This delightful sampler is offered to you in two different formats ~ an instant PDF download and as a printed booklet. Details of the printed booklet can be found HERE.
What a feast for the eyes! It is such a shame that the child who created this winsome sampler did not include her name. All that is recorded are the initials WJ, PH, and the year 1888.
We sense that the sampler’s maker was industrious and enjoyed stitching her sampler. She used wool on 18ct Penelope canvas. The child certainly had an ebullient sense of colour and a vivid imagination.
The giant pear and rose, completely out of proportion, flank the red house. With smoke billowing from all its chimneys, the viewer is invited into the house through its open side door. A family home is definitely at the heart of this sampler.
The sampler was stitched the year after Great Britain celebrated Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The Victorian age was the first in which childhood was recognised as a distinct and important stage of life. The family, embodied by the young queen, her beloved Albert, and their nine children, was idealised. The Victorians were imaginative when it came to entertaining children. The “Golden Age” of children’s illustrated books (1880 to the early 20th century) is regarded as a literary epoch that produced some of the finest works of art ever created for children’s literature.
We wonder if The Rose and The Giant Pear was inspired by a fairy tale, read one winter’s night, in front of a fire that burnt bright in a red house that was just a hop, skip, and a jump around the corner and down a lane that led to the end of a rainbow.
“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.” ~ Walt Disney
This sampler has been worked with cross stitch over 2 strands of linen and has been rated as suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability. It can be stitched on Aida, Linaida, or linen.
There are 4 versions of the pdf. You will be able to download any or all of the following pdf and graph versions:
Version 1 ~ A two-page colour chart.
Version 2 ~ A one-page colour chart (intended to be viewed/used on your tablet, phone, laptop, or computer).
Version 3 ~ A two-page black and white symbol chart.
Version 4 ~ A one-page black and white symbol chart (intended to be viewed/used on your tablet, phone, laptop, or computer).
Thread Legend
This delightful sampler has been reproduced using a palette of 18 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.
There is currently a global shortage of some shades of silk. We have liaised with Access Commodities, the US distributors for Au Ver à Soie, to identify which shades may be difficult to source. There is 1 shade of Soie 100.3 where we have suggested an alternative shade.
Soie 100.3031 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light
072 ~ Grey green ~ medium
079 ~ Avocado green ~ medium ** #491
088 ~ Desert sand ~ light
091 ~ Pumpkin ~ pale
147 ~ Old gold ~ very light
183 ~ Shell grey ~ dark
199 ~ Olive green ~ medium
242 ~ Topaz ~ ultra very dark
303 ~ Old gold ~ dark
344 ~ Salmon
524 ~ Garnet ~ very dark
525 ~ Mahogany ~ medium
616 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark
621 ~ Grey green ~ light
659 ~ Avocado green ~ light
664 ~ Christmas red
710 ~ Grey green ~ very dark
Soie d'Alger 643 ~ Pumpkin ~ pale
945 ~ Christmas red
1736 ~ Grey green ~ very dark
2114 ~ Avocado green ~ light
2126 ~ Avocado green ~ medium
2224 ~ Olive green ~ medium
2542 ~ Old gold ~ very light
2615 ~ Mahogany ~ medium
2926 ~ Garnet ~ very dark
2942 ~ Salmon
3344 ~ Shell grey ~ dark
S3596 ~ Desert sand ~ light
3745 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark
4245 ~ Old gold ~ dark
4242 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light
4236 ~ Topaz ~ ultra very dark
5382 ~ Grey green ~ light
5384 ~ Grey green ~ medium
DMC301 ~ Mahogany ~ medium
321 ~ Christmas red
422 ~ Hazelnut brown ~ light
451 ~ Shell grey ~ dark
470 ~ Avocado green ~ light
677 ~ Old gold ~ very light
680 ~ Old gold ~ dark
733 ~ Olive green ~ medium
760 ~ Salmon
780 ~ Topaz ~ ultra very dark
829 ~ Golden olive ~ very dark
902 ~ Garnet ~ very dark
924 ~ Grey green ~ very dark
926 ~ Grey green ~ medium
927 ~ Grey green ~ light
937 ~ Avocado green ~ medium
950 ~ Desert sand ~ light
3825 ~ Pumpkin ~ pale
Linen Sizes
The sampler can be stitched on Aida, Linaida, or linen. We used a linen overdyed to a shade of Crème Brulée by Tabbycat Linen.
The design area is 177 stitches (w) x 65 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3" margin for finishing and framing.
28ct: Design: 12.64" x 4.64" Fabric: 18.64" x 10.64"
32ct: Design: 11.06" x 4.06" Fabric: 17.06" x 10.06"
36ct: Design: 9.83" x 3.61" Fabric: 15.83" x 9.61"
40ct: Design: 8.85" x 3.25" Fabric: 14.85" x 9.25"
46ct: Design: 7.7" x 2.83" Fabric: 13.7" x 8.83"
56ct: Design: 6.32" x 2.32" Fabric: 12.32" x 8.32"
Stitch Guide
This whimsical sampler has been worked with cross stitch over 2 strands of linen and has been rated as suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability.
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.
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 the contact page on our website.
Chart Correction
Please note that there is a correction to the circled area in the photograph below. We apologise for the oversight.
