Nimble Fingers and Stitch Guides

Nimble Fingers in Houston has a gallery page on their website with photos of finished pieces.  Many of these are still available in the shop with stitch guides.  There seem to be several Labors of Love canvases but there is a nice selection of work from many designers.  Some of the latest guides aren't listed yet so contact the shop about something you want that they night have not listed online yet.  Happy browsing!
https://www.nimblefingerstx.com/new-products-1?category=Stitch+Guides

Ruth Schmuff Garden Series with Snyder Guides

Ruth Schmuff and Julia Snyder have collaborated on another series of Ruth's canvases' guides, this time for her "garden" series.  You can see the Garden Girls and then the Cafe Girls designs at the links below, followed by Up on the Rooftop.  Sadly, I don't have finished photos of a model of any of them for you.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2013/03/the-garden-girl.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2013/04/latte-anyone.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2013/08/up-on-rooftop.html

https://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/needlepoint/--b-1397.asp

The Stitch Guide Writer's Best Friend

One of the biggest problems I have as a stitch guide writer is having threads for a guide I just finished go out of production.  My favorite Kreinik metallic is no longer made.  The perfect thread for my current project is also not available any more.  What's a stitch guide writer to do?

Are you familiar with the (now closed) Regal Rabbit?  The owner has closed the shop and is semi-retired but her website is still open for business.  Head over there now and look at the bottom of the threads page.  There's a tool for finding threads built in!
http://a-z-needlepoint.com/needlepointyarn.shtml

The database's only weakness is that Kreinik metallics don't seem to be included.  For that, visit Kreinik's online color card.
http://www.kreinik.com/PDF/metallic_chart_8_12.pdf

Just type in a thread color and you'll see lots and lots of alternatives to that red cotton perle you are overusing.  Type in the closest DMC color number to that discontinued thread and there will be plenty of substitutes to choose from.  It's a stitch guide writer's best friend!  (Besides their copy editor, of course.)

There's a New Girl (or Two) in Town UPDATED AGAIN

There's a new stitch guide writer in town and she's hanging out with Floozies!  Don't believe me?  Check out Sloe Gin Sadie.
http://stitcherie.ning.com/photo/isloe-gin-sadie?context=user

Over at the other side of the bar is Champagne Corliss.
http://stitcherie.ning.com/photo/champagne-corliss-framed?context=user

These Floozies are both from Leigh Designs, stitched by Pat Miller who is creating stitch guides for your stitching pleasure.  If you are a shop you can order one of Pat's guides when you order your canvas from Leigh, or if you have one of these canvases lurking in your bar, you can email Pat directly and get a guide to help you stitch the slightly shady lady of your dreams.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2013/03/big-news.html

Rumor has it that the next lady to undergo Pat's makeover will be Kitty from the Femme Fatale series.
https://needlepointus.com/proddetail.asp?prod=LD5046

You know, I think I've seen that platinum blonde before....
http://spotsandstripesforever.tumblr.com/post/40276411115/wehadfacesthen-jean-harlow-1932

UPDATE:  The Needleart Nut has added a Stitch Guide page to her blog so that fans of her style can read about all the guides she's completed in one place.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/p/available-stitch-guides.html

UPDATE #2:  Kitty from Leigh Designs is done.  A guide will be ready shortly (second link).   Aren't that gown and stole fabulous!?!
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2013/04/kitty-is-all-done.html

http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2013/05/another-stitch-guide.html

http://leighdesigns.com/Mdl5046.html

UPDATE #3:  Morgana of the Ladies of the Night series is framed.  A stitch guide from the Needleart Nut will be in the works shortly.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2013/10/morgana-framed.html

Repurposing a Stitch Guide

Enriched Stitch did a lovely stitch guide for Ewe and Eye's Swirly Snowmen (it shows an overhead view of three snowmen twirling in the snow to make their scarves fly out around them), and had a customer ask if the guide could be used for the smaller single snowman ornaments that Ewe and Eye produced. Yes!  Quite a few designers do a large painted canvas and then reuse elements from the large design in a smaller version.   If I've done a model for a larger or smaller piece and the guide can be reused in that canvas' other versions, I will note what you need to do in the stitch guide.  When it comes to other stitch guide writers, any shop or the stitch guide writer him- or herself can tell you if you can reuse a guide on another canvas.
http://astheneedleturns.com/mini-swirly-snowmen/

Of course I collect guides for their ideas and reuse them other places all the time, but this is really about using a guide for another version of the same design.

New Stitch Guides for New Melissa Shirley Canvases

Melissa Shirley must keep very busy designing new things.  Even though some of her designs are licensed from fellow artists, most of the new things that come from her studio are created by her.  So she keeps a lot of stitch guide writers very busy creating guides to enhancing and stitching these beauties.  Here's a roundup of the latest guides for the latest canvases, with the guide writer's name in parantheses.

Berry Basket (Carolyn Hedge Baird of Chaparral)
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=6118&cat=70

Rosy Cupcake (Cynthia Thomas)
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=6184&cat=70

Sweet Hearts - small pink heart ornaments (Laurie Walden)
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=6186&cat=70

Texas Basket (Carolyn Hedge Baird of Chaparral)
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=6185&cat=70

Valentine House- three dimensional design (Jan Ayeroff of Aristeia)
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=5947&cat=70

Stitch guides are underway for the Easter and Valentine crackers (Palma Seljan) but they aren't ready yet.

Enriched Stitch has finished their guide for Melissa's Peacock Ginger Jar.  They are teaching this as a class (which you can take via Skype if you wish) but the guide should be available separately as well.
http://enrichedstitch.com/guides/

Everyone Loves Raymond (and Halloween)

Everyone loves a fun Halloween canvas as they are always so happy and give us permission to do all sorts of wild things.  Vicky DeAngelis has obviously loved working on this fun Trick or Treat design from Raymond Crawford.  Her stitch guide for Raymond will be available very soon.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/everybody-loves-raymond-2/

Facebook Announcements of New Stitch Guides

A. Bradley Needle Arts has just announced a new canvas with stitch guide by Cynthia Thomas on their Facebook page.  It's one of those leg lamps, hilariously (and elegantly) stitched.  If you have a FB account you'll be able to see it here.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=590451304317881&set=a.202450229784659.56125.200893423273673&type=1&theater

Patt and Lee Designs has a new photo albums up on their Facebook page. It's called "Designs with Stitch Guides."  You can get a good look at their stitched models here if you have a FB account.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.422977001117412.1073741825.100002153487668&type=1