Plastic canvas is a very versatile material and can be used to make many different arts and crafts projects. Knowing how to use it effectively and to use the most appropriate stitches for the job is an important part of making an attractive and durable craft from plastic canvas. If you already have some experience with plastic canvas or are just getting started for the first time, you will still find these basic stitches to be useful in your crafting.
One of the most important things with plastic canvas stitching is to not put a knot at the end of the string. This can make the design and pattern very lumpy and can also be very unattractive, especially if the design is double sided. It is best to start with a small ‘tail’, or end under the part you will be stitching over first. This will allow you to cover the tail with the first few stitches and to secure the string tightly in place for the whole project. It is a good idea to plan ahead how much yarn you will need at the beginning of your project, or to just use a long piece of yarn to begin with so that you have as little clutter on the back side of the design as possible. Another important tip is to keep the stitching pressure and tension constant. Your design can look irregular and unfinished if some parts of the pattern are tighter than others. Sometimes this is something that has to be learned as you do more and more projects.
The tent stitch is the most basic and important step used for plastic canvas crafts. It is used to fill in the designs and patterns to make it look complete. This stitch is normally done diagonally across the pattern to fill it in, but several variations are possible that can be vertical or horizontal as well. Some advanced patterns use different combinations of direction and color. This stitch is normally only used one space at a time and can use significantly more yarn than some other patterns or stitching techniques. The tent stitch is attractive and normally very easy to complete with no trouble and without too much thought.
The overcast stitch is used to cover the edges and corners of plastic canvas craft projects. This stitch involves coming up in the hole closest to the edge of the design and then wrapping the yarn around the edge of the plastic canvas and back up in the next hole to form a sort of continuous spiral around the whole edge of the pattern. The stitch is repeated between 2 and 4 times at outside and inside corners to give the most coverage and to protect them from getting bumped. This stitch is also used when two pieces of plastic canvas need to be joined together. This frequent when you are making 3D patterns and designs with corners. The versatility is one of the great benefits of using plastic canvas as a craft medium. All the overcast stitches should be done going the same direction in the pattern so that they don’t overlap and so that there is adequate coverage everywhere. It is also very important to make sure and line up the edges before doing the overcast stitch so that the project won’t have to be taken apart and redone.
The scotch stitch involves working over 3 or more horizontal, vertical or diagonal squares to make a square pattern. This can be used to fill in patterns or designs more quickly and using less yarn than other stitches.