Linen and Threads 2019 Mystery Sampler SAL ~ Free ~ Back in in 2017 Linen and Threads did the first mystery sampler, and then again in 2018, and thousands of stitchers have participated in stitching these patterns, myself included. Another mystery sampler is on for 2019 and it’s a bit different than the first two, which were band samplers. This year’s theme is Peacock’s Garden and the design is square, with the first pattern reveal being the peacock at the center of the design. You’ll find all of the details and the PDF downloads at http://linenandthreads.com/mystery-sampler-stitch-a-long (You can also still download the patterns from the 2018 and 2017 band sampler SALs)

Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery 2019 SAL Pumpkinville ~ $19.95 ~ Featuring the seriously cute town of Pumpkinville with friends and neighbors exploring all that the town has to offer, with activities like visiting the local library, grabbing milkshakes from the diner, and even getting a little exercise at the ice rink. The fun starts on January 15th and continues all year. You can choose to purchase patterns only or get a supply kit from their shop at https://www.thefrostedpumpkinstitchery.com/collections/welcome-to-pumpkinville

Connie Gee Designs 2018 – 2019 Backstitch Design SAL ~ Free ~ This SAL started in 2018 and continues through 2019 with 25 design sections plus a border.  (I’m stitching this one, though I’m a bit behind the group.) The stitch count for this project is 135 x 135. This is a FREE stitch-a-long to participate in. You’ll find all the details and pattern downloads at http://www.conniegeedesigns.com/2018-2019-sal.html

Ship’s Manor Painted Orphans SAL ~ $14.00 ~ Designed to use up leftover threads and get creative with color choices for painting the houses and different sections of the stitch-a-long pattern. “Orphans” refers to those bits of floss you have left that were special colors, one of a kinds, or hand dyed threads that you only have a tiny bit left of. There will be 12 sections, one per month throughout the year, plus a border pattern. You can check out the details, order your charts, and even a special hand dyed fabric and thread packs at http://www.shipsmanor.com/painted-orphans-sal/

Stitching the Night Away Quilt Block Sampler 2019 SAL ~ Free ~ The first year-long SAL here at Stitching the Night Away, which is really exciting for me. The theme is quilt blocks and the patterns include cross stitch and blackwork fills. One block per month with six cross stitch blocks and six blackwork blocks. You’ll find all of the details and the PDF downloads at https://www.stitchingthenightaway.com/2019-sal/

By The Bay Needleart Stitch an Inch Garden SAL ~ $10.00 per chart pack ~ A garden grows inch by inch and stitch by stitch in this flowery stitch-a-long. There are six chart packs scheduled and each will have four color themed garden flowers. The first release is scheduled for January 20, 2019. You’ll find more information on how to order the chart packs at https://bythebayneedleart.blogspot.com/p/stitch-inch-garden-sal.html

Caterpillar Cross Stitch Seas the Day SAL ~ £13.95 ~ This nine part beach themed mystery stitch-a-long is sure to be fun and make you feel like you’re on a mini vacation all year long. You’ll find pattern and kit options for the project (including the fun beach hut needleminder you can add to your order) at https://www.caterpillarcrossstitch.com/products/seas-the-day

Fuzzy Fox Designs Magic Mini Monsters SAL ~ $21.86 ~ There will be 29 parts with one released in January and then two per month for 15 months. These are sure to be cute and completely fun to stitch throughout the year. You can subscribe to the patterns for this one via the Fuzzy Fox Designs Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/fuzzyfoxdesigns/listing/655910360/magic-mini-monsters-stitch-a-long

Cloudsfactory Humans After All SAL ~ $19.99 ~ The theme for this year’s stitch-a-long at Cloudsfactory is human history. From primitive man to the modern day, take a stitchy field trip to learn all about civilizations, inventors, scientists, historical facts, and dresses through eras. You can find all of the details as well as supply kit options at https://cloudsfactory.net/humans-after-all.html

Tempting Tangles Watermeadows Garden Mystery SAL ~ $5.00 ~ This garden themed stitch-a-long starts January 4, 2019 and is released every two weeks for 16 parts and delivered via a Facebook group. You can learn more about Tempting Tangles SALs on their blog, and you can sign up to get the patterns for Watermeadows through the Tempting Tangles Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/632412416/watermeadows-garden-mystery-sal

Lakeside Needlecraft East Asian Inspirations SAL ~ £15.99 ~ A new section released on the 1st of each month with an East Asian theme, design by Lucie Heaton. You can find all of the details and order your patterns at https://www.lakesideneedlecraft.co.uk/east-asian-inspirations-sal-and-kit-options-34584-p.asp There are also kit and thread pack options available if you’d like to pick up supplies from Lakeside as well. Kate and the team at Lakeside Needlecraft are fantastic and super helpful if you ever need anything stitchy in the UK.

Modern Folk Embroidery Mystery SAL ~ £1.50 per pattern section ~ The theme for this year is Hope, a Year of Stitching Together. You’ll find the patterns as they are released each month at https://www.modernfolkembroidery.com/product-category/mystery-sal-2019/ You can also still purchase the full pattern from the 2018 Mystery SAL at https://www.modernfolkembroidery.com/product-category/mystery-sal-2018/

Magical Quilts and More Weavers Birds SAL ~ Free ~ This is sort of a sequel to last year’s Weavers Band Sampler SAL. This year the bands will feature birds. A little bit of the pattern will be revealed each month. You can find the overview and border pattern to get started at https://magicalquilts.blogspot.com/2018/12/weavers-birds-sal-information-and.html

Magical Quilts and More Blackwork SAL ~ Free ~ This is a small blackwork sampler (50 x 50 stitches in size) with a little section and blackwork fill each month throughout the year. You can find the outline part and all of the details at https://magicalquilts.blogspot.com/2018/12/blackwork-sal.html

