I am newly back with cross stitching after many many years away. The silks are new to me and your info was very timely. I have been enjoying your Floss Tube and learning so much about the little girls. You are fascinating to listen to. Thanks for all you do!

Excellent video Nicola....thanks for sharing information on 100.3 so fascinating ♥️ and of course your research is so exciting adds another layer to the sampler! Happy stitching 🧵

Thank you so much sharing...so amazing.....alot of amazing Samplers...take care and be safe...

I love hearing the background on the girls as much as looking at the samplers themselves .. Thank you for sharing

Oh, how I appreciate all the intense research you do for your samplers. You truly bring your samplers to life. You are quite the detective!! I love the violet sampler. It is a must have for my stash. Such a sweet little to stitch. Thank you ever so much for all you do to bring a smile to my face and warm comfy feelings to my heart. ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾

One of my favorite parts of your samplers is all the interesting information about the girls who stitched them. History has always fascinated me and the fact that we can learn about the lives these girls lived, in any part, is amazing. Thanks for sharing.

The history behind the samplers is fascinating! 💝

Thankyou for your display with an Australian twist. Sandra has made a superb contribution to the collection including the Violets Sampler. 🇦🇺. Thanks for sharing more about the silks you use.

Such wonderful stories you have on all your Samplers.

Its is so wonderful hearing the back stories for the samplers..thank you so much for all your hard work and the amazing research..happy walking the dogs and happy stitching Cheers!

You are quite the sleuth! I’m enjoying hearing the stories you uncover. Thank you for sharing them. I am also a convert to 100.3. I have created an Excel spreadsheet of my stash that I take with me when I shop. Very handy.

What a charming spring violet sampler!! Thank you for you and Sandra for providing.this. What a beautiful explanation of why you love to stitch with silk. Stitching is not only done with your hands but with your heart also. Thanks for the video stay well. Cherie

LOVE "Spring Violets"- I too have a middle name after my great grandmother of "Zoe". Love that you give so much back ground for all your samplers - just wonderful. Your time is appreciated. Feeding your soul is a great explanation for why we all have such joy for what we stitch

It is wonderful to hear your inspiring comments about why you love silk. I always enjoy your "talks" - it's like you are right here with me. I'm always running behind on watching but I do always get to them even though a bit late. Hope you continue to be well and be inspired by your sampler collection.

I love using AVAS also. My preference is for Soie d'Alger as it suits the thread count of the linen I like to use. For me, the joy of stitching with silk is how smoothly it moves through the fabric, how nice it feels in hand, how pretty the stitches lay especially a satin stitch, all the lovely colors it comes in, and more...I don't need to write a book here. I haven't tried many other silks to compare but eventually I'll get some samples to try out. I do my best to stitch with my silks when the cat is napping or when I can sit on the patio outside because my kitty is more intrigued by silk than cotton floss so I wish to avoid cat slobber on my silk when she goes to bite my thread.

Thank you for sharing about the silks. It was extremely interesting. Also I always enjoy hearing the stories behind the samplers.

You make the samplers so very interesting. Thank you.

I enjoyed seeing all of your eye candy. I’m amazed at the research on each girl. I couldn’t even imagine the hours of research on each one. I am excited to see your Rose sampler. It’s one I’ll have to get because finally there’s one in my namesake...sort of. I’m a Rosalie, but I’ve been called Rose since I was little. Enjoy your day! I love the little pin keep Sandra designed. My mom’s birthday was in February and she loved all things purple and violet. My MIL’s second name is Violet and I’m a Rose. It’s a match made in heaven. I might need that little gem to commemorate the special women in my life

It’s like your reading my mind. I was wondering why you chart with those silks. Thank you for your explanation!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

I’ve been pretty busy with my job. So I’ve been catching up watching your videos. I downloaded the violets. Can’t wait to work on them, and I just love the new drum you came out with. As always I love the history of these samplers.

What a magnificent background of samplers!! Spring Violets is just delightful! I loved hearing about the 100.3 silks so thank you for sharing that information. My paternal grandmother's name was Minnie. Thanks as always for your beautiful videos! Stay safe and happy stitching.

Nicola....,I sooo enjoy listening to each bit of background on the girls. Enrichment for the soul as we stitch. One can’t not help but wonder of their lives.. Sandras Samplers are lovely . As well I’m really enjoying your smalls, sometimes we need smalls 🙏 Minnies will be lovely to have alongside my small red Samplers. You’ve hit on a goldmine with each Reproduction you & Sandra have released, & the Smalls are so lovely an addition. Thank you for your explanation on 103. Silks last forever....strong & so beautifully dyed. It’s no wonder a butterfly 🦋 is so beautiful when it has released oneself from the cocoon.... full of vibrant colors it carries , after a long spin in side ... Hope each of your boys are well 🐕🐕♥️ Always a delight to watch ..... & glean from your shares. Blessings ~ 🦋

Thinking about our Bertie's appointment today, and holding good thoughts!

Nicola, thank you, I always enjoy your videos. Always so informative and interesting.

