WASTE
CANVAS |
||
The author of this informative article on Waste Canvas has been a participant on the usenet group rec.crafts.textiles.needlework (RCTN). A professional seamstress, Mary has been asked so many times to print out the instructions that I offered to put it on line so that others could avail themselves and she didn't have to keep reposting the information. General Several types of fabric can be used as WC. There is the fabric specifically made for this purpose. This specialty waste canvas fabric can be purchased in precut lengths but is not usually of very good quality and it is difficult to remove when your project is finished. Most fabric stores now sell WC yardage and that is often the best quality. You can also use any even weave fabric, such as linen or lugana. Many people prefer this to the fabric sold as WC and feel that it is easier to remove after stitching is complete. Finding Center Front Lines Vertical Center Front, Garment
Tops: Horizontal Center Front,
Garment Tops:
Preparing Waste Canvas For stitching on fabrics that are not washable, you might want to thoroughly rinse the WC to remove all of the starch and/or sizing and let it air dry before basting it to the garment. The use of a backing fabric is a personal choice. I always use a backing on knit garments like T-shirts or sweatshirts to stabilize the knits. If you are stitching on something made of a closely woven fabric like muslin, denim or canvas, then a backing is not needed. If you use a backing, be sure you use a woven fabric when stitching on a knit garment. Cut WC and backing approximately 4-inches wider and longer than the finished design. Fold the WC in half lengthwise and again in half crosswise, marking the fold lines at the edges and at the center point. Pin the WC to the garment front, matching center point and the edge at the two vertical and two horizontal fold lines. If you are using a backing, on the wrong side of the garment, lay your preferred backing so that it covers the pins that were placed on the front. Now pin the backing it to the garment at the four corners through all fabric and WC layers. Now, go back to the front of the garment and pin all three layers together so that they make a smooth sandwich. You don't want any bumps or looseness between the WC and the garment. The backing is not as critical, but it is wise to get everything as smooth as possible. Basting WC and Backing to Garment With a good quality normal sewing thread and a sharp needle, baste the three layers together along the vertical and horizontal center lines. Then baste horizontal lines about every two inches on either side of the center basted horizontal line. Repeat vertically. The last thing is to baste around the entire piece. This keeps the edges of the WC from raveling. Some people also like to baste diagonal lines. This is up to you. Remove all straight pins after basting is complete or as they get in the way of your basting.
The white area is the waste canvas on a pink ground fabric. The red lines are the basting lines, the thread cut and dangling at the outer edges. The blue lines show where you would baste diagonally if you desire this extra step. |
Attaching to the Hoop It is very difficult to do quality cross stitch on any garment without the use of a hoop. Try to use a hoop that is larger than your design so that you do not have to remove it during stitching. Center the design area in the hoop so that the face of your garment is lower than the top of the hoop. In other words, the top of the hoop will be on the wrong side. This is backward from the way most of us have used a hoop. However, by doing it this way, it keeps the face of your work much cleaner. Once the hoop is attached, roll the garment up and around the edges of the hoop so that it looks like a big round fabric "sausage" encircling the hoop. Now, baste around the hoop, going through the garment on the inside of the hoop, coming around the outside of the fabric "sausage" and back into the garment on the inside of the hoop. Do this all the way around the hoop so that you have basted all the garment fabric to the edge of the hoop. This way, you will be keeping the majority of your garment clean and it is much easier to work your design without the bulk of the garment hanging down and getting in your way. Stitching the Design Stitching a cross stitch design with WC is the same as regular stitching. Some people prefer to use a sharp needle to pierce the fabric and backing, others prefer a more blunt needle (tapestry needle) used in such a way as to slide between the threads of the fabric. Use what works best for you. Some people also knot the floss on the back side, while others just anchor the end by going back and forth through several previous stitches. Once again, this is personal preference. Try your best to work from the center out, or from one edge to the other. This helps to prevent any puckering of the WC during stitching. I leave my basting stitches in until I have completed the area around the basted line. Remove all basting once the design is completed. If you use a regular WC and find that your stitches are uneven, try stitching from the small hole to the small hole, stitching OVER the larger hole. The size needle and number of strands of floss used will depend upon your WC size. The higher count the WC used means a smaller size needle and fewer number of floss strand used. Generally, I use two strands of floss and a size 26 needle on 14-count projects. Removing Waste Canvas This is where using the best WC you can afford pays off. The cheap brands of WC are difficult to remove, so get the very best you can afford. There are two schools of thought on how to remove the WC. Some prefer to dampen the stitched area and remove the WC threads. Others feel that, after stitching is completed and the garment is removed from the hoop, it should be thoroughly washed and dried. This removes the starch in the WC and makes it much easier to remove. Whichever method you choose, the next step is to cut the backing fabric close to the edge of the stitched design but DO NOT cut the WC. You will need the excess to grab onto when pulling it out. Some people use tweezers or hemostats to hold onto the WC threads. Again, this is a personal choice. I simply pull them out going around and around the design area. Don't be tempted to pull more than one thread at a time. It only makes a big tight nest of threads! If you have a densely stitched area, it will be difficult to get the WC thread out. I use the blunt end of a tapestry needle to grab onto the WC in the middle of the stitched area and pull it above the stitched area a little, then you can grab it with tweezers and pull it loose. Work very slowly or the WC threads will break. Once the WC threads are removed and the garment washed and dried, you may want to put an iron-on interfacing on the back side of the stitched area. I always do this if the design has a lot of metallic threads, as they tend to be itchy against the skin. As with most "rules", it is one of personal preference. If it makes you feel better to use the interfacing, by all means do so. Questions or comments: e-mail Tia Mary |
|
