Scarlet Letter Samplers Cross Stitch Patterns

The first book of its kind to be published, this collection of over one hundred charted reproductions of buildings from samplers and needlework of the seventeenth through the mid-nineteenth centuries fills a huge void in the body of sampler publications. It includes many photos of the finished... Read more about Architecture From Early Samplers - Cross Stitch Book

Collected from German, Italian, Scottish, Dutch, English, and American samplers, this book of alphabets takes off from where the previous edition, Alphabets from Early Samplers, ends. The alphabets have been fastidiously reproduced from samplers dating from 1530, to 1868. Over 80 alphabets are charted, as well as two complete alphabet samplers, one of them dating from 1725.

A needlework picture designed after an early eighteenth century canvas work piece, featuring a tree, two unicorns, a peacock, a badger and more!

Stitched over two threads on 40 count linen of your choice, the finished size will measure approximately 16" x 17". Cross and counted... Read more about A Peacock, a Unicorn & a Badger - Cross Stitch Pattern

This is a very fine example of an early northern Dutch sampler called a letterndoek, or alphabet sampler. The illuminated letters are typical of northern Holland needleworks. Symbolic spot motifs include dogs, a stag, trees of life, and paired birds.

Pattern is stitched on the fabric of... Read more about The Letterndoek Sampler by IT 1697 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Characteristically ornate illuminated alphabets are featured on this classic Scottish sampler. Other stylistic elements indicating its origin include the peacock with seven tail feathers and three rows of initials of the maker's family. The illuminated alphabets on this particular sampler are... Read more about Margret Lawrance 1823 Scottish Sampler - Cross Stitch

A MISCELLANY: A Collection of Seventeenth Century Canvas work Elements from the Natural World

The subjects in this needlework design are taken from a seventeenth century canvas work, formerly in the collection of The Scarlet Letter, consisting of nine panels stitched primarily in shades... Read more about A Miscellany - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "This densely worked sampler displays exquisite detail and contains many of the most popular needlework motifs of the seventeenth century. The flowers are realistically shaded to achieve a natural look."

Finished size on 35 count linen is 7 1/4" x 25... Read more about Joanna Warren 1655 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This reproduction sampler is from the Ackworth Quaker School and is dated 1818. It is rated for beginners.

Linen count and finished size: 35 or 40 count; 18-3/4" x 24-1/2" or 16-1/2" x 21-1/2". Stitch count is 330 X 430.

Chart only.

Cross stitch pattern by Scarlet Letter that is a reproduction of a Dutch sampler from the German Sampler Museum.

Pattern is stitched on 35 ct linen using Soie d'Alger silk threads with DMC conversion. Stitch count is 276 x 255. Finished size is 15.77" x 14.57".

Flora and fauna were highly celebrated in nearly all 17th and 18th century pictorial embroideries. Executed entirely in cross or tent (half cross) stitches, the embroidered pictures embellished cushions and furniture and reflected a changing attitude toward domestic comforts, by serving to brighten... Read more about Man Dogs and Deer - Cross Stitch Pattern

The original sampler, made in England in 1848, was stitched with cross, counted satin, petit point, and eyelet stitches on an extremely fine glazed linen of approximately fifty threads per inch.

It is unusual to find such a meticulously and finely stitched sampler at this late date, when... Read more about Emma Miles 1848 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "This Scottish sampler is a riot of brilliant color and intricate motifs, from the Scotsman in his kilt playing a traditional dulcimer (which looks like a butter churn) in the upper left, to an elaborate mansion house fronted by a three dimensional turkeywork lawn in the... Read more about Katharine Mitchel circa 1785 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "Who would love this world or prize whats in it that gives and takes and chops and changes every minute.

This brilliant English traditional band sampler comes from the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Drawing on traditional sampler motifs of the 17th... Read more about Grace Catlin 1719 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - This needlework was designed after an English sampler in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts-Boston. The lush border flowers are similar to those on a sampler made by Sarah Brignell from around the same period, suggesting the existence of a school or teacher whose... Read more about Jane Atkinson circa 1780 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "Typical of so many Scottish samplers, Elizabeth Masterton's features an abundance of initials (likely familial), rows of evergreen trees, peacocks with seven tail feathers, and the now famous mansion house fronted by a pillared fence and gates enclosing sheep. Apart... Read more about Elizabeth Masterton 1838 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "This finely stitched German sampler begins with a single row of alphabets above an immensely intricate collection of symbolic cross stitched motifs, including battling angels, the figure of Justice with her scales, the spies of Canaan, the crucifixion, Adam and Eve... Read more about Hanna Katerina 1734 German Sampler - Cross Stitch Pattern

