Counted Cross Stitch Pattern, Maria Vincenza Lariccha 1837, Reproduction Sampler, Primitive Decor, Hands Across the Sea, PATTERN ONLY

This is for the PATTERN ONLY.

Counted Cross Stitch pattern, Maria Vincenza Lariccha 1837. Maria’s sampler, a trilogy, comes not from England but from the Puglia area of Italy. Puglia, the “heel” of Italy, is an ancient land that is known for its sunny dry climate. It is a land of sea, hills, endless plains, and its amazing coastline on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea.

Maria finished her sampler in 1837. It is possible that she was ten years of age as this number appears to the right of her name. To the left of her name she stitched IO, the Italian for “I”. Maria married Fortunato Giannone, and they lived in Terlizzi – a town found to the west of the seaport of Bari on the Adriatic Sea. Their son Tommaso Giannone was born in 1859.

There are few surviving examples of early Italian embroidery. Italian medieval embroidery began in the great workrooms of Palermo in Sicily. After the Norman conquest of the island, Roger II patronised the embroiderers and improved the skills of the local silk weavers by importing professionals from Byzantium. By the end of the 14th century, the political troubles of the island of Sicily were affecting the production of textiles on the island.

As in other parts of Europe in the 16th century, the use and production of needlework in the domestic setting was on the rise. Items that were embroidered included cushions, table linens, bed hangings, and items of clothing. It was common for young girls to learn to sew and embroider so that they could put together a “corredo”, a trousseau, or bottom-drawer. Traditionally, this was a collection of hand-sewn linens that included lingerie, bed sheets, pillow cases, towels, napkins, and table cloths.

A girl might work steadily on her corredo throughout her adolescence, embroidering linens to create a highly decorative trousseau. A family who could afford for their daughters to spend their time on needlework rather than helping out in the fields, could demonstrate this with an elaborate display of corredo. It was a tradition for the corredo to be displayed in the bride’s home on the eve of the wedding for neighbours and extended family to admire. Grandmothers, aunts, the mother, and other female members of the family would collect and hand embroider fabrics as their contribution to the corredo.

Mothers taught their daughters to stitch and sew. These were important skills before the industrial revolution and later the invention of the sewing machine. Most women had to make their own clothes and the clothing for their families. Maria’s sampler was used to teach her how to stitch. The border patterns worked by Maria as a child on her sampler may have been used by her in later life to decorate her family’s personal and household linen. Maria patiently stitched the alphabet in various fonts. Samplers were worked so that the girls memorise their alphabet and numbers.

“Beauty awakens the soul to act.” ~ Dante Alighieri

Maria stitched her sampler mainly with cross stitch over 2 strands of linen together with four-sided stitch. The project has been rated as suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability.

The model has been lovingly stitched by the Contented Stitcher. 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.

Linen Sizes
The model was stitched on a beautiful uneven Italian linen, Legacy Linen’s 53/63ct Sycamore Seedpod. Some suggested alternatives would be Legacy Linen’s Victoria Sponge Cake in 30ct, Corn Tassel in 37ct, Foxtail Millett in 45ct linen.

The design area is 589 stitches (w) x 270 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3″ margin for finishing and framing.


28ct: Design: 42.07″ x 19.29″ Fabric: 48.07″ x 25.29″

32ct: Design: 36.81″ x 16.88″ Fabric: 42.81″ x 22.88″

36ct: Design: 32.72″ x 15.00″ Fabric: 38.72″ x 21.00″

40ct: Design: 29.45″ x 13.50″ Fabric: 35.45″ x 19.50″

46ct: Design: 25.61″ x 11.74″ Fabric: 31.61″ x 17.74″

56ct: Design: 21.04″ x 9.64″ Fabric: 27.04″ x 15.64″

53/63ct: Design: 22.23″ x 8.57″ Fabric: 28.23″ x 14.57″

Thread Legend:
Mary’s sampler has been stitched with a palette of twenty colours from Au Ver à Soie’s range of Soie d’Alger. We have provided conversions for Soie 100.3 and DMC. Estimated thread quantities for varying linen counts and the number of strands of thread used have been listed below.

