Lovely stitchers

Thanks to all who wrote to me yesterday and I am so excited to send you out the first samples to be worked. This will make a huge difference to this project and I am looking forward to this new stage with you alongside! The results of your labour (well, I hope it will be fun for you too!) will be posted here along with credits and acknowledgements!


Now that the rain seems to have abated, these photos of the marsh near to me seem unreal. But the grassy flats by the River Rother were completely under water with waves lapping at the "shore line" ... It has been remarkable to look out of my bedroom window in the mornings recently and see the encroaching grey green water ever rising and shimmering in the near distance ... now the birds seem to be defiantly shouting out their spring songs, almost belligerently, and there is no stopping spring now ...

5 minutes from my cottage the waters rose and rose ... all this is usually green with sheep grazing there

Hand embroidered sampler

I have been working on a design for a sampler where my students can use their newly learned skills ... they have done so well and only two more classes to go. The download is now available from the website ... just go to this link and you will find it! Dimensions of the sampler 2014 is A4 which is approximately 29 x 21 cm 

http://www.nancynicholson.co.uk/sampler14.html

Above, it is half finished and below completed. You could stitch only the centre or experiment with hand embroidery stitches as a border ... the lines are there to guide you but you can use whatever you like. I have used hot sixties colours mainly because I am using my mothers old boxes of Anchor thread and those are the predominant shades of the time! But they are so lovely ... the boxes are a bit bished up but that is, of course, part of their delight.

And please don't be shy, I LOVE to hear from you and see your work, even if they are not my embroidery kits! But if you do finish a project like this one please send me a photo and tell me all about it nancy@nancynicholson.co.uk

Now I am also sending out a request. I recently had to let Sarah go as she has gone to live with her boyfriend by the sea, and starting a big adventure there. You can see her great shop here ... https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Bitsoffluffandfur

so now I am casting around for a different kind of help ... I am looking for ladies who are unstoppabley stitchy, who consume embroidery projects insatiably, hungry for fresh challenges, thirsty for thread. I need you to help me work some samples of my new designs, to test drive them if you like ... you can live anywhere as I can send them to you with everything you need. In exchange you will receive a kit of your choice and a huge named THANK YOU on the blog, Facebook, etc. 

Going back to the sampler, I am experimenting with an alternative to printing out the designs on a home printer see my blogpost on how to do that here . I have sent off for some to try ... but please contact me if you have found it easy/difficult/or just not tried to print any designs from the printer ... maybe you tried another method? I am keen to establish many more downloads for my customers so any information you can give me would be greatly received!