or Soie d’Alger 236.
Jane stitched her sampler with cross stitch over 2 strands of linen. The model was stitched on Lakeside Linen in Vintage Pecan Butter. The linen on the original sampler is closest in colour to DMC shade 422.
The project has been rated as suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability and can be stitched on Aida or linen.
Soie 100.3 /
Soie d’Alger / DMC - Colour Description 072
/ 5384
/ 503 - Blue green ~ medium
080
/ F6
/ 746 - Off white
148
/ 2232
/ 3822 - Straw ~ light
149
/ 2533
/ 3820 - Straw ~ dark
190
/ 1314
/ 553 - Violet
199
/ 2224
/ 733 - Olive green ~ medium
249
/ 236
/ 909 - Emerald green ~ very dark
277
/ 126
/ 3765 - Peacock blue ~ very dark
303
/ 524
/ 832 - Golden olive
444
/ 3336
/ 550 - Violet ~ very dark
499
/ 1026
/ 326 - Rose ~ very dark
500
/ 942
/ 321 - Christmas red
519
/ 4122
/ 433 - Brown ~ medium
536
/ 2926
/ 221 - Shell pink ~ very dark
621
/ 1814
/ 3813 - Blue green ~ light
625
/ 5116
/ 154 - Grape ~ very light
647
/ 2125
/ 580 - Moss green ~ dark
655
/ 2643
/ 351 - Coral
741
/ 2914
/ 760 - Salmon
LINEN SIZES
The design area is 173 stitches (w) x 255 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3" margin for finishing and framing.
28ct: Design: 12.36" x 18.21" Fabric: 18.36" x 24.21"
30ct: Design: 11.53" x 17.00" Fabric: 17.53" x 23.00"
32ct: Design: 10.81" x 15.94" Fabric: 16.81" x 21.94"
36ct: Design: 9.61" x 14.17" Fabric: 15.61" x 20.17"
40ct: Design: 8.65" x 12.75" Fabric: 14.65" x 18.75"
46ct: Design: 7.52" x 11.09" Fabric: 13.52" x 17.09"
56ct: Design: 6.18" x 9.11" Fabric: 12.18" x 15.11"
Stitch Guide
The project has been rated as suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability. The stitches used are cross stitch over two threads of linen.
Cross stitch ~ When working cross stitch the top stitch should always lie in the same direction for a neat and uniform finish.
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.