A RED BRICK MANSION HOUSE is at the center of this wildly engaging English sampler featuring a small zoo/conservatory/aviary of flora and fauna as interpreted by an exceptionally talented young woman of the early nineteenth century. The verse is common enough on nineteenth-century samplers, unlike... Read more about Jane Moore 1820 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Adapted from an English sampler dated 1783. The original sampler from which this piece was adapted measures 15 1/2" x 12 1/2", and was stitched over one thread of linen on approximately 50-thread-count glazed linen. The house on the left alone, which measures 71 by 62 squares on the graph,... Read more about Country Life Sampler 1783 - Cross Stitch Pattern

There is so much going on in this fascinating English sampler that it's hard to know where to begin looking. Apart from the somewhat conventional Adam and Eve at the top center, adorable flying cherubs flank them and the apple tree, bearing gold rings and sprays of flowers. The verse is as... Read more about Catharine Metcalf 1836 English Pictorial

Made in Providence, Rhode Island, this sampler is a superb example of the work done at Miss Mary (Polly) Balch's school, one of the most important female learning institutions in America at that time. Combining sophisticated architectural, landscape and figural motifs with elaborate and unusual... Read more about Betsy Davis 1797 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This wonderfully symmetrical English sampler features a pair of silky floating swans and large twin sunflowers, executed in a rich natural palette of color. Birds fly over the tops of three flower-trees in the top third. A sumptuous basket of fruit is stitched between the golden swans, and towering... Read more about Jane Smith 1814 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This colorful William III English needlework vignette is executed entirely in gros and petit point stitches (cross stitch over one and two threads of linen). It depicts a large gros point fruiting tree above a scene with very finely stitched petit point leaves, flowers, and two animals, the larger... Read more about Needlework Panel of a Fruit Tree With Two Animals- Pattern

This English sampler comes from the collection of the late Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Jarrett, who established Witney Antiques. It was featured in one of their exhibition catalogs in December 1996 titled "All Creatures Great and Small."

The work is extremely fine and accomplished,... Read more about Elizabeth Ginger 1735 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "The figures depicted on this original design were derived from wood block engravings of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The format of the hornbook follows actual examples from the late 18th century. Hornbooks functioned as primers, used to teach young children their... Read more about Hornbook Bestiary - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "This sweet English sampler is the first I've ever seen with a border made up of flying cherubs. It also features a "geode" (mosaic) parrot- a distinctively stylized bird that appears on other samplers made in England, New England, and the Netherlands throughout... Read more about Elizabeth Eyles 1799 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This reproduction sampler is from the Ackworth Quaker School and is dated 1800. It is rated for beginners.

Linen count and finished size: 35 or 40 count using either cotton or silk floss, 19" x 21" or 17" x 18-1/2"

Chart only.

A derivative 17th-century canvas work picture. The Adam and Eve legend was a more popular theme on samplers after the early eighteenth century so this example is quite unusual. The pair are not often seen on earlier needleworks, even though most illustrated bibles of the sixteenth and seventeenth... Read more about And All Was For An Appil - Cross Stitch Pattern

This sampler features a lion, a camel, and large colorful flowers. The design was stitched over 2 threads on 40 Ct. linen and is suitable for all skill levels. The stitch count for each design is 244 W x 230 H. The finished piece will measure approximately 12-1/2″ x 11-1/2″.

This 19th century American reproduction sampler features a brown bird on a tree branch. Rated for beginners. Model stitched on 35 count hand dyed linen using either cotton or silk thread. Two versions of the sampler graph have been furnished: one executed with a drawn partially freehand split and... Read more about Bird in Bough - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "Mary Bailey stitched this sampler in England and finished it in 1818. It demonstrates an advanced level of skill given the symmetry of the design and its many diverse elements: a red brick mansion house with four chimneys- a sign of wealth in early 19th century England,... Read more about Mary Bailey 1818 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This American sampler was stitched on a loosely woven homespun linen with vegetable-dyed silk threads. Despite its size and simplicity, the design is striking, delicate, and well-balanced. Eunice Morton was born in 1783 in Gorham County, Maine. Sometime in 1809-1810, she married Jesse Harding, and... Read more about Eunice Morton 1794 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "Several band samplers very similar to this one are in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London as well as in other important collections. This particular sampler came from the collection of The Scarlet Letter, and is now in a private collection. A... Read more about Ann Scutt circa 1675 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - This is the most symmetrical, balanced, counted thread sampler that we have ever charted from. It is also one of the most satisfying, challenging, and beautiful samplers in the world. Originally worked on a fine wool ground, the colors of our reproduction have been matched... Read more about Dorcas Haynes 1720 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This English sampler was made in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, featuring the Sheffield General Infirmary, a verse, a fashionably dressed man and woman, and a collection of animals in the lawn in front (sheep, fox, squirrels, rabbit, dog), all surrounded by a four sided berry border.

