Plastic canvas patterns for coasters, boxes and ornaments

Design for the grid you have

On 7-count canvas each stitch is about 3.6 mm, so small pieces like coasters only have 25 to 30 stitches across. Bold shapes, outlines and few colours read best at that size. Start with a blank grid of the right size rather than shrinking a detailed picture.

Use symmetry

Ornaments, snowflakes and box lids are usually symmetrical. Draw one half or one quarter with symmetry on and the rest fills itself in, perfectly matched.

Leave room for edges

Pieces are usually finished with an overcast edge in one colour. Leave the outer row of the chart for it, and keep detail one row inside.

Match the yarn to the canvas

The yarn has to cover the plastic completely. 7-count canvas is usually stitched with worsted-weight yarn, 10-count with sport-weight yarn or several strands of floss, and 14-count with embroidery floss or pearl cotton. If the canvas shows between stitches, add a strand or go up a weight.

The editor counts the stitches of every colour in your chart, which is the number you need to estimate how much of each yarn to buy.

Cutting your pieces

Count bars, not holes, when you cut a piece from the sheet, and cut along the bar just outside your last row. Trim the little nubs off the edge so the overcast stitches lie flat. For boxes and other 3D pieces, chart each panel separately and check that edges meant to join have the same number of bars.