Ann The Gran Community

How do you like being a member of Ann's Club? Click on 'Reply' and tell me what you like about it, what you don't like about it, and why someone else should or shouldn't become an Ann's Club member.

What a wonderful site!  I have actually been to the website and had downloaded lots of designs to play with and had stopped going into it because of being busy homeschooling my grandson.  I finally had time to go in and then joined the club and I love it every day.  It is one of my favorites and Will now be a member forever.

I am looking at the possibility of buying the software from Ken Parson.  I love embroidery and I create jewelry.

Mary Ann, In the Land of Enchantment-NM

The club price is the best you could ask for.  The deals on the discounts are great for joining.

Merrilee

i love Ann's club. the monthly "goodies" are great. esp the "sayings"  your free designs are outstanding. i have used many of them.

keep up the good work.

I am still a little disappointed with the cost versus the "savings" for being a member.  The designs are very nice but I don't see that great of discount between being a member and the general public.  I did not join for the half price stabilizers, I actually joined with the idea of a free alphabet each month.  That changed with less than 1 month of my membership...  Sorry, I'm just not that thrilled with the value...

Heavypedalsewer...

I think Ann's Club is great - the discount may not be large, but every penney counts these days and I find it worth the value of the price for me. I purchased a Brother PE180D about 5 years ago (from a terrific dealer), got  PEDBasic free with it  and a nice discount on Palette. I have upgraded thru up to PEDEsign7 now, but still a novice at digitizing. Still using the same machine - it does what I want in the time I have. Ann's Club and her designs and free areas allow me to find just about whatever I will need for a gift or project. The information pages and customer comments help in my learning process. I found Ann's web page on recommendation from the dealer when I got the machine.  We still talk about it in the sewing club and recommend to each other at meetings. Keep up the Club and we will keep recommending.

You are one fortunate individual.  You might consider buying a lottery ticket (LOL).

Finding a good dealer who also has a club where you can share and learn is really terrific!  I had a bad experience and was able to find a different dealer who was getting ALL the unhappy clients from the thoughtless dealership.  I had even complained to Brother and found out that others had done the same! 

We all just want to be treated with respect.  I feel that if I am signing the check, I should be treated well. 

Pat

ps:  My new blog will be on this site tomorrow sometime.  Watch for The Avid Embroiderer because I love to hear from you and I am really proud of my blogs.  Perhaps I should not brag, but I put effort into them and I want people to learn from them.

Anne:  I have not found much advantage to pricing.  Most times I find what I need at local craft and sewing stores equally resonable or less.  I have found some of the tips helpful.  I love browsing designs.  Many of my favorite works are from you free design collection.  One problem that seems to nag me - many many times it is a hassel to get designs or place orders because your site seems to forget my password.  It usually takes 3 or more attempts to accomplish what I am trying to do.  Overall, I do enjoy your offerings.  From a very casual participant who uses embrodery as a very fun restful pasttime.  Tess

I joined Ann's club back in February at my husband's encouragement.  Then for the next several weeks whenever he wanted to find me, I was on the computer at Ann's website.  I was very pleased to find the embroidery designs "THE BITTIES" as I had a dream about those designs 2 years ago and have been looking for something similar to either do by hand or machine.  What a pleasant surprise to find them on Ann's site and priced so reasonably.  Also the stabilizers I ordered were of top quality at below average prices.  Again, what a nice surprise.  I feel I have saved more than the cost of the membership to the club.  As for the free designs, they are always coming in handy when I do bibs for the grandchildren.  The smiles I get from the little ones when I use some of the silly characters that I have never found elsewhere is beyond belief.  I give my experience with the website and products an A++++.

Dotti in Michigan

This is the second time I have joined Ann's Club and the last as I won't let my subscription lapse again.  I got busy and let my membership lapse and thought "No big deal."  I had downloaded many of the designs I wanted and decided to move on. 

I am on a limited income and am home embroiderer hobbiest.  I figured I could spend my money on something new and different.  Boy was I wrong.  While other sites have beautiful designs, many times the designs are out of my budget if you only want one design out of a design set package.  When I had an idea for a project, I'd go looking for a design somewhere else (because I let me subscription lapse.) - only to find a similar design to what I wanted, but not exactly what I wanted or within my budget.  I renewed my subscription because I knew Ann's Club had what I wanted.   Those other Yahoo Groups I belong to often send members to Ann the Gran for designs.  Each time, I would tell myself I should renew, I should renew.

I use the site mainly for the downloads of designs and the information provided by the many contributors.  The digitizers who provide the designs do quality work and my projects for both kids and adults stitch beautifully (except for those errors created by this human).  The people who received my gifts are pleased.  (At Christmas, my son kept asking if I had really made those presents and embroidered them on my home machine.  I knew he was really pleased.)  I quit testing the designs from this site because each test came out so good.   I spend a lot of time reading the articles, saving those which I know will help me and have learned so much from them.  When I am stumped on how to do something or I'm having a "bad" day with Lil Miss (my machine), I check out the information from Ann the Gran to help me get over the hump.  I am proud to say my embroidering has become better looking with less mistakes and I believe it is because the designs I use from Ann the Gran and the blogs have helped.

Thank you for such great designs and instructions. 

Nancy aka Colorfulnan

Nancy-You and I have a lot in commong, I too have a limited income and LOVE my machine embroidery (ME). 

I have lived long enough to know about costs and value.  And I know value when I see it.  I am really pleased with the items I have from ATG and the Club is almost like a license to steal, just don't tell Greg!

I began a Blog here as The Avid Embroiderer.  I love to talk embroidery and could do so 24/7.  I discovered that I can do what I love and still have time for sleeping and living and those silly things that get in the way of ME. 

People ask me all the time about blogging, so I am going to anwser it here.  Blogging is like talking with a friend about a new project.  For instance, I think about what I have already done and write about that for some blogs.  I describe how I worked through the process and what I learned.

Then there is doing something new.  ME enthusiasts always want to try something new and I am no exception.  So, for my most recent blog, I did a Cutwork Napkin.  I have to say that I am glad I had a blog so I could share my enthusiasm about that project.  So, I start my project and take lots of photos.  As I go along, I keep stopping to be sure photos are available, and reasonably good - that is the hard part!  When my project is complete, I look over my photos and just write about what I was doing. 

So, I already wanted to do the project, so nothing different there.  Then I take photos, that is the only different thing I have to do.  Then I write about the photos.  Then I have a blog!  It really is that easy. 

If you have a craft, and it does not have to be embroidery, you could do a blog too.  If you check the top of the blog page, it says how to have your ideas considered.  In fact, I would love to hear more about gardening and flowers and photography and - -  well, lots of things that are of general interest.

Consider blogging, it is one great way to meet and make friends!

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

In fact, I am going to post this in the General area for more people to read.  That is how much I love blogging!