A Cold Sea Sampler – PDF Pattern

A Cold Sea Sampler is a design inspired by 18th-century pattern books from Iceland. I became inspired after seeing some images from a handmade Sjónabók (pattern-book) by an Icelandic woman named Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir (1646- 1715). The simplicity but strong decorative quality of Ranheiður’s patterns was quite striking.

The lettering is inspired by traditional Icelandic letters from this time. I have not included the Icelandic letters in this design and chose to omit some of the letters, as often seen on European samplers from this period. The letter I would be used for both I and J, a V would be used for the U as well, and with one V in a sampler, often the W would not be worked. I designed an X and Z for this sampler, as the original alphabets from Iceland do not include these two letters.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

This sampler is 159 crosses high and 125 crosses wide. It has a total of 8537 crosses.

Below is an estimated size guide for the stitched-up piece on popular linen / aida fabrics. It also gives a floss amount, calculated for 6-stranded floss skeins of 8 metres. Please be aware that most hand-dyed floss brands have a length of 8 yards (7. 3 metres). Multiply recommended skeins by 1. 1

14-count aida / 28-count linen: 113/8” x 87/8” (29 x 22. 5) – buy 5 skeins (2 strands)
16-count aida / 32-count linen: 10” x 77/8” (25 x 20cm) – buy 5 skeins (2 strands)
18-count aida / 36-count linen: 87/8” x 7” (22. 5 x 17. 5) – buy 4 skeins (2 strands)
20-count aida / 36-count linen: 8” x 63/8” (20 x 16cm) – buy 2 skeins (2 strands)
46-count linen: 7” x 53/8” (17. 5 x 14cm) – buy 2 skeins (1 strand)
56-count linen: 57/8” x 41/2” (14. 5 x 11. 5cm) – buy 2 skeins (1 strand)

The design is split over 2 pages. After the first pattern page, you will see greyed-out areas of 3 crosses high or wide. This indicates an overlap from the previous page and will help you to find where you left off on the previous page.