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*~Plastic Canvas~*
It's a simple technique that lends itself perfectly for introducing pre-teens and beginners to the joy of creating something with their hands and imagination. This often leads to the desire to learn other crafts, such as embroidery, crochet, and so forth.
Tip: Always bring needle up through the canvas at odd numbers and take it back down through the canvas at the even numbers.
Condensed Mosaic Stitch
TIP
As you stitch, try to maintain an even tension on the yarn. Loose stitches will look uneven, and tight stitches will let canvas show through. If your yarn twists as you work, you may want to let your needle and yarn hang and untwist occasionally. Do not carry yarn across the back from one section of a color to the next. Carrying yarn across the back can cause the piece to bow or colors to show through to the front. When you end a section of stitching or finish a thread, weave the yarn through the back side of your last few stitches, then trim it off. Work embroidery stitches over needlepoint stitches after canvas piece if filled in.
When stitching plastic canvas and come down to the last part of the yarn and need a new piece:
Don't cut it. Start your new piece where you left off and work the leftover piece of yarn into the new stitches (by stitching over them). This will make your back part of the canvas cleaner and not in a mess. It also works when you are putting the finishing touches on the edges of the canvas.
PLASTIC CANVAS COLORS, SIZES and SHAPES
Plastic Canvas is available in different colors and in different sized holes called "COUNTS".
7-count plastic canvas is the most popular. The count refers to how many squares/holes there are in the canvas per inch - thus 7-count means there are 7 squares per inch. Other plastic canvas counts are 10-count, 14-count and 5-count.
Colored canvas is widely available in 7-count. You can find some colors in 10-count also, but 5-count is available in clear only. 14-count can be found in clear, black and white.
Plastic Canvas is available in rectangular sheets. There are also some pre-cut shapes available. These are in 7-count only. Some examples of these pre-cut shapes are squares, stars, circles, triangles, ovals for placemats, and individual shapes such as crosses, flowers, cats, etc.
The clear plastic canvas in 7-count also has different "thicknesses". There is "regular", "soft" and "stiff". Regular is the normal type to stitch on, soft can be used when your project will be curved or bent - such as for a basket handle - so that it won't break. Stiff is good for projects that need to be extra firm to stand alone or for the backing of a picture.
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