Moving Time

The big move to the Houston area is almost here. I have been busy getting things ready for the move. Once I accepted the new position, I had to find a place to live. The internet is a great way to look at houses and work on getting the selection down to just a few. My husband and I must of looked to over 100 possible houses. Found the one that I wanted. Worked with a great guy from the Houston area in getting this place. Made a fast trip to Houston to check out the house. Got a lease signed and a move in date. Now it is getting our stuff packed (company is going pay for the move) and on the truck and to Houston. Not looking forward to the unpacking - moving company will do the packing but not the unpacking. Will have to put my etsy shop on hold during the move, hope it doesn't hurt sales - they are just picking up. Need to go work on getting a few craft items packed so I'll be able to find them later.

New Job

Got a new position with my company USG in Galena Park TX. That means that I'll be moving from Mississippi to Texas. Galena Park is part of the Houston area. Will have lots of places to go eat and shop at. It will be nice to be close to shopping and have more than 4 places to sit down and eat. Just have to go down and look for a place to live. Have been looking on line and have picked out a couple of houses.

The bad part of this is the getting ready for the move. It is cutting into my craft time and I haven't been putting any new items in my etsy shop. Have been relisting items, but not the same as new items. Have been working on a new tic-tac-toe game but between training my co-workers to do my old job and getting ready for this move I have not been working on my crafts much. Will keep y'all posted.

Quick Update #2

Been busy make some new tic-tac-toe games. They seem to be a good seller for me on my etsy shop. I do need to be making some other items but not in the mood to work on anything else. Had to take some time off from crafts to take a couple of computer classes for work. Fun classes, just long hours that I can't use for crafts.

Seems like I'm painting

Been working on new items for my etsy shop and letting my blog just sit. Sorry for that.

I've been working on some door signs. It is so much fun to watch the design develop as I add new rows and colors. In a way it is like doing a painting, you start with a plain piece of canvas and by add color and texture with your stitches you create a picture.

Some pictures many not be of a set object but a grouping of color. That is what happens sometimes when I do a solid piece. Each color works with the next and before long you have a warm feeling about what you have made. I love sharing that feeling with others. I hope you can find the warmth in my items as you check them out.

Thanks to all of you who are and have been following this blog. I hope to figure out how to follow each and everyone of you. Just give me sometime to work at it.

Following Up

Hope you enjoyed doing the tissue cover. Now that you have made a project of your own, you can see how much time goes into all the items being made by others. Plastic canvas can be made into just about anything that you can think of. There is a large group of people on etsy.com who make items from plastic canvas. I hope you will take time to check out some of them.
Here are a few of their shop names and there are many more.
circleinthesand
NeedleMania
craftylady2420
craftychris
Lorkey1981

How to make a tissue cover.

Are you ready to make something from plastic canvas?
Here are instructions for making a boutique tissue box cover.

Materials that you will need are
1 sheet of clear plastic canvas (91 x 71 threads)
4-ply yarn
Items listed in the “Getting Started” blog posting.


Cutting the Canvas
Using the cutting diagram shown, mark your canvas using the grease pencil. You will have 4 sides and 1 top marked on the canvas (see photo).

Cut between the marked threads for each piece. Cut close to but not into the threads. Use the craft knife to cut out the center area on the top after marking it. Use a damp cloth to remove any markings on the canvas before beginning to stitch you pieces.


Coving the Canvas
The stitch used in this cover is a Scotch Stitch. It is worked over 4 threads. By using different colors for each row or group of stitches, you can change the look of the cover. The sample shown uses two colors to create a checkerboard look. Each group (row) of stitches is worked down and across the canvas. Cut your yarn into 1-yard lengths until you are comfortable with working stitch then you can use longer lengths.
To start leave a 1” or 2” tail on the wrong side of the canvas. Work your stitches over the tail to secure the yarn. Once secure, clip the excessive yarn close to the stitched piece. While working your stitches keep the tension consistent. Stitches should lay flat and you should not be able to see through your stitched piece. End your yarn by running the yarn under several stitches on the wrong side of the piece. If your yarn becomes twisted, drop your needle and let the yarn untwist.
To finish the opening on the top, use the overcast stitch (see photo). The opening should be completed before you join the top to the sides.

Joining
When all pieces have been completed, you will need to join the pieces together. You will use the overcast stitch to do the joining. To join two pieces of canvas, place one piece on top of the other with wrong sides together. Stitch through all layers. Remember to secure the ends of the yarn. Repeat until all sides have been joined together. Now join the top to the sides in the same manner. Once all the pieces have been completed, overcast the bottom of the cover.

You have now completed your tissue box cover!

Getting started with plastic canvas

There are some things that everyone should know before starting a plastic canvas project. And a few items that you should have on hand before starting.

1. Plastic canvas comes in different sizes (based on thread count per inch). There are 5-mesh, 7-mesh, 10-mesh, and 14- mesh count canvas. The larger the number the small the finished item will be. A 7-mesh count canvas will be larger than a 14-mesh count canvas item. When working a pattern, check the canvas count size first before cutting the pieces.
2. Canvas comes in a large selection of colors. Color canvas works best for items with a large portion of the canvas showing (like the crayon keepers I make).
3. There are different stiffness and sheet size in plastic canvas. There are ovals, hearts, circles, and other shapes to choose from.
4. Always before cutting a shape from canvas, check to see if the pattern is in holes or threads. Cutting a pattern piece listed by thread count by a hole count will cause the pattern not to fit the piece.

Some items that will help with a pc project are as follows


1. A good pair of sharp scissors
2. A craft knife for cutting out small areas.
3. A grease pencil for marking the pattern on the canvas. Comes off the canvas with easy.
4. Needle threader. Makes it easier to thread a needle with yarn.
5. More than one canvas needle. Great for multi color projects to have a needle for each color being used.
6. A hole/thread count ruler.

I sometimes rework the pattern on graph paper to make the cutting details easier to follow. I also use the graph paper to work out new pattern colors for my projects. I use 4X4 and 10x10 paper. The 10x10 is great for working out placemats. The 4x4 for magnets and other small items.


Now your ready for your first project.