1 strand of Soie d’Alger on 36 to 46ct linen

1814 ~ Fern green ~ light

2226 ~ Olive green ~ very dark

2242 ~ Golden olive ~ very light

2757 ~ Grey green ~ medium

2915 ~ Salmon ~ dark

3026 ~ Mauve ~ dark

3426 ~ Pewter grey ~ very dark

3715 ~ Khaki green ~ dark

3722 ~ Green grey

3723 ~ Green grey ~ medium

3726 ~ Black avocado green

3745 ~ Golden olive ~ dark

3833 ~ Mustard

3834 ~ Beige grey ~ very dark

4113 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium

4216 ~ Coffee brown ~ drk

4531 ~ Drab brown ~ very light

4622 ~ Shell pink ~ light

4623 ~ Shell pink ~ dark

4643 ~ Antique mauve ~ very light



2 strands of Soie d’Alger on 28ct linen

1814 ~ Fern green ~ light

2226 ~ Olive green ~ very dark

2242 ~ Golden olive ~ very light

2757 ~ Grey green ~ medium

2915x 2 ~ Salmon ~ dark

3026 x 2 ~ Mauve ~ dark

3426 ~ Pewter grey ~ very dark

3715 x 2 ~ Khaki green ~ dark

3722 ~ Green grey

3723 ~ Green grey ~ medium

3726 ~ Black avocado green

3745 ~ Golden olive ~ dark

3833 ~ Mustard

3834 ~ Beige grey ~ very dark

4113 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium

4216 ~ Coffee brown ~ dark

4531 ~ Drab brown ~ very light

4622 ~ Shell pink ~ light

4623 ~ Shell pink ~ dark

4643 ~ Antique mauve ~ very light



1 strand of Soie 100.3 on 40 to 56ct linen

621 ~ Fern green ~ light

531 ~ Olive green ~ very dark

148 ~ Golden olive ~ very light

029 ~ Grey green ~ medium

494 ~ Salmon ~ dark

384 ~ Mauve ~ dark

528 ~ Pewter grey ~ very dark

396 ~ Khaki green ~ dark

465 ~ Green grey

565 ~ Green grey ~ medium

596 ~ Black avocado green

616 ~ Golden olive ~ dark

562 ~ Mustard

603 ~ Beige grey ~ very dark

433 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium

318 ~ Coffee brown ~ dark

740 ~ Drab brown ~ very light

177 ~ Shell pink ~ light

443 ~ Shell pink ~ dark

191 ~ Antique mauve ~ very light



1 strand of DMC on 40 to 46ct linen

523 ~ Fern green ~ light

730 ~ Olive green ~ very dark

834 ~ Golden olive ~ very light

926 ~ Grey green ~ medium

3328 ~ Salmon ~ dark

3685 ~ Mauve ~ dark

3799 ~ Pewter grey ~ very dark

3011 ~ Khaki green ~ dark

3053 ~ Green grey

3052 ~ Green grey ~ medium

934 ~ Black avocado green

830 ~ Golden olive ~ dark

371 ~ Mustard

640 ~ Beige grey ~ very dark

3863 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium

801 ~ Coffee brown ~ dark

613 ~ Drab brown ~ very light

223 ~ Shell pink ~ light

3721 ~ Shell pink ~ dark

778 ~ Antique mauve ~ very light



2 strands of DMC on 28 to 36ct linen

523 ~ Fern green ~ light

730 ~ Olive green ~ very dark

834 ~ Golden olive ~ very light

926 ~ Grey green ~ medium

3328 ~ Salmon ~ dark

3685 ~ Mauve ~ dark

3799 ~ Pewter grey ~ very dark

3011 x 2 ~ Khaki green ~ dark

3053 ~ Green grey

3052 ~ Green grey ~ medium

934 ~ Black avocado green

830 ~ Golden olive ~ dark

371 ~ Mustard

640 ~ Beige grey ~ very dark

3863 ~ Mocha beige ~ medium

801 ~ Coffee brown ~ dark

613 ~ Drab brown ~ very light

223 ~ Shell pink ~ light

3721 ~ Shell pink ~ dark

778 ~ Antique mauve ~ very light

PLEASE NOTE: Patterns are NOT returnable to protect the copyright of the designer.

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