Hands Across the Sea - Jane Surtees 1811

Jane tells us that she marked her sampler in 1811. So much has changed in the world in the ensuing years, particularly for women in the Western world!

In the family history records there are several possible Janes all from the great northern counties of England. The North of England or “Up North”, as anyone south of the Midlands calls it, has a distinct feel from “Down South”; it is an area that inspires. It has a stunning landscape filled with ancient castles, unspoilt beaches, rolling hills, attractive dales, rugged moorland, peatlands, tumbling upland rivers, and a cultural heritage all of its own.

Unfortunately, we are unable to say with certainty which of the Janes stitched this delightful sampler. Jane was born when Great Britain was ruled by the Hanoverians. By 1811, George III had reigned for some 51 years. The verse Jane chose to painstakingly stitch on her sampler seems so apt for George’s life.

This verse appears on several documented samplers and can be found in “A guide to the English tongue” by Thomas Dyche, an English schoolmaster and lexicographer.

Thread Legend

Jane’s charming sampler has been reproduced with a palette of 9 colours from Au Ver à Soie’s range of Soie d’Alger. We have provided conversions for Soie 100.3 and DMC. The model was stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen in Light Examplar. The thread quantities quoted are those used for the model.

Soie d’Alger / Soie 100.3 / DMC ~ Colour Description

2543 /148 /3822 ~ Straw ~ light

2914 /741 / 760 ~ Salmon

2926 /335** /815 ~ Garnet ~ medium

3733 /580 /733 ~ Olive green ~ medium

3735 x 2 /378 /936 x 2 ~ Avocado green ~ very dark

3831 /562 /644 ~ Beige grey ~ medium

4214 /686 / 975 ~ Golden brown ~ dark

5022 /621 /3813 ~ Blue green ~ light

Noir / Noir /310 ~ Black

** Please note that Soie 100.3 #335 was previously numbered as #2646. This was an anomaly to Au ver a Soie’s numbering system and and Au Ver a Soie have now corrected this.

LINEN SIZES

The design area is 178 stitches (w) x 252 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3″ margin for finishing and framing.

28ct: Design: 12.71″ x 18.00″   Fabric: 18.71″ x 24.00″

30ct: Design: 11.87″ x 16.80″   Fabric: 17.87″ x 22.80″

32ct: Design: 11.13″ x 15.75″   Fabric: 17.13″ x 21.75″

36ct: Design: 9.89″ x 14.00″   Fabric: 15.89″ x 20.00″

40ct: Design: 8.90″ x 12.60″   Fabric: 14.9″ x 18.60″

46ct: Design: 7.74″ x 10.96″   Fabric: 13.74″ x 16.96″

56ct: Design: 6.36″ x 9.00″   Fabric: 12.36″ x 15.00″