How to Cross Stitch Designs Using Waste Canvas

Cross stitching designs onto a sweatshirt or T-shirt can make the item unique and special. If the basic principals of cross stitching are known, using waste canvas is not difficult. The whole idea is to get a graph-type base to stitch on where the holes can be found to stitch, as on aida cloth. Waste canvas comes in several sizes, so you will need to decide which size to use (squares per inch) for the size of the design you would like on the shirt. It has blue lines every 5 or 10 spaces to make it easier to count for you. Waste canvas can be purchased at any craft or fabric store.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sweatshirt or T-shirt
• Scissors
• Needle
• Waste canvas
• Interface
• Floss
• Cross stitch pattern
• Hoop to hold material taut

1. This will be the hardest part, centering the waste canvas onto the shirt you are stitching the design on. You may want to use interface on the inside of the shirt to give more stability. As in cross stitch, the center of the design is the best place to start, so you need to find the center of the area on the shirt to begin stitching. First, fold the shirt lengthwise to find the center and put a pin there to keep that space. Then measure from the neckline down the front of the shirt where the center point will be. This can be done by taking half of the design size vertically and adding the number of inches you want the design to start on the shirt. When you have the spot, take the pin already in the shirt and move it to that spot.

2. Cut the waste canvas and interface an inch larger than the design. Fold these pieces in half both ways to determine where the center point is. Lay the waste canvas on the shirt so that the center point will meet the center point on the shirt. Pin the waste canvas to the shirt. Do the same with the interface only on the inside of the shirt. When you are finished, baste stitch the layer (waste canvas, shirt, and interface) to stay in place. Remove the pins. Use a large hoop for keeping the material taut while you stitch.

3. Determine how many strands of floss you will need to use so that the background of the shirt does not show through the stitches. Do a couple of sample stitches to test this beginning with three strands. Use a sharp-ended needle instead of the usual tapestry needle used in cross stitch.

4. Begin the design at the center point using the cross stitch techniques of beginning a stitch to hold it in place.

5. When the design is complete, remove the waste canvas by getting it wet. Using a spray bottle is great for this. When the canvas is wet, it can easily be removed by pulling on the canvas threads using a tweezers. When finished, you may want to trim the interface if it seems like there is more than a half-inch beyond the design.

[oxymora]

on 8/15/2009 I've always wanted to learn how to cross stitch. My father-in-law does it and it's so pretty.

[FrazzledNanny]

on 4/1/2009 Thanks for the great article. 5*