The Next Installment of my ANG Stitch of the Month

This month we had to add an 8 stitch wide border around the central design. This was  composed of two rows of tent stitches, two rows of goeblin stitches and couching metallic ribbon down the center with 2X6 tied cross stitches. It really pulls the design together. I am looking  forward to seeing what the next border will look like.

My New Tool

Last Sunday I purchased an Elan Lap Stand by Artisan Design. I have looked at a number of different designs and liked this one best.  It is pictured here with my ANG Stitch of the Month Project. If you want more information directly from the manufacturer you can look here.

The Elan is not only portable but will hold up to 30" frames. It can be easily carried in your stitching bag as it can be folded down to 15" x 6" x 2.5".  This is also the first time I have been able to stitch two handed. I believe as I get better at it my stitching speed will improve. The ability to have both hands free is amazing. In addition, while I don't have a problem with the weight of the stretcher bars or Q-Snaps for an hour or two I may be able to stitch for longer periods of time by using the stand to hold my work. I can also attach my chart holder without having to worry about the additional weight that it adds.   I have been hesitant to spend the money on a lap stand but this one is  well worth the expense. It is not only well constructed but easy to set up and use. If you have never tried a stand you should see if a friend or your LNS has one you  could try.

ANG Stitch of the Month for August

The ANG Stitch of the month for August was posted Sunday. I printed it on Monday and worked on it Monday evening. I got up early this morning to finish it before leaving for work.. This month we dis Octagonal Eyelets and partial eyelets in the four corner blocks. Mine are done in red Splendor S826. We still have three borders to stitch  around what we completed so far ( 1 per month) and the beading ( in December). Given my color selection this will be a perfect Christmas piece.If I continue to stay caught up with the monthly assignments I will have it done in time to have it framed for Christmas. I am amazed how this has come together given no knowledge of the design at the front end and the fact that I changed two of the three color families. The red was the designers original choice but I substituted this forest green for the original lime green and I substituted cream for the original royal blue. I have also made substitutions for the types of fibers using what was available from my LNS instead of having to order online. I am already looking forward to the next installment. My guess is that the first border will be stitched in green. Join me next month to see if I was right.

Stitch of the Month Year- to-Date

As soon as I joined ANG in January of this year I began to stitch the 'Stitch of the Month' mystery project. I didn't care for all the colors the instructor selected so I spent about 4 hours over 3 trips to my LNS selecting alternate colors and fibers.I wanted to select fibers available to me in the store and not order them online. Therefore I had to make a number of substitutions. Now this is more difficult when you have no idea what the entire design looks like. Initially I decided to stay with the same shade of red the designer used but substituted different fibers. I then selected a dark green and a medium blue. After stitching the March installment I decided I didn't like the blue and ripped the blue all out. I replaced the blue with a cream color.  Here is the design stitched through July.

Here is a close up of the June and July section. I am really enjoying stitching on this and want to keep going but I will just have to wait until the August installment.