Monsters for You

Brenda Hart has put her considerable talents to work on a stitch guide for a Shelly Comiskey portrait of the three classic Halloween monsters--Dracula, The Mummy and Frankenstein himself.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2012/10/trick-or-treat.html

To pick up the canvas, threads and the guide to have it ready for next Halloween, visit Bedecked and Beadazzled.  The canvas is called "Frank Friends."
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/products.php?catid=216&firstcid=3

Palma and the Day of the Dead

Brenda Stofft Day of the Dead Cat

Fireside Stitchery has announced their latest monthly club, a series of six Day of the Dead cat designs from Brenda Stofft.  The club will start in January 2013 but what makes it worthy of notice here is that the stitch guides will be done by Palma Seljan, who is extremely talented at mixing various threads and ribbons and beads and more.  Take a look at the first cat, which features a (mother of pearl?) button for the nose and beaded eyes.  The full series of cats are shown on Brenda Stofft's website.
http://www.brendastofftdesign.com/#!home/mainPage

I'm hoping this is just the first in a long series of stitch guides by Palma!

Need a Needlepoint Fairy in Your Life?

If you need a needlepoint fairy godmother to help you over those rough spots in your stitching, Ruth Schmuff has one ready for you, complete with a Sheena James stitch guide.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2012/10/the-needlepoint-fairy.html

I've seen the guide and it's wonderful.  It has lots of diagrams to help you stitch your own fairy godmother just like Sheena's, a thread list on the back of the guide so you can shop for supplies without even taking the guide out of its protective plastic envelope, and the diagram that is your road map to all the tiny areas is laminated so you can handle it for a long time without damage.  Throw in some unique stitches, cute little pedal pushers covered in sequins, perfect red shoes,  a hairstyle to die for and of course the tiny charms that come with the kit (for a limited time), and this is a fairy you need in your life.

Best of all, she has sisters in case what you really need is a garden fairy instead.  Sadly, Sheena hasn't done guides for the Needlepoint Fairy's kin but I bet you can have a lot of fun creating a fairy perfect for your life regardless.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/products.php?catid=17&firstcid=3

The Stitch Guide Writer As Teacher

Many folks who write stitch guides are affiliated with a shop and often teach there, so there are a goodly number of stitch guide writers who are using a stitch guide as class material, and there are quite a few shops that sell class material as stitch guides now.  Robin King shows how she uses a stitch guide as a jumping off point for a lesson plan.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2012/09/teaching-manuals.html

Seeing this reminded me of something I meant to mention.  The difference between class materials and stitch guides is getting smaller, but there is still the issue of class guides being written to be taught in person by the writer.  For example, links might have been provided to the purchaser to videos that were used in class but sometimes those are not available. There might have been handouts in class illustrating a point that never made it into the stitch guide, or the teacher might have spent extra time going over something that students found confusing, but never updated the guide with further information.   I would suggest you find out if a mail order class guide has all the material that was provided in the actual classroom unless you are feeling particularly adventuresome.  The teacher obviously won't be there with you, but if there are items that were used in class that aren't part of the mail order class guide, you will want to know before you buy!

Linda Lahm Guides from What's the Point?

What's the Point's Linda Lahm has a new series of Sports Santas available from the shop.  There are eight Santas who play golf, go skiing, etc.  They are perfect for the stitcher who loves sports, or who loves someone who loves sports.
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/clubs.cfm

They are also offering a fun Eat Your Carrots canvas as a class or with threads and stitch guide for you to do yourself.  I don't know if the teacher wrote the guide.  Sorry.
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/classes.cfm

Introducing Night Rider

Night Rider, from the Old Crows Series

This is my latest project for Leigh Designs.  It is called "Night Rider" and is from the Old Crows series. All of the Old Crows are on 18 count custom sage green marbled canvas and are 10x10 inches square. (Since my scanner bed is only 9x11, the top and bottom are cut off slightly in the picture above.  Sorry!)  The entire series of Leigh's elegant Halloween set for 2012, just introduced at the Baltimore TNNA Market, is on the Leigh Designs website at this link.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Sgl5150.html

Night Cap from the Old Crows also has a stitch guide by Sandy Arthur of the Shapes of Needlepoint series fame which you can get from Leigh Designs.  Night Rider's guide is available directly from me or can be ordered from Leigh Designs when your shop orders the canvas.

I'm sorry you can't see the beads on the leaves or the metallics in the background, the bird and the witch's ball on the photo above.  They don't photograph well but in person they all a lovely gleam that is dear to the heart of any crow!

My stitch guide is fifteen pages long, including a two page list of the threads and beads needed to stitch this project exactly like I did, nine diagrammed stitches, and includes an essay on light coverage stitching techniques.  The retail price is $25 with wholesale pricing available.  Email me at sgfromchnp@gmail.com for more information or if you wish to purchase the Night Rider guide.

Flowers in a Vase UPDATED AGAIN

A closeup of Robin King's Flowers in a Vase

The line between stitch guide and class instructions continues to blur as Needle Deeva and Robin King collaborate on Flowers in a Vase, which will be a class once Robin finishes stitching the piece and writes up the stitch guide.  Needle Deeva will also sell the guides once the class has run its course.

The photo above is a glimpse of what Robin's been doing with this canvas.  I see beads, turkeywork loops, fancy stitches and a light coverage background!  You can see a thumbnail of the entire canvas (ND 311) at the Needle Deeva website.
http://www.needledeeva.com/elegant_line.html

But otherwise we are going to have to wait and see what else Robin does with this fun design.

UPDATE:  Bristly Thistle ran into Robin at the TNNA show in Baltimore and took this photograph of the almost finished piece.
http://bristlythistle.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/flowers-in-a-vase-almost-finished/

UPDATE #2:  Here is the piece, all finished and about ready to go for framing.  Lovely!
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2012/09/be-sure-to-first-meet-and-greet-your_27.html

Finished and Framed!

Here is the finished and framed model. Wonderful!