What Is a Stitch Guide Like?

Lots of folks are curious about stitch guides.  What are they exactly?  What do they cost?  Where do you find one for that painted canvas you want to stitch?  The answer to the last question is easy--you browse here!  Costs and the layout vary.  There is no standard format, so what you will get varies from absolutely basic notes to a chatty guide with lots of tips.  However any stitch guide gives you a list of stitches and threads to use in various places in the design.  

Many shops do free guides if you buy a design and threads from them using a format similar to this:

Free Guide from Fireside Stitchery (Page 1 of 4)

This is from Fireside Stitchery, which kindly sent me an image of what they use. This is page one of a four page guide, by the way.   Thanks, Betsy!

All stitch guides will list the materials you need but not all have stitch diagrams.  Most will diagram unusual stitches but not the basics like tent stitches.  Some will list the stitches and tell you what page they are located on in this or that book.  Julia Snyder usually works this way, for example, referring folks to page X in one of the many books she's written.  The most famous stitch guide writers may charge more but not have elaborate guides.  You are buying their expertise and time.

To help answer this question, I have collected guides for you to look at or read about in the links below.  Note that some stitch guides have photos of the finished piece but many do not.  A great many stitch guide writers don't have the time to stitch each piece they have done a guide for.  They are using their experience to pick stitches without having the time to try them out.

I suggest you look at stitched models of all sorts of pieces, trying to find a style that matches your own leanings.  That way you will be working with someone whose tastes are a bit like yours.  You won't be disappointed even if you can't find a photo of what the finished piece looks like if your taste is similar to theirs.

First up, a review of Amy Bunger's stitch guides.  The short version is they are fabulous!
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/01/amy-bungers-stitch-guides-review.html

Amy's also written a bit about stitch guides in this August 2018 newsletter for her (now closed) shop.
http://www.amysgoldenstrand.com/uploads/7/2/3/6/72364657/0818.pdf

Here is a review of one of Beverly Churchill's guides for Melissa Shirley's Vintage Pears canvas, a classic design with a classic treatment.
https://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-vintage-pears-stitch-guide.html

Here is a review I did of one of Robin King's stitch guides.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/08/reviewing-robin-kings-stitch-guides.html

Needlepoint.com also did a review of some of Robin's guides.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/11/robin-kings-creepy-creatures-set-guides.html

CBK has free stitch guides on their website for some of their many canvases.  These vary in style and layout because they are from a lot of different stitch guide writers.
http://www.cbkneedlepoint.com/Stitch_Guides.html

Palma Seljan has also created quite a few free stitch guides.  Some have been posted here and some are available at Needlepoint Nation group on Facebook in the Files section.  Palma's guides are very basic: a table that says use this stitch and thread in this spot.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/

Here's a basic free guide for a small Melissa Shirley Halloween "cracker" design by Palma Seljan.
https://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-sweet-candy-corn-treat-free.html

This article reviews Kimberly's guides for her own line of painted canvases.  If you want to learn new techniques, Kimberly does unique and interesting work.
https://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2016/05/kimberly-stitch-guides-review.html

Louise's Needlepoint has a nice article here about various types of stitch guides and what their shop guides are like.
https://media.rainpos.com/530/august_2018_new_blast_final.pdf

Ellen of Serendipity Stitches describes stitch guides and why you might want one here in this article promoting her class on learning how to create your own stitch guides.

https://www.serendipityneedleworks.com/what-is-a-stitch-guide/

Pricing varies from $5-$150 usually but custom guides cost more since they are priced according to the hours involved or the number of pages.  Ruth Schmuff explains why guides take so much time beautifully in this essay.
https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/2019/10/process/

Hopefully this answers some of your questions.  I have all the contact information I can find for all the stitch guide writers I know about in another tab.  Most are happy to answer questions, although it may take them a bit to get back to you.