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