Hands Across the Sea - Queen of the May Sarah Reymes ,1770 ~ Soie d'Alger Thread Kit

$106.00 Save $-106.00
1 in stock

Queen of the May Sarah Reymes ,1770 is the 2022 Queen of the May sampler from Hands Across the Sea Samplers. 

This sampler is mostly worked with cross stitch laid over two threads of linen. The verse is worked in cross stitch over one thread of linen. Sarah also used Algerian eyelets over two and four threads, and Irish stitch.

The sampler is suitable for confident beginners through to advanced needleworkers. 

Choice of purchasing thread only, Printed Chart only or as full kit with linen.

Full Kit options: Includes linen of choice, Printed Chart Booklet + 20 skeins of Soie d'Alger threads and 2 Tapestry Size 26 Needles (Gift with Purchase + Free Shipping)

    Linen Choices:

    • 30 ct Fat Half  - Victoria Sponge Cake - 35" x 36"
    • 37 ct Fat Half - Corn Tassel - 35" x 36"
    • 38 ct Fat Quarter - Fuller's Teazel -  35" x 36"

     Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger Includes:

    • SDF 122
    • SDF 524
    • SDF 1722
    • SDF 1842
    • SDF 1845
    • SDF 2533
    • SDF 2542
    • SDF 2543
    • SDF 2913
    • SDF 2916
    • SDF 2935
    • SDF 3822
    • SDF 3826
    • SDF 4623
    • SDF 4644
    • SDF 4646
    • SDF 5024
    • SDF 5384
    • SDF S2700
    • SDF Noir

      ***Please note, this item is excluded from any discounts or sales. 

      About the Sampler from Nicola Parkman:

      "S Reymes 1770 is a “bobby dazzler” of a sampler. A glorious floral border surrounds decorative rows of vines laden with flowers, a band of Irish stitch (also known as Florentine and flame stitch), rows of alphabets worked both in cross stitch and eyelet stitch. The verse is worked with red silk and a small black dog sits incongruously atop a flower head. The sampler is reminiscent of the samplers stitched by Abigail Dingle in 1762 and Jane Brunton in 1763. We suspect that the three samplers were worked under the same needlework teacher in Norwich.

      On the reverse of Sarah’s sampler it is recorded that this was “Mrs Lungley’s work”. From family history records we know that Sarah was 11 years old when she finished her sampler. She was born on Tuesday, July 17 in the year 1759 in Norwich in the county of Norfolk. She was named after a sister who was born and died in 1755. Sarah’s baptism on August 6 was recorded in the non-conformist records for the Old Meeting in Norwich."

      Hands Across the Sea - Queen of the May Sarah Reymes ,1770 ~ Soie d'Alger Thread Kit
      Hands Across the Sea - Queen of the May Sarah Reymes ,1770 ~ Soie d'Alger Thread Kit
      Hands Across the Sea - Queen of the May Sarah Reymes ,1770 ~ Soie d'Alger Thread Kit
      Hands Across the Sea - Queen of the May Sarah Reymes ,1770 ~ Soie d'Alger Thread Kit

      You may also like

      Quick view
      The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit
      from $29.00
      Quick view
      The Scarlet Letter - Jane Atkinson circa 1780 ~ Silk Thread Kit
      from $29.00
      Quick view
      Hands Across the Sea - Sarah Milthorp, 1834 ~ Silk Thread Kit
      from $36.00
      Quick view
      Hands Across the Sea - Mary Choaks, a Cornish vanity sampler ~ Silk Thread Kit
      from $36.00

      The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit

      $106.00 Save $-106.00

      Pre Order Available. Estimated Ship Date: April 2024

      Attention customers, conversion to 1003 is only provided if you purchase the thread kit. Purchase of chart only will not provide conversion to Soie 1003. 

      Mary Hood, 1768 is an 18th century English Sampler from The Scarlet Letter.

      Stitches used are cross over one and two threads of linen, and eyelet stitched over one and two threads of linen.

      Stitch count: 269 x 236

      The project is recommended for needleworkers of intermediate level.

      Choice of purchasing thread kit only, Printed Chart only or as full kit with linen. 


