Stitch Guides from Renaissance Designs

Some of Renaissance Designs' colorful canvases come with stitch guides.  Here is a listing (link below).  Some of the canvases have thread kits available, and some don't, and a few also have buttons.  Probably the thread kits use many of the Renaissance Designs line of threads.
http://www.renaissanceneedlepoint.com/sg/sg.html

Guides are available from Carolyn Baird, Leann Bemis, Julie Elder, Vicki Fish, Gale Martin, Gina Marie, Tony Minieri, SuZy Murphy, Cathi Rosengren, Lynee Segill, Shear Creations and Cynthia Thomas.  Some stitch guides are not credited.

Old World Designs' Ready-To-Go Projects

Old World Designs in California offers canvas and stitch guide sets, all of which are listed on this page.  Threads cost extra.  I think if there is no price,  this piece is no longer offered, but you'll have to ask Old World Designs to make sure.  The stitch guides are written by Claire Haldan, Laura Rich and Nancy Reeves.  Note that Nancy's stitch guide is on a DVD and that Claire also has a DVD stitch guide as well as technique DVDs (one for beginners and one teaching hair and fur techniques).
http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/classprojects.html

Designers whose canvases are available here as a Ready-to-Go project are Melissa Shirley, Mile High Princess, Rebecca Wood, Artists Collection, Shelly Tribbey, Renaissance Designs, Zecca, Petei and Gimmies.

UPDATE:  With the revival of the Petei line by Painted Pony Designs, Old World Designs is going to have their Petei guides available again.

Tony Minieri's Clip-on Bird Stitch Guides

Labors of Love has a series of clip-on bird canvases that come with feathers.  You can see them on their website.  The birds are a double-sided canvas that comes with the clip and feathers for the tails.
http://www.laborsofloveneedlepoint.com/gallery.php?category=53

Tony Minieri is writing stitch guides for at least some of these canvases.  You can almost certainly get them from In Stitches in Atlanta.  There is a photo of some finished birds perched in an artificial tree on their home page currently.
http://www.institchesatlanta.com/index.html

Canvases with Free Stitch Guides Included

Some designers offer a free stitch guide with each painted canvas.  I will list all the designers whose canvases come with a guide below as I discover them.

Barbara Bergsten's canvases all come with stitch guides.  You get them from her blog and then pick up the canvas at your local shop.  Here's the link.  Note that this is a great place to get individual stitch diagrams, not just a guide for one of Barbara's canvases.
http://www.barbarabergstendesigns.com/stitch_guides.htm

http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2011/01/painted-stitches-needlepoint.html

Princess and Me specializes in ornament canvases, mostly humorous Christmas motifs, and all their canvases come with stitch guides.
http://www.princessandme.com/

http://nimbleneedlenj.com/princess-me-ornaments-and-stitch-guides/

Needlepoint.com

One online shop lists the canvases that come with their own stitch guides that they have for sale.  These are from varied designers.  I recognize Kelly Clark, Princess and Me, A Collection of Designs, and Shelly Tribbey.  Prices vary from $5-15 extra for the guide.  Note that all Princess and Me canvases come with a stitch guide included at no extra charge. I don't know if the stitch guide alone is available for the other designers' canvases but one A Collection of Designs canvas comes with a guide at no charge.
http://www.needlepoint.com/index.php/all-canvases/canvases-with-stitch-guides.html?p=2

I wish more online stores were organized this way.

UPDATE: Needle Works in Texas also has a category for canvases with stitch guides. It looks like these are all canvases that have the stitch guides included in the price but I can't be 100% sure.  Here's the link-
http://theneedleworks.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=27

Paid Custom Stitch Guides from Online Shops

Some online shops will design a custom guide for you whether you bought your painted canvas from them or not.  Here's a list, in alphabetical order.  Most of the shops listed don't give much detail so you will have to contact them and talk over what you need and how much it will cost. I will add to this list as I find more shops that offer this service.  Buyer beware!  I don't know how detailed or good any of these guides are.

NeedleHouse in Houston doesn't mention prices or any other details.
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89&Itemid=91

Old World Designs (California)
http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/

Needlenook of La Jolla (California) - They might only do guides for canvases purchased from them, however.
http://store.needlenook.com/Custom-Stitch-Guide-Service-p36795.html

Rittenhouse (Pennsylvania)
http://rittenhouseneedlepoint.com/stitchguide

Quail Run (Arizona)
http://quailrunneedlework.com/services/stitch-guide-design

Kelly Clark Stitch Guides UPDATED

This article was written in 2010 and there have been a lot of changes in Kelly's business and website. For the latest information, check the Contact Information tab for stitch guide writers.  Thanks!


