The American Needlepoint Guild Hides SOTM Behind Paywall UPDATED

ANG's new website is being built out so I've been checking it periodically to see what has been added.  Yesterday I was stunned to see that the fabulous Stitch of the Month (SOTM) program which is a great way to introduce people to various needlepoint stitches for only the cost of the materials is going to be available only to members of ANG starting next January, except for one year, presumably the current year's project.
http://www.needlepoint.org/page/SOTM

I feel this is a terrible mistake.  I use it to help new stitchers all the time.  It is a great resource for the world of needlepoint, which includes many people who are not committed needlepointers.   When folks learn the resources available from ANG, they tend to join.  Why hide your light under a barrel (or in this case behind a paywall), ANG?

Please reconsider.

UPDATE:  As an update to the Stitch of the Month's changes on ANG's new website, I'd like to report that the 1999-2016 Stitch of the Month items are now uploaded to ANG's new website but they are only available to ANG members who are logged in. 1998's Stitch of the Month items presumably will be added shortly. The 2017 SOTM material is available to all, along with the statement, "As of January 31st 2018, all SOTM offerings will become Member Only. We plan to make one year's project available to the public."

To see the most recent changes, you have to log in as an ANG member, then click on Distance Learning.  Stitch of the Month is at the bottom of the options that appear.  Slide your cursor down to there, and you'll see Stitch of the Month: Archive.  Click on that to see the older SOTM material.

I know this is a slow process as ANG has Seminar registration to deal with right now. I hope ANG will restore access to all of the Stitch of the Month items, past and present, to anyone interested in needlepoint.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 15, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Gay Ann Roger's e-Week Sale Starts Tomorrow

If you are a fan of counted canvaswork, particularly elegant feminine designs in soft pastels, you will want to remember that Gay Ann Roger's annual e-Week sale starts tomorrow morning, at 8 a.m. California time.  Gay Ann only sells her charts a couple of times a year and the biggest sale (often with some spectacular large new designs) is in October.  So tomorrow, watch this space--
http://www.gayannrogers.com/index.html

Since Gay Ann usually kits out the big pieces and the supplies are very hard to get, she often only offers items for sale one time.  For example, if you loved Eleanor of Aquitaine and didn't buy, you have likely missed out for good.  I'm just saying that you need to remember that these things are often not available for long.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/eleanor-of-aquitaine.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 15, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Favorite Filler Stitches

Needlepoint for Fun shares their favorite "filler" stitches—stitches to put in various areas when you can't think of anything else. All are versatile and pretty stitches and I use all of them fairly often.
http://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/needlepoint-filler-stitches.htm

It's a good article to bookmark and refer back to when you are stumped.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 11, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.