Silk Road Needle Arts

                        St. Petersburg, Florida
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Canvas--Preparing to Stitch

There are rules and there are rules. In general, most stitchers aiming for a quality finished product use some method to keep the canvas stretched taut to keep it from stretching out of shape. They also do as much of the stitching in basketweave as possible and use the "stab" stitching method (up and down, instead of the sewing method.)

We recommend that you mount your project, at a minimum, to inexpensive stretcher bars. We prefer to use a scroll frame for most projects, which permits us to transport the project and to keep it stretched taut. Note: for decorative stitches and when working in silks, a scroll frame may not be recommended since the rolling of the work can crush it.

Almost every stitch which crosses the canvas intersections on the diagonal will distort it; if you are a taut stitcher, it will be even worse. The completed design can be blocked back into shape, but it can become distorted again over time. So, it's best not to let it become distorted in the first place.

Canvas has a grain to it; you should mount the selvedge side to your right or left; it has no front or back.