Kelly Clark's website has a section showing three pages of guides that are available for her canvases.  Clicking on the thumbnail photo will show you some details and often the stitched version, but there is no pricing information, probably because this is a wholesale only site.  Ask your shop to find out for you.  Some of the stitch guides are credited to Gina Liuzzi and others have no stitch guide writer credited.  I believe some of the pieces are stitched by Kelly herself.
http://www.kellyclarkneedlepoint.com/stitch

UPDATE:  Kelly's designs are now owned by Colonial Needle which has them on her website.  Note that any canvas with a stitch guide is marked SG in the catalogue.
http://www.colonialneedle.com/files-customer/catalog/KellyClark_catalog.pdf

Some of the guides for Kelly's pieces were designer clubs, created by the designer and sold to shops who distributed them to customers.  The pear club had problems of supply as items didn't arrive when expected.  The firecracker club seems to have had a different sort of problem.  I'm adding these criticisms here so that you are a bit careful if you included in a Kelly Clark club created by the designer instead of by a local shop.
http://www.dianestakingtimeouttoneedlepoint.com/2014/03/firecracker-club.html

UPDATE:  You can buy Kelly's Katt Z. Witch (who reminds me of Hermonine Granger if you have a Harry Potter fan to stitch for) from Amy Bunger's website.  The best part?  The Robin King stitch guide is included.  I've seen this guide in person and it is fabulous!
http://www.amybunger.com/catalog/item/6292564/7740392.htm

John Waddell

Although primarily a teacher, John Waddell offers stitch guides for selected canvases for $10 each via his website.  He offers a guide for a Petei Nativity set, for quite a few Petei Santas, and a canvas here and there from designers like Raymond Crawford and Designing Women.  If you are a shop, John offers wholesale pricing.  Just email him at john@johnwaddellneedlepoint.com.
http://johnwaddellneedlepoint.com/stitchguide.html

Kathy Schenkel Complimentary Stitch Guides

Many, but not all, of Kathy Schenkel's canvases come with stitch guides.  Here is her site.  It doesn't tell us what canvases come with guides.  Ask your local shop for help.
http://www.kathyschenkel.com/

Patt and Lee Designs UPDATED

Stitch guides are available for some Patt and Lee canvases. Patt and Lee canvases are unique in that they are available on whatever size canvas you specify, and you can also buy a charted version. This summer (2010) Patt and Lee plan to release their most popular designs as painted canvases. Right now they are solely a printed canvas company.

The link below is to the stitch guide section of their website. They have many more than just these, but they are adding guides to their canvases faster than they can update this page. Browse their site and check the descriptions of anything that catches your eye to see if there is a stitch guide available.  No prices are listed, probably because this is a wholesale only site. Some of the stitch guides are by Janet Perry and others are by Patt herself, plus I did a stitch guide for Pirate Cat.
http://www.pattandleedesigns.com/designs_with_stitch_guides

http://www.pattandleedesigns.com/holiday_inspired_designs_page_3

UPDATE:  Patt and Lee have the stitch guide ready for their charming Puppy Love canvas.  This looks like great fun for a counted thread person who is looking to start painted canvases.
http://pattandleedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/st-12-stitch-guide.html

Guides for Lani's Needlepoint UPDATED

The Cover of One of Lani's Guides

There seem to be two levels of stitch guides available for Lani's designs with a base price starting at $75 for the embellished fancy sttich guides.  It looks to me if you buy a canvas and threads from Lani, she'll do a simple free guide for you.
http://www.LanisNeedlepoint.com/stitchguides.aspx

Other guides seem to be for sale.  Email the address here for more information.
http://www.lanienterprises.com/stitch_guides.html

UPDATE:  Lani has started doing more guides now.  Some of her geisha canvases (see photo above) and the high heel series have guides.

UPDATE #2:  Sharon Quick has done several stitch guides for Lani canvases.  Here is the rose collage piece she just finished (May 2014). The guide will be available from Lani shortly.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=735990496465572&set=gm.668844523192709&type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=764552046942750&set=gm.693740930703068&type=1&theater

Free Stitch Guides With Purchase of Canvas and/or Threads

Many shops provide a free stitch guide if you buy a canvas and/or threads from them. Some shops will write a guide for you for any canvas whether you bought it from them or not.  The quality and detail in the guide vary.  I am listing online shops that say they offer this service below.  Read the fine print and talk to the shop first.  Buyer beware!

I will update the list as I find more shops that offer a free guide.