      Full Kit options:

      Includes linen of choice, Printed Chart Booklet + 18 colors of either Soie d'Alger or Soie 1003 threads (+ Free Shipping). 

      Linen Choices:

      • 37 ct Fat Eighth - Corn Tassel - 17.5" x 18"
      • 38 ct Fat Eighth - Fuller's Teazel - 17.5" x 18"
      • 45 ct Fat Eighth - Foxtail Millet - 17.5" x 18"

      Thread Options:

       Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger includes 20 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 38 ct or lower.

       Au Ver a Soie®, Soie 1003 includes 18 spools. Recommended linen for this thread is 37 ct or higher.

        ***Please note, this item is excluded from any discounts or sales. 

        About the Sampler from the Designer

        "This English sampler retained its vibrant original color when I acquired it, having been conserved and de-accessioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the ground suffered many small holes, the needlework itself was still in brilliant condition. It features bold- original!- primary colors in its four sided floral border, verses, and scene with a lovely but asymmetrical brick house with dormer windows, flanked by trees. The verses are:

        Oh may once more the happy Age appear
        When words were Artless and the Soul sincere
        When Gold and Grander were unenvy’d things
        And Crowns less coveted than Groves and Springs

        Fragrant the Rose is but it fades in time. The Violet
        Sweet but quickly Past the Prime White Lilies hang their
        Heads and soon decay And Whiter Snow in Minutes
        Melts away Such and So With’ring Are our early Joys
        Which Time or Sickness speedily destroy
        Mary Hood Finished This Work October the 4 1768"

        The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit
        The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit
        The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit
        The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit
        The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit
        The Scarlet Letter - Mary Hood, 1768 ~ Silk Thread Kit

        The Scarlet Letter - Jane Atkinson circa 1780 ~ Silk Thread Kit

        $143.00 Save $-143.00

        Attention customers, conversion to 1003 is only provided if you purchase the thread kit

        Jane Atkinson, 1780 is a beautiful English Sampler in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from The Scarlet Letter.

        Stitch count: 290 x 460
        The project is recommended for needleworkers of intermediate level.

        Choice of purchasing thread kit only, Printed Chart only or as full kit with linen. 


        Full Kit options:

        Includes linen of choice, Printed Chart Booklet + 26 colors of either Soie d'Alger or Soie 1003 threads (+Free Shipping). 

        Linen Choices:

        • 37 ct Fat Quarter - Corn Tassel - 18" x 35"
        • 38 ct Fat Quarter - Fuller's Teazel - 18" x 35"
        • 45 ct Fat Quarter - Foxtail Millet - 18" x 35"

        Thread Options:

         Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger includes 27 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 38 ct or lower.

         Au Ver a Soie®, Soie 1003 includes 26 spools. Recommended linen for this thread is 37 ct or higher.

          ***Please note, this item is excluded from any discounts or sales. 

          About the Sampler 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 “specialty” was opulent floral borders. The border includes elaborately stitched tulips, roses, carnations, daisies and lilies. The verse is as follows:

          What though my sins are of a Crimson stain
          My saviours blood can wash me white again
          Though numerous the twinkling stars they be
          or sands along the margin of the sea Or as
          smooth pebbles on some beachy shore
          The mercies of the Almighty still are more

          On 40 count linen, the sampler will measure approximately 14-1/2″ x 23″. Stitches used are cross, back, and counted satin."

          The Scarlet Letter - Jane Atkinson circa 1780 ~ Silk Thread Kit
          The Scarlet Letter - Jane Atkinson circa 1780 ~ Silk Thread Kit
          The Scarlet Letter - Jane Atkinson circa 1780 ~ Silk Thread Kit
          The Scarlet Letter - Jane Atkinson circa 1780 ~ Silk Thread Kit

          Hands Across the Sea - Sarah Milthorp, 1834 ~ Silk Thread Kit

          $112.00 Save $-112.00

          Pre Order Available for Soie 1003 Kit. Estimated Ship Date - Late April/Early May

          Sarah Milthorp, 1834 is a beautiful Historical Sampler from Hands Across the Sea.

          The sampler is suitable for confident beginners through to advanced needleworkers.

          The reproduction of Sarah’s sampler is predominantly worked with cross stitch laid over two threads of linen together with some Algerian eyelets. The verse is worked in cross stitch over one thread of linen. 