Magical Quilts and More Mamluk Cross Stitch Sampler SAL ~ Free ~ Inspired by a Medieval Mamluk period (1250 – 1517) cross stitch in the Ashmolean Museum. A little bit of the pattern wil be released each month throughout the year. You’ll find all of the details at https://magicalquilts.blogspot.com/2018/12/mamluk-cross-stitch-sal.html

Lesley Teare Owl SAL ~ Free ~ Lesley will have a new cute owl posted to as a free chart to her blog each month throughout 2019. You’ll find the border and thread key already posted so that you can gather supplies and get started if you’d like, along with a sneak peek of the first six owls in the series at http://lesleyteare.com/blog/make-a-start-on-the

Temperature Themed Cross Stitch Patterns

Not exactly SALs, but yet they sort of are and you’ll find plenty of folks stitching these around the world each year. The idea is a little section of stitching for each day of the year and the color of thread is based on your local outdoor temperature on that day. It’s a fun project and everyone’s result will be different every time 🙂

Stitchnmomma Temperature Block Sampler ~ You’ll find and overview of this design on her blog at http://stitchnmomma.blogspot.com/2016/12/temperature-block-sampler.html and the pattern is also available to order from several shops.

Stitches in Blue Temperature Sampler ~ This one starts in the center and works around in a sort of quilt pattern. You’ll find the instructions and pattern at http://creativeworkshopsfromhetti.blogspot.com/2017/12/happy-new-year-2018-surprise.html

ApricotPolkaDot Temperature Pattern ~ You’ll find the pattern available via Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/listing/656676841/temperature-counted-cross-stitch-digital

StitchinMommy Temperature Garden Pattern ~ Cute little rows of flowers bloom throughout the year in this one. You’ll find the pattern available via Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/listing/627352612/temperature-garden-highs-lows-cross

I also saw a fun idea on Pinterest where you stitched a simple bookmark, just a single row of stitches across for each day (any width) using any scale of colors for the temperatures that you’d like.

Ongoing Cross Stitch SALs That Continue from Year to Year… 

Mill Hill Monday SAL is a Facebook group for a perpetual stitch-a-long that I created for those of us who are addicted to stitching up Mill Hill kits. I’ll be stitching my Mill Hill kits on Mondays throughout the year and I invite you to join me and share your own project progress in the group. This is FREE to participate in. Bring your own stitching and join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/224469291428374/

Kitty and Me Designs Never-Ending Sampler SAL is exactly as it sounds, an ongoing stitch-a-long with pretty sampler bits from Pamela Kellogg. You can stitch all the parts or just some of the parts, or mix and match parts in different orders. Since it’s ongoing indefinitely, there’s no exact size or stitch count to give and everyone’s pieces will be totally different. You’ll find all the information at http://kittyandmedesigns.blogspot.com/p/never-ending-sampler-stitch-along.html

The Neglected Floss SAL is an ongoing project put together by a group at DeviantArt that’s going on its fourth year now. This year they’re going to have 12 single color patterns of different sizes to help you use up those leftover bits and pieces of threads that you just can’t part with. This is a FREE stitch-a-long and you can find all of the details at https://www.deviantart.com/stitchingpirates

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL from Serendipitous Stitching is all about the generosity of stitchers. Each month on the 15th you post about anything which is a gift, either to you or for someone else. You’ll find the sign up page and all of the information on how to submit gifts each month at http://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.co.uk/p/gifted-gorgeousness-2018-sign-up-page.html

Smalls SAL at Stitching Lotus is an ongoing bring your own design sort of SAL. Stitch one small design of your choosing per month and share your finish on the last Friday of each month. You’ll find the information, including the monthly dates, on the Stitching Lotus blog at http://stitchinglotus.ca/smalls-sal-2018/

WIPocalypse is an annual SAL in it’s 8th year for 2019. You make a list of the works-in-progress that you want to make progress on throughout the year and check in each month. There are additional challenges and themes to keep everyone motivated and having fun. You’ll find the information for 2018, including the monthly themes and the Olympic Stitching challenge, on Measi’s blog at http://measi.net/measiblog/wipocalypse_main/

International Hermit & Stitch Weekend has been going on for several years and takes place the 3rd full weekend of each month, from Friday through Sunday. We’re all busy and life is hectic, so the idea here is to set aside one weekend to get some stitching done and relax. This SAL has been moved to a Facebook group, but the information is still available at Joysze.blogspot.com and of course you can still blog about your progress and stitching projects. You can join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/757401391130415

Christmas Ornament SAL for 2019 You might remember from previous year’s posts that this is one of those forever ongoing SALs and is FREE to participate in for folks who want to stitch holiday ornaments throughout the year. You can even sign up to post your ornaments on the blog. You’ll find all of the information on themes and signing up at http://christmasorniesal2015.blogspot.com/

TUSAL ~ aka the Totally Useless SAL ~ This one has been around for awhile. The idea is to empty your ort jar (your thread scraps) on the New Moon of every month and share a photo of your snippets. It’s free to participate in and it’s a fun way to look back and your stitching progress over the month. You’ll find all of the info on DaffyCat’s Stitching Blog under the TUSAL label http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/search/label/TUSAL

This Stitch-a-Long List is Ongoing…

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of all the stitch-a-longs and groups that are out there in the cross stitching world this year, but it’s a good starting point if you’re looking for an SAL to participate in.

If you know of one that I haven’t mentioned, please do leave a comment below and point us in the right direction to join and stitch along!

I’ll try to update this post as often as I can to include new SAL discoveries throughout the year. 🙂 Enjoy & Happy Stitching!