Once Cape Cod Dogs finished up, I thought I should try to catch up on the monthly areas of the ANG Stitch of the Month project by Tony Minieri. This is called Glittering Kimono and it is a patchwork of fascinating stitches which I'd not seen before in most cases. My progress is above. Note that I am stitching this on ecru congress cloth so my thread choices are very different from what is recommended since Mr. Minieri used 18 count canvas. My colors are medium blue, light pink and a pinkish plum along with the ecru of the background. The photo has been enhanced so you can see the details. The ecru isn't nearly as brown as the background looks here.
Please note that the layout changed from the earliest map released in February when this started. If you are stitching this project, make sure you check the link to the latest map before you stitch your next month. Also note that Liz Morrow (I think) kindly gave ANG her charted version of this piece so that if you are a counted thread person, you can do this piece without having to deal with transferring the line drawing.
Now that all of the above is out of the way, let's start with my progress (or lack thereof). To date I have started the May area (the cuffs above plus the trim down the front of the jacket edges) but have only done the cuffs. I found a mistake in the cuff on the left as I worked and have to rip it out and repeat. This is a very slow stitch to do and it is complex. So I decided I would attempt to stitch June, July and August and then try to finish up May. Hopefully I can get this all done before the September stitch comes out and then keep up each month after that. By the way, I am couching #8 Kreinik braid with one ply of Splendor, which is opposite from the way Tony says to do this. If I couched silk with Kreinik, the silk is lost, probably because my silk is pale pink and I really need #4 braid, which I didn't have. So I improvised and it looks nice.
June is finished (pink shoulder patch in photo on left). I used two plies of Soie de Crystale and one strand of #8 Kreinik braid here.
July is about half done (pink/purple metallic lines with diagonals in blue across the middle of the piece, photo on right). I'm using two plies of Gloriana silk and one strand of Sparkle Braid here. The metallic called for in the instructions is Fyreworks but it is too wide to work on congress cloth.
You have to be careful here as this section continues across the May trim down the front of the kimono. You must leave 12 threads unstitched for the May area if you haven't finished May yet, which I have not.
I haven't started August. It goes in the right sleeve above and below the May cuff.
Note that I have not finished the March area on the left shoulder under the pink patch (June) section. I should have continued the blue area down toward the left after skipping a line for the couching or outline stitch that separates sections but I forgot to do it. I am considering adding a stitch of my own here in the more old rose colors that are used in the lower left hem. I know what stitch I mean to use already--I just have to make sure the threads I have in those shades will work in the stitch. I want to use Judy's Blocks, the stitch I saw that Judy Harper used on one of her crazy quilt designs which I used for the fins on my Squiggee goldfish piece. I'm talking about the yellow area in the point of the heart.