The... Read more about Elizabeth Gray 1832 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "Elizabeth Eaton finished her sampler on the 21st of July in 1712. She used bold, primary colors suggestive of Scottish influence. The original sampler was stitched with both silk and fine wool threads on linen using cross, eyelet, rice, queen, herringbone, double... Read more about Elizabeth Eaton 1712 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This is a reproduction of an English sampler that features a four-sided carnation border, centering many intricate organic petit point motifs. The large mansion house dominates the central reserve, standing above an extensive pasture occupied by two very large and cockeyed sheep. These imaginative... Read more about Elizabeth Lilly 1801 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This English sampler combines embroidered pictorial, alphabetic, and upholstery techniques, becoming in every sense a sampler of Ms. Topham's best work. Bargello work (also known as canvaswork, Irish stitch, flamestitch, or Florentine stitch) appeared on the earliest seventeenth century samplers,... Read more about Elizabeth Topham 1727 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "Adapted from a mid eighteenth century English sampler. The combination of several unusual stitch techniques with bold primary colors, makes this sampler outstandingly beautiful and a rewarding project to stitch.
While the majority is done in cross stitch, large... Read more about Emily Lucille - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "The characteristic that readily identifies the origin of this sampler is the distinctive vine and rose border, configured such that a leaf on one side and a rosebud stem on the other give the illusion of a double vine. It is almost always found executed in cross stitch... Read more about Frances B Jones 1817 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "This sampler was probably made in Rhode Island, a poor sister, perhaps, to the magnificent creations coming out of the girls' schools in Newport, Providence and Bristol at this same period, but bearing some similar "signatures". The squat, long-tailed bird at the... Read more about Freelove Hazard 1792 - Cross Stitch Pattern

"Jesus permit thy Gracious name to stand as the first effort of an infant hand. And while her fingers on the canvas move, engage her tender thoughts to seek thy love. With thy dear children, let her have a part and write thy name thyself upon her heart."

Note from the designer: "This finely worked sampler features pastoral scenes above and below a lovely verse about friendship. A four-sided honeysuckle border surrounds large baskets of fruits and flowers, a fenced pasture with seven large lazy sheep and an architectural folly in the background.... Read more about Grazing Sheep circa 1810 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "This American band sampler was originally worked in Lynn, Massachusetts. Hannah Breed is mentioned in Bolton and Coe's authoritative book American Samplers. Rows of lettering are intermixed with a row of sheep and cows, a verse, and floral bands. The verse says:

... Read more about Hannah Breed 1756 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew. Soon after Mary and Jesus were visited by the Magi, who had learned that King Herod intended to kill the male infants in that region, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee... Read more about Harriot Ringrose 1852 - Christian Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "German and Dutch samplers are known for their iconography, especially the symbolic religious motifs. This piece, reproduced from the collection of the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, portrays many of these motifs. Adam and Eve, in particular, are often... Read more about IAMEK 1801 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer: "This Scottish sampler features many distinguishing characteristics of samplers made in that country, most notably the arcaded pansy band across the top third, the four-sided floral border with double running stitch flourishes, and the famous mansion house. Of this large... Read more about Isabella Robeson circa 1809 - Cross Stitch Pattern

This is a very finely stitched classic Scottish sampler featuring three complete rows of beautifully illuminated letters, an arcaded floral band as well as other traditional motifs including peacocks, birds drinking at the fountain of life, feather trees and family initials. A four sided berry... Read more about Katie Sym 1769 - Cross Stitch Pattern

Note from the designer - "Acquired in England, one might assume that this classic Quaker motif sampler was made at the Ackworth School in Yorkshire. However the influence of the designs promulgated by the Quaker School needleworkers stretched far beyond the confines of the school's walls. This... Read more about Elizabeth Shephard 1820 - Cross Stitch Pattern