Sunday, June 28, 2009

Welcome to our SAM/MAP Group Blog

Today the members of Stash Angels Mentors (SAM) and StitchMAP (MAP) are launching our group blog KNASS. This is an acronym for KEEPING NEEDLEARTS ALIVE BY SHARING STITCHES. This is a great name for our blog, voted on by the members as being the name that best explains the group's mission and vision for keeping needlearts thriving into the future.

Congratulations to Kathy Shaw for coming up with the winning name. And to our 2nd place winner Pam Coombes for her entry - Itching to Be Stitching. Here are pictures of the prizes that they have won.












Kathy won this lovely stitching organizer and these two pages of silkies.


Pam won this Stoney Creek Collection cross stitch kit and tin with a built in frame. It is entitled Special Tweet.

StitchMap (MAP) is home to those who are in our Mentor Apprentice Program to learn more about their favorite stitching techniques. It is also the home base of our Stash Angels who give so generously from their own stash to those who are in need of a small stash enhancement experience to complete one of our mentored projects or some special project of their own. This is the social center of our groups, where we chat about our love for stitchery, family and some things totally unrelated to needle and thread. We share hints and tips, links to our eye candy, shopping resources, special projects that can be completed in many techniques, contests or giveaways on other sites, and information on contacting various guilds and groups related to stitching.

We have our own contests from time to time, like our Group Teaser. This is a brain teaser/triva type contest in which we research the answers to a group of questions about stitching related matters such as various techniques, tools and fabrics. There may even be questions about our own site's logistics, various needle artists or authors, and stitchery related guilds or groups. All in all, it is very educational and informative. All of our swaps are done through MAP.

Stash Angels and Mentors (SAM) is home to the mentors who teach the apprentices of MAP. This is where the mentors gather to plan the upcoming classes, discuss their mentoring assignments and share tips. They also frequently participate in RR's. The RR pieces are then assembled to be used for a special prize at MAP or as a charitable fundraising item for groups that deal with Alzheimers, Diabetes and/or other special needs.

If anyone reading this blog is not already a member of MAP or SAM and would be interested in joining, all you have to do is click the Yahoo Groups button in the side bar to get to the application. We will send you a Membership Questionnaire to fill out so that we can use the info on it to introduce you to the membership. When that is returned, your application to join will be approved right away. Don't miss out on all the fun. Join today and find out about our mentoring programs and contests.

In the first week of June we held our first Group Teaser. Lyn G. is the coordinator for this activity. She prepares the questions and hides the answers from us until someone has the answers right. The subject of the first Group Teaser was Judith Baker Montano. The Bonus Questions for this Teaser were set up as a Scavenger Hunt of the MAP member's blogs and information that could be derived from them. The week we had this contest there were some internet hiccups going on all over the world. As we do have members from Canada, Australia, Turkey and Finland, Lyn wanted to make sure everyone was getting the messages...so she invented the Teaser countdown and posted a big TICK TICK TICK every so often for about 18 hours - going from 10 to 1. Members were on the edge of their seats. One member, Beckie, even wrote a poem about it in the 7th session of the countdown:

Here I sit, glued to my chair,
Watching for emails and pulling at my hair.
I should be cleaning and pushing the broomstick.
But I can't 'cause I'm afraid --
I'll miss the next darn TICK..TICK.. TICK!!

Here are pictures of the prizes that were awarded to the winner of the first Group Teaser:


Congratulations go to Norma for winning the Super Squishie donated by Lyn.


And to Beckie for being first to get all the bonus questions correct and winning the Silk Ribbons and Silk Ribbon Embroidery Book package donated by Shari.

Now, here is a SURPRISE for you, the general public: You can also win a prize from SAM/MAP. Below is the first half of our June Teaser about Judith Baker Montano (JBM). All non-members of SAM/MAP who answer the questions correctly and leave a message with their e-mail address (but not the answers - see below) on this post, by July 5, 2009, will have their name put in a hat. The winner's name will be drawn on our founder's birthday July 6, 2009.

1. What was the first quilt show that JBM ever won a prize at?

2. What is the name of JBM's first book?

3. What brand of silk ribbons has the name "Montano Series" in their line of SRE ribbons?

4. What brand of fabrics has the Montano Design? Name the design of the fabric.

5. Name 5 of the JBM color combinations from her line of silk thread and ribbon combinations.

You could win this sweet cross stitch Pillow Insert Kit from Pine Mountain Designs:


Do not post your answers to this blog (you don't want to help the others, lol). Send your answers to Lyn at: glynpg@yahoo.com. Be sure to include your own e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. Good Luck.

1 comment:

NormaH said...

What a great start for our group blog!!!!!!! The name says it all as well as the description. Thanks for posting a pic of my prize as it is some super dooper squishie. My first attempt to win one of Lyn's contests but it won't be the last lol Here's to new beginnings!
Norma