“Mary Ann is my name and in this I wrought the same, and by this you plainly see what great care my parent took of me.”
Mary Ann, at only eight years of age, finished her sampler in the year 1826. An amazing achievement for one so young!
Mary Ann’s beautiful sampler has been reproduced using 40ct Lakeside Linen in Vintage Sand Dune and a palette of 26 glorious colours from Au Ver à Soie’s d’Alger range.
The sampler has been mainly executed in cross stitch over two linen threads with a small amount of cross stitch over one linen thread for the verse and dedication. There is a small amount of satin stitch. Mary Ann’s sampler has been rated as suitable for confident beginners through to advanced needleworkers.
Our grateful thanks to Kathleen Born who lovingly stitched the model for Mary Ann’s sampler.
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.
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.
Thread Legend
Mary Ann’s beautiful sampler has been reproduced using 40ct Lakeside Linen in Vintage Sand Dune and a palette of 26 glorious colours from Au Ver à Soie’s d’Alger range. We have provided conversions for Au Ver à Soie’s 100.3 range together with DMC.
Thread Legend
Soie d’Alger / 100.3 / DMC ~ Colour Description
Noir x 2 / Noir / 310 x 2 ~ Black
F05 / 080 / 739 ~ Tan ~ultra very light
F09 / 425 / 422 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light
934 / 684 / 3801 ~ Christmas red ~ light
1713 / 427 / 932 ~ Antique blue ~ light
2623 / 665 / 722 ~ Orange spice ~ light
2626 / 686 / 918 ~ Red copper ~ dark
2756 / 712 / 927 ~ Grey green ~ light
2922 / 681 / 321 ~ Christmas red
3022 / 264 / 3733 ~ Dusty rose
3025 / 252 / 150 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra very dark
3222 / 071 / 168 ~ Pewter ~ very light
3414 / 666 / 451 ~ Shell grey ~ dark
3744 / 455 / 829 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark
3831 / 562 / 613 ~ Drab brown ~ very light
3833 / 580 / 612 ~ Drab brown ~ light
3834 x 3 / 603 x 2 / 611 x 3 ~ Drab brown
3835 / 576 / 3787 ~ Brown grey ~ dark
3836 / 624 / 3021 ~ Brown grey ~ very dark
4096** / Blanc / 3865 ~ Winter white
4232 / 224 / 3855 ~ Autumn gold ~ light
4241 / 211 / 951 ~ Tawny ~ light
4513 / 156 / 436 ~ Tan
4525 / 492 / 420 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ dark
4624 / 499 / 816 ~ Garnet
4631 / 131 / 3689 ~ Mauve ~ light
** 4096 is also known as Optique
Linen Sizes
The design area is 300 stitches (w) x 382 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3" margin for finishing and framing.
28ct: Design: 21.43" x 27.29" Fabric: 27.43" x 33.29"
30ct: Design: 20.00" x 25.47" Fabric: 26.00" x 31.47"
32ct: Design: 18.75" x 23.88" Fabric: 24.75" x 29.88"
36ct: Design: 16.67" x 21.22" Fabric: 22.67" x 27.22"
40ct: Design: 15.00" x 19.10" Fabric: 21.00" x 25.10"
46ct: Design: 13.04" x 16.61" Fabric: 19.04" x 22.61"
56ct: Design: 10.71" x 13.64" Fabric: 16.71" x 19.64"
Stitch Guide
Mary Ann's sampler has been mainly executed in cross stitch over two linen threads with a small amount of cross stitch over one linen thread for the verse and dedication. There is also small amount of satin stitch.
The sampler has been rated as suitable for confident beginners through to advanced needleworkers.
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 slipping through.
A good magnifier will help you see the small stitches. Even if you have sharp vision, a strong magnifier (preferably a lighted one) will reduce eyestrain and allow you to see each stitch much larger than life.
Satin Stitch ~ Run a straight stitch between each thread of fabric in the direction shown on the chart. Use one 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.
Chart Correction
Please note that for DMC #611 three skeins are required.
