Bedecked and Beadazzled Guide to Stitch Guides

Ruth Schmuff has updated her shop website with a page devoted to stitch guides available from her store.  The newest guides are at the top of the page.  Classics are down lower.  Please note that some guides are for past mystery classes that Ruth has done in her teacher role, some are designer club guides, and some are for canvases that Ruth distributes in her painted canvas distributor role.  In other words, some guides are available at other shops and some are exclusive to Ruth.  Some listings are for the painted canvas with the guide included.  Some are just for the guide or for one month's installment in a club.  Click on the thumbnail portrait of anything you find interesting to get the details.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/needlepoint/--a-21.asp

LOVE (Threads)

Robin King is stitching the perfect canvas to celebrate Mother's Day--Raymond Crawford's LOVE.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2013/05/love-by-raymond-crawford-ho-207.html

This piece is a threadaholic's delight!  Robin used a different palette of threads for each letter and I bet she uses a lot of other stitches, too.  Robin has issued a challenge to readers of her blog--she posted a stitch diagram she is using somewhere in the design.  Guess which thread and area she put it in and win a prize!

Truly anyone who stitches one of Robin's guides has won a prize anyway but it is fun to try and decide just where Robin put the Triple Windows stitch.

Hibiscus Flowers, Palm Fronds, a Mai Tai and Me UPDATED

The Paper Umbrella, Closeup of Bermuda

The latest series from Leigh Designs was just announced at Destination Dallas--the Caribe' series.  
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp626x.html


These sunny florals are all inspired by motifs from the various Caribbean islands.  I stitched Bermuda as a model for Leigh and have done a stitch guide for both the large and small versions of this canvas.  Your local shop can order a canvas and guide for you from Leigh or you can ask me for a PDF version of the guide if you happen to have the canvas already or just want to add it to your reference library.






You can see the entire set of the bigger Caribe' designs at the Leigh Designs website.  The smaller "coaster" size will be released for the Columbus TNNA show in June although some of them are already public.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2013/04/leighs-booth.html

The photo above is a closeup from my large Bermuda model.  It is full of the new Swarovski flat back crystal sequins and beads.  These decorate the organdy ribbon umbrella, grace the black shutters, and float like pineapple bits in the glass. The hibiscus blossoms are covered in beads instead.  My favorite part of the design are the palm fronds and green coconuts, however.  They just give peace to this fun Caribbean piece.

Bermuda In All Her Sunny Glory!

I understand that there will be other stitch guides done for this series (I have done one for the small version of Trinidad to be shown off in June) and Sandy Arthur will teach a class on one of the set as well.  Stay tuned until the June trade show in Columbus for more!

UPDATE:  Sharon Quick is working the large version of Martinique;
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=531540446910579&set=o.108537025890131&type=1&theater

Pat Miller is working on the large version of Barbados;
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151492369304261&set=o.108537025890131&type=1&theater

and Sandy Arthur is stitching the large version of Jamacia which she will teach at the June 2013 Columbus trade show. There will be stitch guides available for all three canvases this summer sometime.
http://www.sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2013/05/classes-for-tnna-i-have-good-fortune-of.html

The Stitch Guide Crew in Action

Folks who write stitch guides and designers who come up with the painted canvas work very closely together.  Robin King just illustrated this beautifully in her brief article about the evolution of the Tapestry Fair stitch guide for Hooter Owl.  Peggi of Tapestry Fair designed and stitched this 3-D charmer (plus came up with a non-holiday version), Robin worked up the stitch guide diagrams, and Carolyn Hedge Baird contributed photographs.  The NP Nation (designer/stitch guide writer clan) really came together on this!
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2013/04/halloween-hooter-owl-by-tapestry-fair.html

Free Stitch Guides for JHL Nutcrackers and Halloween Standups

I really like JHL Design's Three Wise Men stocking (link below)
http://www.twoscompanyneedlepoint.com/catalog.php?pageNum_gallery=7&totalRows_gallery=114&sv=1&t=t

so I was over at the Julia's Needleworks site (Julia's distributes JHL designs), browsing JHL Designs when I stumbled across a series of interesting stitch guides for JHL's series of Nutcracker and Halloween stand up figures.  The guides are shown with the bare canvases, starting at this page.  The canvases come with the guides as far as I can tell.  Sweet!
http://needleworks.ehclients.com/index.php/gallery-jhl-designs/category/C111/P16/