Melitastitches4fun's Blog


ANG Keystone Garden Chapter Mystery Project 2017, Month 1
March 9, 2017, 6:03 pm
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project

We’re starting this year’s mystery project at my ANG Keystone Garden Chapter.

Color A and B can be contrasting or light/dark. You’ll have to wait to find out what direction I’m going! This is on a light blue canvas.

It’s fun seeing the various colors people pick & watching everyone’s piece develop.

Keystone Mystery 2017, Month 1



ANG Keystone Garden Chapter Mystery Project

By adding the 2 outer rows as final borders, we are almost done with the mystery project at my ANG Keystone Garden Chapter.  But, there is something mysterious that will “be revealed” next month before we finish. Hmmmm.

Wednesday night at our meeting, I got the first border done and last night I added the outermost border. And, thanks to the longest 9-inning post-season game in major league baseball history, I added beads in the 2 large diamonds.  They were optional but I liked that they made the top bluer and the bottom greener than the threads alone. I was worried about the top having more beads than the bottom and being top heavy. But, the bottom green ones are larger Mill Hill Beads and the top blue ones are smaller seed beads from Beads By Blanche (via Trish V who purged her stash last year). Of course, I could always turn it upside down had it been top heavy. I think it is looking great!

ang-keystone-garden-mystery



ANG Stitch of the Month 2010 Framed

I was remiss in getting my finished “Promise of Mystery” designed by Sue Reed  to the framers until late 2011. It got stuck in a corner & I forgot about it. But, I got it back shortly before Christmas! It is in a simple frame with an inner silver border & outer black border.

It was fun watching the piece develop over the year-long project. I think that the ANG Stitch of the Month is a wonderful resource with clear & thorough instructions (http://needlepoint.org/Stitch.php). AND, it goes back to Feb 1998!! You don’t even have to be a member of ANG to get to that page. By allowing that to remain public, it really promotes the mission of ANG which is:

The American Needlepoint Guild provides a stimulating and challenging environment through nationwide educational programs, a national publication, and Seminars & Exhibitions in which members: develop creative potential, serve public and professional constituencies, support faculty members in the joint pursuit of excellence in teaching and research, and promote intercultural understanding through the needle arts.

While this is the only one I’ve done (to date), I really appreciate the many designers over the years & the behind the scenes work that goes into the Stitch of the Month year after year!! I’m very happy that it is finally completed & hanging. Yes, I found a spot for it!!



December SOTM finished
December 27, 2010, 10:07 am
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project

Thanks to the Dec 26th snowstorm, I finished this in 2010! I love the finishing touch with the beads & how they bevel up just a tad.

There has been great discussions lately about what part of the piece folks prefer: starting, middle, or end. Each has good & bad points but I lean towards preferring starting. I love the designing & planning of threads. Many times I’m so anxious to get to the next piece that I don’t get the just completed piece finished (put in a frame, etc). Hopefully, we’ll be able to shovel out soon & go purchase a frame – don’t know where to put it yet!



November SOTM finished
December 19, 2010, 4:19 pm
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project, Needlework in Progress

Faced with 2010 running out of days, I decided to use straight stitches on the inner portion of the border. Initially, I stitched them at an angle like the outer border but it was too heavy-looking compared to the open black area (you’ll have to take my word for it because the picture really didn’t show it well enough to post). So, I slept on it, ripped it out, & switched directions to minimize the effect of stitching in that area. The threads kind of fill in the shaft between the canvas threads making the white stitches less prominent. And, it worked up quickly so I can get to the last border!!



November SOTM, partially completed
December 17, 2010, 3:39 pm
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project, Needlework in Progress

Quite by several accidents, I find myself really liking this variation on the SOTM. I used a different color family for this portion of the outer border by accident than I think the directions called for. And, instead of stitching both inner & outer portions, I completed the outer portion first.  The outer portion used even less couching than called for by alternating every other row – worked out perfectly: 4 in the longest thread, 3 in the next smaller, then 2, leaving 1 small cross stitch in the corners. I like how it looks in the darker thread with white showing through.



October SOTM
November 20, 2010, 11:48 am
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project

October had a lot of couching which I found quite time-consuming. And, I think I got my Family A, B, & C out of order for this month but it looks fine. I see November has more couching as well. But, we are coming to the end soon!



ANG SOTM Sept
October 23, 2010, 10:54 am
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project

I got Sept SOTM done! Coming along nicely. I like that turning the corner technique. Just hope I’ll find the instructions when next I need them. Actually, I’ll note that here!

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2010/feb.php



ANG SOTM August
September 20, 2010, 10:58 pm
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project

The August SOTM eyelets are done but I can’t see what’s wrong with the second “incorrect” eyelet example. In the first “incorrect” example, I see it wraps around but the second looks the same as the correct one to me.

I was almost finished with the eyelets & then put it aside for the chapter newsletter, making the Kissing Pillow kits, & another project. I’ve been working on a baby gift but I can’t blog about because I don’t want the mom to see it. As soon as I finish the second one – for her too, then I can reveal them! Where does the time go? We’ll see how much of Sept I can get done – it looks like a lot of stitching.



ANG SOTM July
August 29, 2010, 12:20 pm
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month Mystery Project

The piece is coming along nicely. I thought I was done & then realized I had all the Smyrna crosses to do. So, I am pleased to have finished July’s stitching although I am still playing catch up! At least I have started the August Eyelets in August. And, I think it’ll work up quickly.

Yesterday, I really enjoyed the weather & a relaxing afternoon outdoors at a riverfront bar, listening to a live band, watching baseball, eating & drinking with a bunch of friends. I have taken on a lot of projects, including project chair & newsletter for our chapter & haven’t been able to find time to stitch. But, I have almost everything in place for our Sept/Oct/Nov ANG Main Line chapter meetings except putting together the packets for the Soldier Kissing Pillows to distribute at those meetings. I’ll have time at my mom’s house over the Labor Day weekend to do that while my brother & husband golf. So, yesterday was a nice reward for my efforts. Today, I will get back to stitching as soon as I am done here!