This year’s SOTM project is now history. We all agree that Kathy Rees’ project was a perfect SOTM – the design and stitches were interesting and the amount of stitching each month was perfect. Now the challenge is deciding how to finish our projects.
All of the colorways are just fabulous!
BrendaDianeEllenJaniceJillLindaRobinRosieSueTina
Although we could not meet in person for much of the year, technology helped us stay connected and stitch virtually each month. It looks like we’ll continue to meet remotely into 2021.
We are all looking forward to next year’s SOTM. Watch for another blog to find out what project we’ll be stitching!
Tina sent her progress photo but I unfortunately didn’t receive it. I wonder if there are undelivered emails floating around in cyberspace?
Tina is the stitcher who came up with the idea of changing the November Hungarian stitch to a Balloon stitch so that the size matched the other background stitches. Quite a few of our stitchers agreed with her and used that same Balloon stitch on their pieces. Our group just loves designs that can be adapted!
The December instructions were posted today so we are all set to finish this yeat’s project.
We are close to the end of this year’s SOTM project. It has been quite a year – we have been meeting via Zoom each month rather than in person. While it has been great to “see” everyone, it’s just not the same as being able to stitch together in one place. It looks like we will continue to meet on Zoom for several more months.
We have continued to progress our projects despite the challenges. Several folks made modifications to the this month’s stitch – can you spot them?
BrendaDee
Diane
Ellen
JaniceJillLindaRobinRosie
Sue
Next month is our final installment for this year’s project.
We are now in the thirteenhundredth month of the year 2020 – or at least it feels that way. I miss getting together with all my needlework friends! Zoom is great, but it doesn’t replace in-person gatherings.
That being said, our intrepid group met again on Zoom earlier this month to continue our progress on the SOTM project. We are all working on the background sections. Kathy Rees has chosen some very calming stitches for those areas, which we all need right now.
Many of us are using neutral colors that blend with our canvas colors. But there are some surprises in those backgrounds. Without further ado, here are our October progress photos.
Brenda is stitching in Kathy’s original colors.
Ellen chose a pink background that coordinates beautifully with her overdyes.
Jacqui played with several different colors before deciding on a dark green to set off her red and gold design.
Janice is also stitching in Kathy’s original colors. Stitching with overdyes gives a unique look depending on the color placement.
Linda chose a neutral background to allow the greens and purples to really pop.
Robin matched her canvas perfectly with her choice of background thread.
Rosie also matched her background with a pale gray that coordinates with the yellows and grays in the star.
Another green background for Sue really offsets the star design.
Pale threads are the way to go for Tina as well.
And, Tina finished a previous SOTM – Stars for the New Millennium from Tony Minieri in her own colorway. Just beautiful and well worth the wait.
The SOTM group did not meet this month as many of the members participated in a Chapter Workshop. However, that did not stop us from continuing to stitch on our project.
Last month we finished stitching on the Star, so this month we started on the background stitches. September’s stitch is Diamond Pavilion, a very pretty upright stitch.
Brenda
Ellen
Jacqui
Janice
Jill
LindaRobinRosieSueTina
We are eagerly looking forward to the remaining blocks of background.
We were two small groups for this month’s Zoom version of Stitch-of-the-Month, but no less enthusiastic about getting together. As usual, during our first session we caught up on what’s been going on in everyone’s lives. During our second session we discussed the SOTM project.
This month we completed the last point of our star. Each piece is so different – even those that are using the same colors. It is really amazing to see how the colors work with each other.
Tina
Sue
Rosie
Robin
Nancy
Linda
Jill
Janice
Jacqui
Ellen
Brenda
Next month we will start on the background. Some of us are still deciding on background colors, waiting until the full star was completed before checking out different threads. So, stay tuned for the September SOTM to see what each of us picks!
The SOTM group is still meeting via Zoom. While we miss getting together in person, the virtual meetings have enabled our long-distance members to join us in real time. We have enjoyed “seeing” members who haven’t been able to get to our sessions.
This month we worked on the seventh point of the star. It will be fun to complete that eighth point in August and then move on to the background stitching for the remainder of the year. Many of us held off on choosing a background color until the star is completed. It will be interesting to see what colors are chosen.
The June SOTM was the last section stitched in Color family 1. I noticed that in all the sections, I had put the darker of the very light shades I was using in the middle triangle of each parallelogram. This time I used the darkest shade of all. When I finished the section, I realized that it was much darker than anything I had used before and I had no chance of using that thread in the future. It had to go.
Of course it wasn’t as easy of removing only that stitch, the whole section had to come out. I replaced the offending thread, a Splendor, with a DMC floss that fit well with the other threads used, even if it would only be used in one place in the piece.
Apologies for the delay in posting the June progress on our Stitch-of-the-Month. I have totally lost track of days. I saw a post on Facebook that showed a calendar of THIS DAY, THAT DAY, THE OTHER DAY, SOME DAY. That’s how I feel!
We are continuing to meet via Zoom on the second Saturday of the month, getting together to first chat and catch up then meeting later in the afternoon to check our progress. Those who are stitching the ANG design are now halfway through the project with six of the main star sections complete. For most of us that means we have four sections of color A and two sections of color B stitched up. In July and August we will finish the main star, and then spend the rest of the year stitching the background.
Everyone who is working on the star is happy with the project – the directions are well-written and there is a nice amount of stitching each month.
Here are the June progress photos, in no particular order.
Tina
Janice
Mally
Diane
Robin
Rosie
Sue
Dee
Nancy
Brenda
Jill
Linda
Sylvia is working on Kurdy Biggs’ A Different View. She’s been waiting for some of the threads but has made significant progress despite the delay. It will be gorgeous!
Sylvia
Enjoy the start of Summer and the Independence Day weekend!
Carol, our southernmost remote member, is also stitching her SOTM using Kathy Rees’ color suggestions, with a variation. Instead of Watercolours Polar Ice she has substituted Night Sky. It looks fantastic!
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