Stitching with Waste Canvas

What is waste canvas? 

Waste canvas is a  canvas with grids,  held together with a water soluble glue. When basted on non-evenweave fabric, waste canvas assists in stitch placement. Use waste canvas to turn almost any material into a Cross Stitch fabric.

For this lesson, I'm using a very basis, simple pattern.  You can use any pattern as long as it fits on the garment and waste canvas.

Gather what you need!  I'll be using a T-shirt for this project.

Cut the waste canvas to the size you need (I'm using 14 count waste canvas), leaving plenty of canvas around the pattern you'll be stitching.  I use safety pins and attach the waste canvas to the garment.  Some people use a long running stitch to attach the canvas to the garment.  Also, you can use interfacing on the back, if you want to.

Find the center of your pattern and center it on the waste canvas.  Use a hoop just as you would if you were stitching on Aida cloth etc.

Start your stitching according to your pattern.  You will stitch over two threads or in other words, skip one hole in the canvas.

These patterns can be easy or more detailed, I've done them both and the results are always wonderful!

This is the finished project as far as the stitching goes.  Now you will remove the waste canvas!

I cut the waste canvas down being very careful not to cut the garment.  Leave enough waste canvas around the edges to easily grip the threads.  Tweezers are often necessary for this and makes it easier.  If you have an area with a lot of stitches, it might be a little more difficult to pull out the threads, you can dampen the waste canvas with water, I use a spray bottle.  This will make the threads very soft and easier to remove.  Since I don't have a lot of stitches in this project, it wasn't necessary to wet the waste canvas.

Now add the buttons to each stem and you are finished!

I'm all ready for Spring!

You can make some awesome baby gifts using the waste canvas.  Onsies, hooded bath towels, bibs all make great items for this.

My favorite items to do are Winter sweatshirts!  I've done so many Christmas ones, here is a great source for books:  A1 Craft Patterns Cross Stitch Waste Canvas Patterns Take note of Holiday Lineups, the Christmas one is great!  Another fun one is Ye Olde Santas, I've done all of them in that book! 

I've done socks, the little roll down white kids socks with lace around the cuffs are great for this.  You can do a little duck, butterfly or any small pattern.  Dress up vests, sweaters, blue jeans, denim shirts and anything else you want to add a little something extra.

BTW, want to know the cost of this project?  I purchased the T-shirt on sale at the local craft shop, cost $2.50.  One color floss for .35 cents.  Waste canvas I found at a thrift shop for only .47 cents (usually around $2.50 in shops) and the buttons I had laying around the house.  Total cost for mine:  $3.32!!!!!  Watch those sales for great prices on T-shirts and sweatshirts.  The booklet was one I had laying around too but they usually run about $4.00 and I search for ones that have a lot of patterns I like so I can use the book for many projects.

RWS