SOTM 2018 - Updated 12/14/18

December 12, 2018--Fini!  Even placed the finished project in a small wooden box.  It does need a glass however, so will take care of that next week.

This month's section was large, so it took a little more time to stitch than that of prior months.  Also, the outlining of each section, part of December's instructions, took quite a bit of time as well.  Love the results.

I originally planned on placing the project between two pieces of glass so that the backside could be seen when the box is opened.  Decided not to do that--don't like how the outlining looks from the back (you can see this in the photo below).

Thank you Toni Gerdes for this Darned Good Sampler SOTM 2018.

SOTM 2018 Finished Side View

SOTM 2018 Finished as a Wood Box Insert

SOTM 2018-12 Front

SOTM 2018-12 Back

November 2, 2018--Went on the ANG website yesterday morning--very early--and was surprised to find the November lesson for the Stitch of the Month (SOTM) project already loaded--way to go Linda!!  Stitched it up in no time last night and here it is.....

SOTM 2018-11 Front

SOTM 2018-11 Back

October 2, 2018--Just finished the Stitch of the Month installment for October.  This ribbon pattern may be my favorite and can imagine using it for the background of certain canvases.   I felt compelled to get this done yesterday since DH and I will be towing our 22' Cobia Center Console today down to Cape Charles, VA for a week of fishing.    The weather looks like it's going to be spectacular and I look forward to fishing again on the Chesapeake Bay after nearly 9 years away.

I'm not bringing any needlepoint with me since I keep losing the little bits in the car--things like threaders, needles, laying tools, etc.  Instead, I'll knit.  Recently I learned how to do Portuguese Knitting and love it.  It's the best method I've learned to date for controlling tension, IMHO.

Happy October.

SOTM 2018-10 Front

SOTM 2018-10 Back

September 10, 2018--The September darning pattern has 3 acorns and was stitched in no time.  Just noticed the back side has a little glitch in the upper right thread.  Will fix that when I do the outlining in December (this will also cover up all my "turning" threads within the border area).

SOTM 2018-09 Front

SOTM 2018-09 Back

August 2, 2018--Yes, if this is the 2nd of the month, it means that I've stitched the 8th installment of ANG's Stitch of the Month for 2018.  This section reminds me of argyle socks.  Love how the backside looks--like a photo negative.

Note:  I'm using different colors of blue and the variations show in the pictures.  These are threads given to me by my mother back in the 1960's.  So happy to use them.

SOTM 2018-08 Front

SOTM 2018-08 Back

July 4, 2018--Aren't the dancing ladies fun?  Enjoyed stitching July's darning pattern.  The back looks great too.

Happy Independence Day to all.

SOTM 2018-07 Front

SOTM 2018-07 Back

June 3, 2018--Half way there.  Loved these butterflies, but they took longer to stitch than the lessons from earlier months.  We are binge watching Homeland, so I suppose that had something to do with it.

SOTM 2018-06 Front

SOTM 2018-06 Back

SOTM 2018-06 Closeup

May 2, 2018--A month later and the fifth lesson is done for May.  Another fast section with only 3 motifs.  It'll look so much better once the borders are stitched, hiding the "turning" threads.

SOTM 2018-05 Front

SOTM 2018-05 Back

SOTM 2018-05 Close Up

April 2, 2018--The April instructions are up on the ANG website, and like last month, the stitching of this easy diagonal darning pattern took about a half hour to finish (looks like a herringbone pattern to me).  Looking forward to the more complicated lessons coming up.

SOTM 2018-04 Front

SOTM 2018-04 Back

March 2, 2018--The stitching for March's portion of this cute project took about 30 minutes to do.  Am ready for the next installment, but must wait until April 1st.

PS.  If the color for March's section looks darker...it is.  I'm using some old cotton perle threads given to me by my mother and will place the different dye lots around the canvas.

SOTM 2018-03 Front

SOTM 2018-03 Front Closeup

SOTM 2018-03 Back

SOTM 2018-03 Back Closeup

February 2, 2018--The February instructions for this darning project are so easy and quick--was able to get the stitching done in about an hour.  This is going to be so cute as a box cover.  In fact, I'm going to try and enclose the back with glass so that the reverse or negative side will shown when the box top is opened.

SOTM 2018-02 Completed

SOTM 2018-02 Front

Add caption Back

January 11, 2018--The section for the month of  January is stitched.  I love how the back looks like a negative of the front.  Cool.

SOTM 2018 - through January

SOTM 2018 January Closeup Front

SOTM 2018 January Closeup Back

January 2, 2018--Yay!  The January installment of ANG's 2018 Stitch of the Month project called Darned Good Sampler by Toni Gerdes is now up on their website (click here).   This is a year long project featuring darning patterns and it's right up my alley.  I've already picked out my color (true blue) on white 24 count Congress Cloth.  This will produce a final size of 5" x 5" which will fit perfectly in a box I already own.  Below is a picture of this year's project.

ANG Stitch of the Month 2018 Project Photo