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How and Why to Cross Stitch on Plastic Canvas

August 21, 2024 by Sarah White

When I teach hand stitching to kids I always start them on plastic canvas because it’s stable and sturdy, there’s no question where your needle should go because the holes are big and obvious, and you don’t need a hoop to do it (and you can even use yarn instead of embroidery floss, which is great for little hands).

But plastic canvas doesn’t have to just be for practice or when you’re learning or teaching kids how to cross stitch. There are a lot of reasons you might want to use it for projects.

Notorious Needle has a great post all about the pros and cons of using plastic canvas for cross stitch, as well as the difference between perforated plastic and plastic canvas. It has great advice on choosing from the different colors of plastic canvas, getting ready to stitch and how to actually work with plastic canvas to make your project.

There are even tips for joining pieces of plastic canvas together to make a project (like those classic stitched plastic canvas tissue boxes) and how to finish the edges for a smooth look.

I have always liked the idea of using plastic canvas for things like magnets, keychains and backpack charms, but once you start playing with it I imagine you’ll come up with lots of potential uses for it.

If you sign up for email updates you can get a free pattern for a lovely monarch butterfly stitches on plastic canvas, which is shown here.

Check out the blog post at Notorious Needle for all the details and great tips to get you started on your plastic canvas journey.

Have you ever worked cross stitch on plastic canvas before? I’d love to hear what you made and if you have any tips to help others!

[Photo: Notorious Needle]

How to Cross Stitch on Linen

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Designer Spotlight: Curious Carrie Designs

If you like seasonal samplers and cross stitch patterns with a primitive twist, you’ll enjoy the collection from Curious Carrie Designs.

You’ll find alphabet designs, biscornu, patriotic projects and more. The summer category is the largest on the storefront, with Americana and floral designs. There are also categories for the other seasons and more general designs.

One of my favorites is this pretty sunflower cross stitch pattern, which is shown styled as a biscornu but it wouldn’t have to be. The pattern features sunflowers and bees and a little beehive. It uses 12 colors of floss and each side of the pattern is 51 by 51 stitches, which comes out to 3.64 inches or 9.2 cm square.

I love the fabric she used for the sample, which she actually dyed purple herself, but it would also be pretty on a purchased light blue or other color if you don’t want to dye your own.

There’s also a whole set of themed biscornu with a four letter word on one side (crow, home, love and snow, to name a few) along with a seasonal pattern on the other side.

The shop has a rather small selection at around 90 patterns as of this writing, but it’s a nice collection of traditional looking designs heavy on samplers and biscornu designs, so if those are things you like you’ll want to be sure to check it out. Visit Curious Carrie Designs on Etsy to see all her pretty designs.

Are you a designer or do you have a favorite cross stitch designer who hasn’t made it into the spotlight yet? (You can see all the featured designers in the craft businesses category on the page.) Let me know in the comments, or you can submit more detailed information by clicking on “suggest a craft” at the center top of the page.

[Photo: Curious Carrie Designs]

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