Chandail Needlework
http://www.chandailneedlework.com/stitch_guides/index.php

Fancy Stitches (Texas) writes stitch guides at no charge, although they appreciate it if you buy the threads from them.
http://www.fancystitches.com/page60.html

Fireside Stitchery-free guide with purchase; custom guides available (presumably these are more elaborate guides for a canvas you own already) - look at the categories here to see if they have written a guide already for the canvas you have in mind
http://www.firesidestitchery.com/fs/stitchGuides/index.cfm

Here is an example of one of Fireside's guides, just so you know what you are getting.
http://www.firesidestitchery.com/fs/HandPaintedCanvas/images/stitchGuideExamples.png

Girls Raised in the South Needleworks has both free and paid guides.
http://web.me.com/gritsnp/Site/Stitch_Guides.html

Marion's Nimble Needle in New York offers a free customized stitch guide with their Special Creations kit which is the canvas and all the threads recommended in the guide.
http://marionsnimbleneedle.com/index.php

The Needle Works--Note that they say a guide may take several weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the design and on how many are queued up.

http://www.theneedleworks.com/

Needlepoint in Paradise -- A free guide comes with many of their canvases.  (I think the guides are by Gloria, whose last name I don't know.)  Click on Categories under the About Us section on the left to browse.
http://www.needlepointinparadise.com/content/view/6/1/

Needleworks of Homestead, Alabama offers free custom stitch guides with a canvas purchase.  They also have some canvases that come with guides.  There is a link to the slide show of canvases with guides here.  The second link goes straight to the slide show.
http://web.me.com/gritsnp/Site/Stitch_Guides.html

http://web.me.com/gritsnp/Site/Photos.html

Quail Run in Scottsdale, AZ offers free guides for canvases purchased through the shop.  Others cost $25/hour.  The turnaround time is usually 1-2 weeks.
http://quailrunneedlework.com/services/stitch-guide-design

Janet Perry (Napa Needlepoint)

Janet has had problems with her website host company so her stitch guides are now available in her Etsy store.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/napaneedlepoint?section_id=10503484

Introducing Sharon Quick of QuickStitcher Designs UPDATED

I did an interview and slide show with Sharon Quick on Blog almost a year ago and thought I should link to it here to describe Sharon's stitch guide services.  She is a finisher, too!
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2009/02/introducing-sharon-quick.html

If you are too busy to go read the interview right now, I've quoted an excerpt below describing her stitch guides:

"I have stitch guides for several pieces that I stitched for myself. I am particularly proud of Walking to the Moon (or also called Going to the Magic Place). Other guides are the 12 Vases by JP (C-566); Sprinkler Flowers by Shelly Tribbey (FL20); Kaylene by Ewe and Eye (EW-1007); Louise by Ewe and Eye (EWE-98); Stitching Club by Melissa Shirley; Dreidel Girl by Ruth Schmuff(1284); Night Ride by Shelly Tribbey; Desire by Lani; and Chef on a Bike by Alice Peterson. These stitch guides can be obtained directly from me.  You will soon be seeing my name on stitch guides from Needle Deeva, Trubey, and Dede Ogden."

Sharon's email address is bg4458@earthlink.net.  Contact her directly to buy one of her guides and get her mailing address.   I own her Walking to the Moon Guide which cost $50 for an emailed PDF file that is nine pages long.  The stitch diagrams are very clear and understandable, and there is a photo of this Sundance design on the cover and a larger photo inside with the various areas Sharon discusses numbered.

UPDATE:  Sharon just released a guide for Leigh Design's Remila from the Ladies of the Night series. You can see the plain Remila canvas on Leigh's website.  Click on the photo of the unstitched canvas and Sharon's version will appear.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp513x.html

UPDATE #2:  Sharon is posting photos of models for her guides on her Facebook page these days. Be sure to check there.

Stitch Guides From Amy Bunger's Shop

Amy Bunger and her staff (especially Robin King) write stitch guides for her classes by mail and also for selected canvases in her store.  Stitch guides are not returnable.  You must purchase at least the canvas and/or the threads from Amy's store as well as the stitch guide.  You cannot buy the stitch guide alone.   These are some of the most expensive stitch guides available.  Only a custom guide written by a top name needlepointer costs more.  I've never seen any show up on eBay so you know they are treasured by their purchasers.

Photos of the canvases with guides here.  Each is clearly marked as to whether they were written by Amy or Robin.
http://www.amybunger.com/custom_stitch_guides.html

Currently the guides are for canvases from Alexa, Alice Peterson, Amanda Lawford, Artists Collection, Brenda Stofft, Canvas Works, Cooper Oaks, Ewe and Eye, Jane Nichols, Kelly Clark, Labours of Love, Lee, Leigh Designs, Maggie, Melissa Shirley, Needle Crossing, Point of It All, Raymond Crawford, Ruth Schmuff, Shelly Tribbey, Sophia, Susan Roberts, and Tapestry Tent.

UPDATE:  Robin King announces a new stitch guide available for a Kelly Clark witch canvas.  (I call this the Hermonine Granger Witch because it looks like this Harry Potter character to me.)  Since I posted this update, Robin has released a second stitch guide, this time for a Needle Deeva autumn harvest heart.  Search on Robin King to find a separate article on this talented stitcher and her guides.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/02/katt-z-witch-stitch-guide-are-now.html

By the way, Melissa Shirley has added a profile of Amy to her MSD website since Amy often writes guides to Melissa Shirley canvases.
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/galcol/index.cgi?index=1311385283_27740&col=158