Things You'll Need
Plastic canvas
Yarn of color choice
Large eye needle
The popularity of plastic canvas art is picking up once again. New crafters and experienced ones are picking up the flexible plastic pieces and creating home decor projects along with whimsical ornaments, tissue box covers, jewelry boxes and wall hangings. Plastic canvas projects can be personalized with block initials or fancier monograms. You can add letters to a piece or create a bold block letter as a project. Any child or teen would enjoy having their initials hanging on their wall decked out in school team colors. You also have many choices for embellishing the letter. The sky's the limit for you on this plastic canvas letter project.
Step 1
Choose a letter stencil, pattern or coloring page form of a printed or cursive letter that you want to use for your project. Trace a letter or set of letters on to the plastic canvas with a marker. Cut the letter out of the plastic canvas unless it is part of a solid piece.
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Step 2
Thread the needle with yarn or plastic canvas fiber and fill in the letter with the continental stitch. The continental stitch is the most common filler stitch done on plastic canvas projects. Stitch from a square on the right side going up one row on a diagonal to the square on the left.
Step 3
Embroider flowers, animals, sports gear, balloons or an embellishment which goes along with the character and likes of the person it will belong to. You could choose to sew on buttons, small seashells or a silk flower in one corner.
Step 4
Finish off the letter with the overcast stitch in a yarn the color that compliments the piece. The overcast stitch covers the outer edge of the letter giving it a soft finishing touch.
Step 5
Cut 6 to 12 inches of yarn or ribbon if the letter is to be hung on a wall. Tie a knot with the two ends and sew to the back top of the letter. Letters can also be sewn to projects or used as magnet pieces by adhering a magnet strip to the back of the letter.
Step 6
Choose letters as instructed in Step 1, Section 1. Reduce or enlarge to the size needed to fit on your chosen project.
Step 7
Mark letters on the project piece. This must be done on the front side of plastic canvas.
Step 8
Fill letters in with the continental stitch.
Step 9
Continue filling the piece in with the background color and continental or the stitch that the pattern instructs you to use.
Step 10
Complete your project as directed on the pattern or kit instructions. Use a back-stitch or running stitch to outline around the letters to make them really pop.
Tip
Use pastel colors and letter patterns to hang a newborns name in the nursery. Remember, 7 holes equal one inch on standard plastic canvas. Be sure to check measurements.
Warning
Make sure to count stitch holes in canvas to have letters centered on a project.
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