Matilda Swallow 1820 ~ the 2021 Queen of the May

£26.00

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Each year Hands Across the Sea Samplers publishes a sampler which we consider to be not only beautiful but outstandingly so and worthy to be crowned our Queen of the May.

We are pleased to offer to you Matilda Swallow our Queen of the May for the year 2021.

Available as a printed booklet or as a pdf download. Click HERE for the pdf download.

Matilda’s sampler is without doubt a “bobby dazzler”; there is so much to delight the eye. She has been reproduced using the still vibrant colours from the front of her sampler.

Matilda showed great diligence and industry with her needle. The verse she chose for her sampler “The Lord my pasture shall prepare and feed me with a shepherd’s care” is the first verse of the hymn “The Good Shepherd” written by Joseph Addison.

The dominant motif in Matilda’s sampler is the magnificent Temple of Fame nestled between two fruiting trees and guarded by two red lions. The lions symbolise strength, courage, dignity, and pride. Two angels with trumpets signifying that they are the voice of God hover either side of the temple.

We have found a Matilda Swallow being baptised on September 6, 1807 in Bengeo, Hertfordshire. We were unable to find a marriage for Matilda, but we did find a burial record for a Matilda Swallow in Tottenham, London on October 24, 1847. This Matilda is recorded in the 1841 census working as a servant for a family in Tottenham, London.

We have found Matilda’s mother Ann in family history records still alive at aged eighty living with her son and his family in Hertfordshire. Eighty was a very good age for the times.

It is possible that all Matilda’s family had to remind them of her was the beautiful sampler she stitched when she was thirteen years old. As it was passed down the generations, the sampler has certainly been cherished and well cared for through the ensuing years. We hope that your Matilda will be equally cherished by your family.The sampler, whilst a large one, is suitable for confident beginners through to advanced needleworkers.

Matilda’s sampler has been painstakingly charted by Sandra Moffitt and lovingly stitched by Judy Hall. 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.

Thread Legend

Matilda’s sampler has been reproduced using a palette of thirty-eight colours carefully matched to the colours found on the front of the sampler today. The model was stitched using Soie d’Alger from Au Ver a Soie. We have included below conversions for Soie 100.3 and DMC.

Estimated thread quantities for varying linen counts and the number of strands of thread  have been listed below.

