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| KNOW-HOW |
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| Stitching on plastic canvas |
Plastic canvas is a fantastic way of displaying your cross stitch as a three dimensional project. It's ideal for making shaped characters like this tiny bookmark clip, fridge magnets, items for your dressing table and boxes and pencil pots which are great gifts for children.
What is plastic canvas for?
It's simple, plastic canvas allows you to bring a three dimensional touch to your cross stitch. As the name suggests, plastic canvas is made from sheets of plastic punched with a mesh of holes. These holes are used for stitching the design, in the same way that you would use the holes on a piece of aida.
What's available?
Plastic canvas is available in 7-,10- and 14-count and can be stitched in the same way as aida or evenweave. It works brilliantly when you are stitching a design that requires a stiff fabric, for example, the different pieces for a hanging mobile or the standing characters in a Nativity scene. You can even join pieces of stitched plastic canvas together to make a trinket box or tissue box cover as a special gift.
Made to measure
Another great thing about plastic canvas is that it can be trimmed to a particular shape with no worry that it is going to fray!
Other great ideas
Plastic canvas is equally handy to support a design you have already stitched on aida or evenweave. This method is useful for making a trinket box, especially if it's a round one. You can buy ready-cut plastic canvas circles that are ideal for the lid. Plastic canvas is a practical and versatile material and is ideal for stitchers who enjoy being creative.
Step By Step Guide
1. Prepare your canvas
Check the size of your finished design and cut your canvas about 5cm (2in) larger all the way round. Cover the cut edges with masking tape to prevent the threads from snagging whilst you stitch.
2. Cover the canvas
Stitch the design in the centre of your cut piece of plastic canvas. Make sure you use enough strands to completely cover the canvas. On 14-count canvas, three strands give a much better coverage than the two normally used on 14-count aida.
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3. Cut out the shape
Cut your design to shape when you have finished all the stitching. Use general purpose craft scissors to do this. Carefully cut round your design leaving a border of one unstitched bar all around. This will keep your stitches in place. Try to cut in a straight line between the two holes, and trim off any jagged points afterwards.
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4. Finishing off
You can either leave your design as it is, finish it off by oversewing round the edge, or attach it to black card using double sided tape. It's really up to you!
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