Plastic Canvas Stitches
Plastic canvas is a fun craft material, used and enjoyed by people of all ages. It is basically a light weight plastic having equally spaced holes, similar to an embroidery canvas. Also known as vinyl weave, it is used to learn stitches, to branch out and stitch with materials, apart from the typical floss or yarn. It is a simple technique that bestows itself completely for introducing beginners and novice crafters to the joy of creating something with their hands and imagination.
Plastic canvas comes in varying colors and different size holes for varying thickness of yarn, of which the 7 count plastic is most common. The count basically, refers to numbers of squares/holes in the canvas per inch, hence 7 count means 7 squares per inch. Likewise, there are other canvas also, having 10 count, 14 count and 5 count. Due to its stiffness and rigidness, plastic canvas is for creating 3 dimensional objects like tissue box covers, small jewelry boxes, handbags, and other decorative objects.
How to do Plastic Canvas Stitches?
While doing plastic canvas stitching, remember not to put a knot at the end of the string as it makes the design or pattern a very lumpy and unattractive, especially if it is double-sided. Hence, it is recommended to begin stitching with a small 'tail' and end below the part you will be stitching first. This will give you a fair idea of how much of yarn you will need, so that you can start by using a long piece of yarn, keeping only a small clutter on the back side of the design.
The first few stitches should be made over that tail on the opposite side to lock the yarn so that it won't come untied in the middle of the stitching. Another point is that maintain the stitching pressure and tension constant, so that the design doesn't look irregular or unfinished.
Continental Stitch: This is one of the most basic stitch, also known as tent stitch, used on most patterns. Start the stitch by leaving about a 1 inch / 2.5 cm tail of yarn on the backside and take the needle up through the hole. Now go back down to the backside of the hole diagonal to the previous hole. Though all stitches are done in a left to right manner, several variations are possible that can be done vertically or horizontally.
Slanted Gobelin Stitch: This stitch is just a variation of the normal continental stitch but can be done using over 2 or more threads of the canvas, simultaneously. The first stitch of the row is similar to the continental stitch, while the second stitch comes up at the adjacent hole and then down at the hole diagonal to the first one. Continue the stitch across to the left side, and then flip and start again like before.
Overcast Stitch: Also known as whipstitch, this stitch is used to finish off the unstitched edges. It is better to make one stitch in each hole along the edges and inside corner, and two or three stitches outside the corners. This stitch is generally employed to join two pieces of patterns together, like the sides of a tissue box.
Besides these, there are many other variations of plastic canvas stitches like scotch, cross, long, etc. To end the stitch of a row, turn over to the back side of the canvas, run the needle underneath 4 or 5 stitches and then cut the yarn. Using this method you can start again, if in case you run out of yarn in the middle of a row.