  1 Strand of Soie 100.3 on 46ct Linen 022 ~ Golden olive 071 ~ Pewter ~ very light 076 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 077 ~ Raspberry ~ light 079 ~ Moss green ~ dark 080 ~ Beige grey ~ light 129 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 142 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 152 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 154 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 155 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 156 ~ Hazelnut brown 211 ~ Off white 252 ~ Mauve ~ medium 303 ~ Old gold ~ medium 309 ~ Grey green ~ very light 323 ~ Old gold ~ light 479 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 468 ~ Grey green ~ medium 486 ~ green ~ dark 494 ~ Salmon 524 ~ Raspberry ~ very dark 525 ~ Copper 542 ~ Tan 572 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 584 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 588 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark 607 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 616 ~ Olive ~ dark 634 ~ Mocha beige ~ light 681 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 705 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 712 ~ Grey green ~ light 740 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 756 ~ Black avocado green 779 ~ Coral ~ dark Crème ~ Cream Noir ~ Black   1 Strand of Soie d’Alger on  46ct Linen 516 ~ Moss green ~ dark 524 ~ Golden olive 525 ~ Golden Olive ~ dark 526 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 615 ~ Copper 935 ~ Coral ~ dark 1735 ~ Grey green ~ dark 1742 ~ Grey green ~ very light 2214 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 2243 ~ Old gold ~ medium 2541 ~ Off white 2621 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 2756 ~ Grey green ~ light 2757 ~ Grey green ~ medium 2924 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 2931 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 2932 ~ Salmon 2943 ~ Raspberry ~ light 3011 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 3024 ~ Mauve ~ medium 3026 ~ Raspberry ~ very dark 3222 ~ Pewter ~ very light 3411 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 3433 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 3435 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 3711 ~ Beige grey ~ light 3725 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 3726 ~ Black avocado green 3812 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 4113 ~ Mocha beige ~ light 4222 ~ Old gold ~ light 4234 x 2 ~ Hazelnut brown 4235 ~ Tan 4241 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 4534 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 4645 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark Brut ~ Cream Noir ~ Black   1 Strand of Soie d’Alger on 40ct Linen 516 ~ Moss green ~ dark 524 x 2 ~ Golden olive 525 ~ Golden Olive ~ dark 526 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 615 ~ Copper 935 ~ Coral ~ dark 1735 ~ Grey green ~ dark 1742 ~ Grey green ~ very light 2214 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 2243 ~ Old gold ~ medium 2541 ~ Off white 2621 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 2756 ~ Grey green ~ light 2757 ~ Grey green ~ medium 2924 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 2931 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 2932 ~ Salmon 2943 ~ Raspberry ~ light 3011 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 3024 ~ Mauve ~ medium 3026 ~ Raspberry ~ very dark 3222 ~ Pewter ~ very light 3411 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 3433 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 3435 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 3711 ~ Beige grey ~ light 3725 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 3726 ~ Black avocado green 3812 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 4113 ~ Mocha beige ~ light 4222 ~ Old gold ~ light 4234 x 2 ~ Hazelnut brown 4235 ~ Tan 4241 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 4534 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 4645 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark Brut ~ Cream Noir ~ Black   1 Strand of Soie d’Alger on 36ct Linen 516 ~ Moss green ~ dark 524 x 2 ~ Golden olive 525 ~ Golden Olive ~ dark 526 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 615 ~ Copper 935 ~ Coral ~ dark 1735 ~ Grey green ~ dark 1742 ~ Grey green ~ very light 2214 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 2243 ~ Old gold ~ medium 2541 ~ Off white 2621 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 2756 ~ Grey green ~ light 2757 ~ Grey green ~ medium 2924 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 2931 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 2932 ~ Salmon 2943 ~ Raspberry ~ light 3011 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 3024 ~ Mauve ~ medium 3026 ~ Raspberry ~ very dark 3222 ~ Pewter ~ very light 3411 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 3433 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 3435 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 3711 ~ Beige grey ~ light 3725 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 3726 ~ Black avocado green 3812 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 4113 ~ Mocha beige ~ light 4222 ~ Old gold ~ light 4234 x 2 ~ Hazelnut brown 4235 ~ Tan 4241 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 4534 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 4645 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark Brut ~ Cream Noir ~ Black   2 Strands of Soie d’Alger on 28ct Linen 516 ~ Moss green ~ dark 524 x 3 ~ Golden olive 525 ~ Golden Olive ~ dark 526 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 615 x 2 ~ Copper 935 x 2 ~ Coral ~ dark 1735 ~ Grey green ~ dark 1742 ~ Grey green ~ very light 2214 x 3 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 2243 ~ Old gold ~ medium 2541 ~ Off white 2621 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 2756 x 2~ Grey green ~ light 2757 ~ Grey green ~ medium 2924 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 2931 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 2932 ~ Salmon 2943 ~ Raspberry ~ light 3011 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 3024 ~ Mauve ~ medium 3026 x 2~ Raspberry ~ very dark 3222 ~ Pewter ~ very light 3411 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 3433 x 2 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 3435 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 3711 ~ Beige grey ~ light 3725 x 2 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 3726 x 2 ~ Black avocado green 3812 x 2 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 4113 ~ Mocha beige ~ light 4222 ~ Old gold ~ light 4234 x 3 ~ Hazelnut brown 4235 ~ Tan 4241 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 4534 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 4645 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark Brut ~ Cream Noir x 2 ~ Black   2 Strands of DMC on 36ct Linen 151 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 168 ~ Pewter ~ very light 310 ~ Black 347 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 349 ~ Coral ~ dark 422 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 436 ~ Tan 580 ~ Moss green ~ dark 644 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 676 ~ Old gold ~ light 712 ~ Cream 729 ~ Old gold ~ medium 730 x 2 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 739 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 746 ~ Off white 760 ~ Salmon 777 ~ Raspberry ~ very dark 822 ~ Beige grey ~ light 829 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 830 ~ Golden Olive ~ dark 832 x 2 ~ Golden olive 840 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 921 ~ Copper 926 ~ Grey green ~ medium 927 x 2 ~ Grey green ~ light 928 ~ Grey green ~ very light 934 x 2 ~ Black avocado green 936 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 3031 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 3354 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 3768 ~ Grey green ~ dark 3802 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark 3803 ~ Mauve ~ medium 3827 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 3833 ~ Raspberry ~ light 3863 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 3864 ~ Mocha beige ~ light 3828 x 2 ~ Hazelnut brown   2 Strands of DMC on 28ct Linen 151 ~ Dusty rose ~ ultra light 168 ~ Pewter ~ very light 310 ~ Black 347 ~ Salmon ~ very dark 349 ~ Coral ~ dark 422 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light 436 ~ Tan 580 ~ Moss green ~ dark 644 ~ Beige grey ~ medium 676 ~ Old gold ~ light 712 ~ Cream 729 ~ Old gold ~ medium 730 x 2 ~ Olive green ~ very dark 739 ~ Tan ~ ultra very light 746 ~ Off white 760 ~ Salmon 777 x 2 ~ Raspberry ~ very dark 822 ~ Beige grey ~ light 829 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark 830 ~ Golden Olive ~ dark 832 x 2 ~ Golden olive 840 ~ Beige brown ~ medium 921 ~ Copper 926 ~ Grey green ~ medium 927 x 2 ~ Grey green ~ light 928 ~ Grey green ~ very light 934 x 2 ~ Black avocado green 936 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark 3031 ~ Mocha brown ~ very dark 3768 ~ Grey green ~ dark 3802 ~ Antique mauve ~ very dark 3827 ~ Golden brown ~ pale 3803 ~ Mauve ~ medium 3354 ~ Dusty rose ~ light 3828 x 2 ~ Hazelnut brown 3833 ~ Raspberry ~ light 3863 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium 3864 ~ Mocha beige ~ light

