Plastic canvas pattern maker
Turn any photo or drawing into a plastic canvas chart in yarn colours, with the canvas to cut in holes, the yards of yarn for each colour and a printable PDF.
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- All 454 DMC thread colours
- Stray-stitch clean-up
- Edit every stitch
- Printable PDF
How to stitch a plastic canvas chart
- Cut the canvas. Count the holes on 7-count canvas, mark the size the maker gives you and cut along the next row of holes. Trim the nubs so the edge is smooth.
- Continental stitch. Each square of the chart is one stitch: bring the needle up at the lower left hole and down at the upper right hole, worked diagonally over one square.
- Work in rows. Stitch the first row right to left and the next row left to right, and so on. Weave each yarn end under 8 to 10 stitches on the back.
- Overcast the edges. Wrap the outside bar with one stitch in each edge hole and three stitches in each corner hole so no plastic shows.
The stitches you need
- Continental stitch: fills the design. It leaves a long slant on the back, which makes a firm, padded piece.
- Half cross stitch: looks the same from the front but uses a little less yarn, because the back is a short straight stitch.
- Overcast stitch: covers the raw edges of a single piece.
- Whipstitch: joins two pieces, such as the sides of a tissue box cover, while covering their edges.
Cross stitch on plastic canvas
Prefer cross stitch? Every chart here works as cross stitch on plastic canvas: make a full cross over each square instead of a continental stitch. It looks fuller and takes roughly one and a half times the yarn. On 14-count plastic canvas, use embroidery floss and the cross stitch pattern maker instead, which gives DMC thread colours.
Yarn and canvas
Use 7-count plastic canvas with worsted weight yarn and a blunt tapestry needle. Stiff canvas suits coasters and boxes; soft canvas bends for curved pieces. The yards shown are estimates for continental stitch with a little spare, so buy a bit more of any colour you need to match exactly.
Want a ready-made design? Browse the free plastic canvas patterns, or spell out names with plastic canvas letters.
Questions
How do I count plastic canvas?
Count the holes, not the bars. Each continental stitch covers one square between four holes, so a design 40 stitches wide needs a piece 41 holes wide. The maker gives you the exact number of holes to cut.
How big will my piece be?
7-count canvas has 7 holes per inch, so 41 holes is about 5.9 inches. A standard 10½ × 13½ inch sheet is about 70 × 90 holes; the maker tells you if your design needs more than one sheet.
How much yarn do I need?
About one yard of worsted weight yarn for every 44 continental stitches, with a little spare. The colour list and the PDF give the yards for each colour, plus the yarn to overcast the edges.
Can I cross stitch the chart on plastic canvas?
Yes. Work each square as a cross over one square of canvas instead of a continental stitch. Cross stitch covers the canvas well but takes roughly one and a half times the yarn.
What can I make with it?
Coasters, magnets, ornaments, bookmarks, wall hangings and the sides of tissue box covers. Set the stitches wide to the size you need: about 28 stitches makes a 4 inch coaster.
Is it free?
Yes, for patterns up to 80 × 80 stitches with up to 16 colours, including the yarn amounts and a printable PDF.