How to Use Overcasting on Plastic Canvas

Create two or three dimensional projects with plastic canvas. You can sew designs into the plastic canvas and then finish the edges or join pieces together with overcasting stitches. Follow these tips to use overcasting on plastic canvas and create projects you can use.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic canvas
• Needle and thread

Instructions

Overcasting a Flat Piece

1. Insert a long piece of yarn or thread into your needle.

2. Take your needle and stitch through the back of a stitch on the top row of the canvas at the far right. You have now secured the thread onto the piece.

3. Bring your needle from the back. Loop it over the front edge of the plastic canvas piece.

4. Insert the needle and thread into the first hole on the far right of the piece, covering the edge with the thread. Your needle and thread are now at the back of the piece.

5. Bring your needle from the back again. Loop it over the front edge for the piece. Insert the needle into the second hole from the right. Continue around your piece until all the edges are covered. When you are finished, insert the needle and thread into a stitch at the back. Cut off the remaining thread.

Overcasting Two Pieces

1. Place the two pieces you want to join top to bottom. You want the bad side of the piece to be facing inward so that the project has the good sides facing out where you will see them.

2. Take a long piece of yarn in a color that matches the two pieces you want to join together. Thread it onto your needle.

3. Work from left to right. Insert the yarn into the top hole of the bottom piece of plastic canvas. The hole is on the far left of the piece. Pull the needle and thread through the hole leaving an inch of yarn at the end. Your needle is now behind your work.

4. Hold the end of the yarn against the plastic canvas with your left hand so it covers the holes in the row above the insertion point. You will be stitching the end into the piece as you work your next stitches. Ends are hidden in the piece instead of being tied in a knot.

5. Insert the needle into the first hole on the bottom left of the joining piece from back to front. Pull the thread through until it is tight. The needle is now in front of your work. Pull the thread diagonally across the piece of plastic canvas. Insert the needle into the second hole from the left of the first piece of plastic canvas.

6. Pull the needle until the yarn is tight. You have now joined the two pieces with one stitch. Pull the needle up from the back through the second hole on the top piece of canvas. You will insert the needle up through the thread you are holding and into the second piece of canvas.

7. Insert the needle into the third hole on the bottom piece of canvas. Pull the thread through. Insert the needle into the third hole of the top piece from back to front.

8. Continue until the row is complete and you have joined the two pieces of plastic canvas. Insert the remaining thread into the last two or three stitches. Pull the thread through the stitches. Cut off the end of the yarn. The two pieces are now joined together.