          Choice of purchasing thread kit only, Printed Chart only or as full kit with linen. 

          Full Kit options:

          Includes linen of choice, Chart Booklet +  Soie d'Alger or Soie 1003 threads (+Free Shipping). 

          Linen Choices:

            • 30 ct Fat Half  - Victoria Sponge Cake -35" x 36" ~ Recommended for Soie d'Alger Threads only 
            • 37 ct Fat Half - Corn Tassel - 35" x 36" ~ Recommended for both Soie d'Alger and Soie 1003 threads
            • 38 ct Fat Half - Fuller's Teazel - 35" x 36" ~ Recommended for both Soie d'Alger and Soie 1003 threads
            • 45 ct Fat Eighth -Foxtail Millet - 17.5" x 18" ~ Recommended for Soie 1003 Threads 
            • 53/63 ct Fat Eighth Sycamore Seed Pod - 18" x 29" ~ Recommended for Soie 1003 Threads 

          Thread Options:

           Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger - 37 ct version includes 15 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 38 ct or lower.

           Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger - 30 ct version includes 21 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 30 ct or lower.

           Au Ver a Soie®, Soie 1003 includes 15 spools. 

          Recommended linen for this thread is 37 ct or higher.

            ***Please note, this item is excluded from any discounts or sales. 

            About the Sampler from the Designer

            "The sampler that Sarah stitched when she was 12 years of age in 1834 is most certainly decorative. The young girl showed great diligence in working the intricate border and cartouche surrounding her name. We were strongly drawn to Sarah’s sampler the moment we glimpsed her in an auction catalogue. The red house takes centre stage.

            The geometric motifs flanking the verse were another focal point of interest. Although we have seen these on other samplers, they are not common place. Sarah showed great industry with her needle and filled her sampler with many beautiful motifs, she would have been hard pressed to squeeze another motif in.

            On March 2, 1822 Sarah Milthorp was baptised in Darrington. This small village and civil parish is located in the heart of the industrial West Riding of Yorkshire. Sarah’s father Thomas Milthorp was an agricultural labourer. Life as an agricultural labourer was hard work. Wages were usually low and housing standards often poor as labourers worked extremely long hours to scrape a living. Thomas’ children would have been expected to work on the land from as young as six years old, particularly at harvest time when everyone lent a hand making hay or harvesting crops."


            Hands Across the Sea - Sarah Milthorp, 1834 ~ Silk Thread Kit
            Hands Across the Sea - Sarah Milthorp, 1834 ~ Silk Thread Kit
            Hands Across the Sea - Sarah Milthorp, 1834 ~ Silk Thread Kit
            Hands Across the Sea - Sarah Milthorp, 1834 ~ Silk Thread Kit

            Hands Across the Sea - Mary Choaks, a Cornish vanity sampler ~ Silk Thread Kit

            $85.00 Save $-85.00

            Mary Choaks is a beautiful Cornish Historical Sampler from Hands Across the Sea

            The sampler is suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability. Mary executed her sampler predominantly with cross stitches laid over two threads of linen together with Algerian eyelets, backstitches, and rice stitches.

            Choice of purchasing thread kit only, Printed Chart only or as full kit with linen. 

            Full Kit options:

            Includes linen of choice, Chart Booklet +  Soie d'Alger or Soie 1003 threads (+Free Shipping). 

            Linen Choices:

            • 30 ct Fat Half  - Victoria Sponge Cake -35" x 36" ~ Recommended for Soie d'Alger Threads only 
            • 37 ct Fat Quarter - Russian Tea Cake - 18" x 35"  Recommended for both Soie d'Alger and Soie 1003 threads
            • 38 ct Fat Quarter - Fuller's Teazel - 18" x 35"  Recommended for both Soie d'Alger and Soie 1003 threads
            • 45 ct Fat Eighth -Jersey Cream - 17.5" x 18" ~ Recommended for Soie 1003 Threads 
            • 48 ct Fat Eighth - Bride Cake - 17.5" x 18"    ~ Recommended for Soie 1003 Threads 

            Thread Options:

             Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger - 37 ct version includes 14 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 38 ct or lower.

             Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger - 30 ct version includes 16 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 30 ct or lower.

             Au Ver a Soie®, Soie 1003 includes 13 spools. Recommended linen for this thread is 37 ct or higher.

              ***Please note, this item is excluded from any discounts or sales. 

              About the Sampler from the Designer

              "Mary finished her sampler on November 22 but, alas, the last two digits of the year have been removed. This is what is known as a vanity sampler. Later in life, when a samplermaker did not want to reveal her true age, she would remove or alter the date on her needlework.

              Without the decade the sampler was worked in, we thought that we would not be able to find our Mary Choak(s). However, the research gods were smiling down on us. A search of family history records for baptisms in the 1800s resulted in 17 hits. Through our knowledge of sampler styles in this century we discounted those born before 1810 and after 1880. This left us with three Marys. Two were born in Cornwall, and one was born in London to Cornish parents who returned to Cornwall where they raised their daughter.

              All three girls we found were raised in or around Helston which is the town nearest to where Nicola lives. We strongly suspect that our Mary is Mary Ann Choaks who was born in 1841 in the village of Mawgan-in-Meneage, just south of Helston on the Lizard Peninsula. Within the booklet there is detauled information about Mary’s life."

              Hands Across the Sea - Mary Choaks, a Cornish vanity sampler ~ Silk Thread Kit
              Hands Across the Sea - Mary Choaks, a Cornish vanity sampler ~ Silk Thread Kit
              Hands Across the Sea - Mary Choaks, a Cornish vanity sampler ~ Silk Thread Kit
              Hands Across the Sea - Mary Choaks, a Cornish vanity sampler ~ Silk Thread Kit

              The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit

              $117.00 Save $-117.00

              Attention customers, conversion to 1003 will not be provided if threads are not purchased with chart. It is only provided if you purchase the thread kit

              Margaret Reid, 1837 is a vibrant Scottish Historical Sampler from The Scarlet Letter.

              Stitch count: 240 x 270

              Stitches used in the sampler are cross, petit point, double running, satin, and stem.  

              Choice of purchasing thread kit only, Printed Chart only or as full kit with linen. 


              Full Kit options:

              Includes linen of choice, Printed Chart Booklet + 20 colors of either Soie d'Alger or Soie 1003 threads (+Free Shipping). 

              Linen Choices:

                • 30 ct Fat Half  - Victoria Sponge Cake -35" x 36" ~ Recommended for Soie d'Alger Threads only 
                • 37 ct Fat Quarter - Russian Tea Cake - 18" x 35" Recommended for both Soie d'Alger and Soie 1003 threads
                • 45 ct Fat Quarter -Jersey Cream - 18" x 35" ~ Recommended for Soie 1003 Threads 

              Thread Options:

               Au Ver a Soie®, Soie d'Alger includes 22 skeins. Recommended linen for this thread is 38 ct or lower.

               Au Ver a Soie®, Soie 1003 includes 20 spools. 

              Recommended linen for this thread is 37 ct or higher.

                ***Please note, this item is excluded from any discounts or sales. 

                About the Sampler from the Designer

                "Possibly Scottish, a very well-preserved sampler that was likely never framed. (There is an acquisition tag sewn to the edge but the source collection is unknown.)  An unusual, elaborate four-sided floral and leaf border surrounds a central reserve with a brief moral verse, Adam and Eve with a turquoise serpent under the tree of life, and many colorful floral, bird and animal motifs are scattered about symmetrically including roosters, rabbits, parrots, peacocks, quail, stags, dogs, and two strange three-legged flying birds over the stags.  Stitches used in the sampler are cross, petit point, double running, satin, and stem.  The illuminated initials at the top likely refer to her parents.

                The inscription includes other family  initials:

                MARGARET REIDS    JR

                WORK AGED 13    ER  JR

                FINISHED JANY THE 19  1837

                AR  JM  TCID  MR  EC

                THE LOSS OF GOLD IS MUCH

                THE LOSS OF TIME IS MORE

                BUT THE LOSS OF CHRIST IS SUCH

                AS NO MAN CAN RESTORE"



                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                The Scarlet Letter - Margaret Reid, 1837 ~ Thread Kit
                Back to Kits