Pocket Full of Stitches Clubs and Guides UPDATED

Melissa Shirley Flower Vase Canvas

Pocket Full of Stitches is well known for their monthly clubs.  They were one of the first, if not the first, shop to offer this service.  Here's a complete list to date of what is available.  I'm unable to say whether you can pick up one canvas from a club or if all the clubs are still available.  There's a club membership fee plus you pay for the monthly kit you receive.  Details are at the bottom of the page.
http://www.pfos.com/ChristmasClubs/clubs.htm

Their blog states that Sara (no last name) is stitching three of Melissa Shirley's floral still life canvases and there will be stitch guides available for them.  This might be a class at the shop, but I am not certain.  I'll update this article with more information if I find out more about this or the monthly clubs.
http://www.pfos.com/ChristmasClubs/clubs.htm

UPDATE:  They've posted photos of the stitched models for this year's Christmas Fab Firs tree club.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2010/10/9-fab-firs-all-stitched-up.html

There is also a page of stitch guide booklets they have available.
http://www.pfos.com/SalePages/PocketFullofStitchesStitchGuideBooks.htm

And here's a guide they wrote for a visitor.
https://www.facebook.com/519994421356592/photos/a.525617857460915.112072.519994421356592/1270700382952655/?type=3&theater

Painted Pony and Eye Candy Stitch Guides

This week I discovered a list of which Painted Pony and which EyeCandy designs have stitch guides.  Painted Pony's guides are written by someone named Susan (no last name) who apparently is also working guides for some of their series.  If anyone has Susan's last name, please let me know.  I'd like to credit her properly.  The design above is he Surfing Star Angel, one of their new canvases.
http://www.paintedponyneedlepoint.com/stitch.htm

EyeCandy's Seasonal Tree for Fall

EyeCandy's guides are written by Susan Allanson in most cases, although I found one by Janet Perry and Ruth Scmuff did a guide for their Counted Puzzle pattern.
http://www.eyecandyneedleart.com/EyeCandy_Needleart/EyeCandy_Needleart_Catalog/Pages/Stitch_Guides.html

I haven't seen guides for these canvases written by either person so I can't give you a review of them.  However, since EyeCandy's seasonal tree series is going to be featured in Needlepoint Now magazine starting with the September-October 2010 issue, you can probably get some idea of their guides if you subscribe to this magazine.  The photo above is EyeCandy's Seasonal Tree for Fall.
http://www.needlepointnow.com/current_issue/current_issue_toc.html

O'jishi In All His Glory

The O'jishi Pillow

The Noh Theatre mask I stitched as a model for Leigh Designs is back from the finisher.  Isn't it magnificent?!

O'jishi Stitched But Not Made Up

The O'jishi stitch guide is available as a PDF file from me.  Just click on the How To Buy tab above for details.  The canvas is one of a series of eight Leigh did featuring traditional Japanese masks.  O'jishi is a stylized lion that guards the Bodhisattva.  All the designs in the series are located here.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp467x.html

The finishing is by Marlene's in San Francisco.  They are expensive, but worth every penny!
http://www.marlenecustompillows.com/

New Quilted Series Stitch Guides by Tapestry Fair

Large Quilted Turkey

Tapestry Fair is starting to offer stitch guides for their "Quilted Square" series.  These designs are being done as a class at Family Arts Needlework in Phoenix, Arizona, and the canvases (either painted or line drawn) will be offered from Tapestry Fair with stitch guides optional.
http://www.familyartsneedlework.com/

Partridge and Pear

The Partridge and Pear stitch guide is finished.  You can see it in the photo of the stitch guide cover above.

The first guide written is for the large Quilted Turkey canvas above.  (There is going to be a smaller Quilted Turkey but it isn't ready just yet although the model is stitched.)  The Quilted Crows and Apples design will have its stitch guide written next.

Small Quilted Turkey

Here's the Small Quilted Turkey design which is on 13 count.

You can follow news of new canvases and the stitch guides which Peggi is starting to develop at the Tapestry Fair site.  Just click on the News tab and a new window will open to allow you to read all about it.
http://www.tapestryfair.com/

Apples and Crows Quilted Square

Peggi agreed to let me post photos of the Quilted series here since she hasn't had time to put them up on her website yet.  Hope you enjoy them.  The Apples and Crows one is my favorite because it is different from the usual autumn themed canvas.  What's your favorite?

A Creative Consultation with June Mcknight UPDATED

UPDATE:  Stitches By the Bay has announced that it is closing, effective November 20 2010.  I don't know if the web links below will be active after that, so let me summarize what they say.  The first link says that "creative consultations" with June at the shop are $65/hour and are by appointment on Thursdays and Fridays.  The second link is a form to fill out if you need a consultation but don't live locally.  Besides your name and address, the form asks for a description of your project, how you plan to finish it, threads you like and dislike, decorative stitches you would like to avoid, and any special notes such as a deadline for finishing the project.  These long distance consultations are $60/hr. and the form says small projects usually only need 1-2 hours of June's time.  The contact information is the shop's, not June's.  Probably if you wish to contact June for consultations after November 20, you should use the information on her website, which is the third link below.  It looks like she will continue her creative consultations as before.
*************************************************

Stitches By the Bay is June's former shop.  She still teaches here now that she is concentrating on teaching and writing, and of course you can buy her great little books from the shop.  But the reason I'm mentioning June and Stitches by the Bay is that she does what she calls Creative Consultations for those folks who can't take a local class with her through the shop.  This sounds a great deal like a custom stitch guide to me!
http://stitchesbythebay.com/services.html

Here is the direct link to the Creative Consultation form which you fill out to start the process.  The cost is $60 an hour, which means it'll cost $60-120 for a small project but at least double that for a complex, large design.
http://stitchesbythebay.com/ConsultationForm.html

June also has her own website, although her books are sold only through shops, not directly.  It's a great place to see her latest book and read a bit about it, though.  Her email address is june@junemcknight.com if you want to talk to June herself about a custom stitch guide via a consultation.
http://www.junemcknight.com/

Needle Works: Category for Stitch Guides

Needle Works in Austin, Texas has a category called "Stitch Guides" in its online catalogue.  It looks like all these canvases have a stitch guide included in the price.  A nice touch is that in many cases you are told who wrote the stitch guide.  I place mail orders through Needle Works occasionally and their customer service is always superb.

By the way, they do custom stitch guides.  The rules are here but basically, you will be asked to buy the threads they recommend with the guide they write for you if you bought the canvas from them.  If you didn't, you will have to buy the threads and pay $10/page for the guide.
http://theneedleworks.com/stitch-guide-page/

Here is a listing of their current canvases with stitch guides.  Currently there are 173 for sale, which means a nice little selection if you want to browse.
http://theneedleworks.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=27&sort=3d&page=1

Stitch guide writers include Christina Arredondo, Amy Bunger (Amy's Keeping Me in Stitches), Susan Burris, Colleen Church (she's the owner of Needle Works), Cindy Howland, Kathy Kulesza, Carole Lake, Sandra Reddell and Cindy White.  Since most of these folks have taught at Needle Works, these guides are probably not available elsewhere since they are probably former class items.  I'm just guessing, but don't waste a lot of time trying to find anything except the Amy Bunger ones elsewhere.
http://theneedleworks.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=27

The only other shop I know of that lists all its canvases with stitch guides in a separate category is Needlepoint.com.  Here's the link--
http://www.needlepoint.com/index.php/all-canvases/canvases-with-stitch-guides.html?p=2