I am a new convert to Soie 100/3 because I trust your choice. I only have 80 skeins so far...but hope to get the whole range. I love the silk because....it doesn't fray, it glides beautifully and there is no knotting or tangling. I agree with you 100%. I adore it and can't imagine not stitching with it now. It's simply lovely and I actually stitch faster. ❤

The research is so interesting and really appreciate all the time you spend on it in order to give us an insight to the girls who stitched the samplers. I was so glad to see the Attic’s video yesterday and the newsletter! Settled in to read and watch them with a big cup of tea. The Attic is on my bucket list! Stay safe and be well

So interesting about the Violet piece. My maternal grandmother was born in February, and her middle name was Viola. Now I know why!

Nicola, we are blessed by your works and also what you share in your videos. Two questions, please! Could you be kind enough to share what magnifier you use when you stitch on 40 ct or higher linen? AND how you stitch using your iPad, Is there an app that lets me keep the chart on the tablet’s screen without turning the screen on and off? I am enjoying stitching Martha Dawson on 37 ct linen and my experience with my first HATS sampler PDF, as well as my first silk (au Ver a some)!

I love Spring Violets! I’ll have to kit her soon! 💜

Minnie is DARLING!

Love to hear the stories of the Samplers

Lovely video. Exciting to hear of your new little gems in the works and the research that goes along with them. I particularly like the scripture verse of honor thy father and thy mother that your days will be long upon the earth. My maternal great grandmother is to tell my older brother and me that every time we would visit her just before we would get ready to leave. She was very Godly woman of great faith and love for Jesus her Lord and Savior. And it was her duty to help instill that same love, honor and faith in her great grandchildren. When you read that verse I can picture me standing in front of her at a very young age. I hope to stitch this one soon.

We should all THANK Hermes and Au Ver a Soie!

What a fabulous video thank you your amazing 💕

The Spring violets are so well done they look real! The sampler is a triumph of color and verse. It can be very difficult to try and describe why we prefer one thing over another because there are so many intangibles that must be considered. With all the words available to be used you would think it would be easier, but it isn’t. I think you almost have to create your own vocabulary and even that would be a foreign language to others. The historical research is absolutely delightful to hear you recount. It does get a bit curious at times and it makes you wonder what was actually going on. They somehow return to the UK only to have him die in WWI. With all the computer programs in place it would be quite difficult to pull off something like that today. Difficult, but not impossible, if you have the knowledge and the connections. I’m afraid i have neither. Stay well and stitch on!

I always enjoy your knowledge on the silks you use. Have done a lot of research in my family genealogy so appreciate all the work you do on your sampler subjects. It warms my heart when you bring these little ladies back to life to tell you about their life! Thank you for all you do! (p.s./ in your violet piece, is flowers spelt correctly?!)

Hi Nicola, thanks for sharing some really interesting info about AVAS 100/3! Being a twisted thread, does it work well for stitches such as Parisian, Irish, Brick etc? I'm planning to stitch Dorcas Haynes on 45 count and would like to use 100/3, partly because it works out cheaper per metre than Soie d'Alger. But Dorcas uses a lot of straight, flat stitches!

The colors that match your scarf are lovely. If you don't mine sharing which colors are they?

Thank you for another lovely video ♥️♥️♥️

Hi Nicola, this was a really lovely catch up and it was great to see all those beautiful samplers. I am intrigued to know if you will try to remove the biro on the antique sampler? Thank you so much for the violets, they are indeed one of the loveliest flowers. Take care, stay safe and happy stitching, Teresa ❤️🪡🧵❤️

Nicola - do you use 2 threads of the Au Ver a Soie? Am hooked on your videos. Many thanks.

I love your work...it is fabulous. The sampler behind you with all the bright colors (possibly birds -- can't tell)...what is it's name---so pretty.. I might have to stitch it. Also...what kind of floor stand do you use? I have some very large projects coming up and need a large floor frame (or I think that is what I need). I will appreciate any help.

Can I ask were in the Uk do you buy Au Ver a Soie thread? It is so difficult to find.

The violets sampler is beautiful, but isn't flowers spelt wrong or was that intentional?

Can I asked, what count would you recommend using 100/3 on? And how many thread?

Love your research and passion! One question - you are very particular in reproducing antique samplers accurately, even studying the fibers to replicate the original thread colors etc, but why do you not replicate the size accurately as well? Just curious! The originals are often pretty large whereas your versions on 40 or 56 are tiny!

Violets blew? Is it meant to be blue?

Hi Nicola lovely video again so interesting, and I love your scarf, I am scarf mad, love them. I have bought the Violet sampler they were my mum’s favourite flowers so I will do mine as the pin cushion, quite looking forward doing that, very interested in your comments about Au Ver a Soie I am stitching Heathers sampler in the other silk oooh sorry the name escapes me, but because I can only work on 30 / 32 ct linen I don,t think I can use au ver a soie, am I right in thinking the silk would be too fine to use, where in the UK is the best supplier for silks please, I was quite interested when you mentioned about the club you can join at the attic must read a little about that, sorry to go on, I have finished January’s section of Ann she is a joy to stitch. Take Care.x

I have a question, what is lin-aida? I live in the United States of America, so maybe we call it something different? Thank you!

Well my birth month is 19th of February and Violets are my flower. Love-Love-Love Violets and this darling little gem