Linen Sizes

The design area is 364 stitches (w) x 422 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3" margin for finishing and framing. We recommend that you use a count and fabric that you enjoy working with.

Our suggested linens for Matilda’s sampler are Legacy Linen’s Victoria Sponge Cake in 30ct, Corn Tassel in 37ct, Foxtail Millett in 45ct, or Sycamore Seedpod in 53/63ct.

  28ct linen: Design: 26.00" x 30.14" Fabric: 32.00" x 36.14" 30ct linen: Design: 24.27" x 28.13" Fabric: 30.27" x 34.13" 32ct linen: Design: 22.75" x 26.38" Fabric: 28.75" x 32.38" 36ct linen: Design: 20.22" x 23.44" Fabric: 26.22" x 29.44" 40ct linen: Design: 18.20" x 21.10" Fabric: 24.20" x 27.10" 46ct linen: Design: 15.83" x 18.35" Fabric: 21.83" x 24.35" 56ct linen: Design: 13.00" x 15.07" Fabric: 19.00" x 21.07" 62/52ct linen: Design: 11.74" x 16.23" Fabric: 17.74" x 22.23"

Stitch Guide

Matilda’s sampler is predominantly worked with cross stitch laid over two threads of linen. The verse and the shepherd’s face are worked in cross stitch over one thread of linen. Matilda also used French knots, Algerian eyelets, and satin stitches together with a combination of stitches to work the centre of each of the flowers that form the cartouche surrounding her name. The sampler, whilst a large one, is 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 from slipping through the intersections.

   

Algerian eyelet ~ When worked over four threads of linen, 8 stitches are laid to create an eyelet. Do not tug on the thread using your needle as your thread will soon break. Instead, apply pressure by pulling on the thread close to the stitch. Even tension should be applied, so each individual stitch

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.

French knot ~ Bring your needle up through the fabric. Holding the thread taut with the finger and thumb of one hand use the other hand to wind the thread around the needle tip twice. Still holding the thread, insert the needle close to where you brought your needle up. Pull the needle and thread through to the back of the fabric until the knot is formed and lies securely on the surface.

The centre of each of the flowers in the cartouche surrounding Matilda’s name are created by first working 4 elongated lazy daisy stitches. If you are working on a low count fabric you may need to add a long straight stitch in between the lazy daisy stitches to provide adequate coverage of your linen. A cross stitch is then worked over the point where the lazy daisy stitches meet. Finally outline the cross stitch with four straight stitches. This could be achieved with back stitch or double running stitch.

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.

Chart Correction

Correction #01 June 10, 2021 ~ Please note that stitch in the border vine (circled in green) shows an incorrect colour. The stitch should be in the same colour as the rest of the vine ~ 3726 / 756 / 934 Black avocado green.

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