I learned to cross stitch from my mother when I was a pre-tween many eons ago. I enjoyed being able to make pretty items to hang on my walls, but as I grew older, I began looking for a way to make things that were more "useable". I wanted the things I made to have a purpose, not to just sit pretty. So I found my way to plastic canvas.
I have made MANY plastic canvas items for my home, for gifts, and for parties since then, but found that computer crafting took over my life. I recently rediscovered my love of plastic canvas when I made my Shamrock table runner for St Patrick's day.
I'm now working on an Easter egg table runner, but I wanted to make napkin rings that would match my table runner for my Easter table.
So I designed my own napkin rings. If you know how to do plastic canvas, this should be easy for you to make. If you don't know how, it's still pretty easy once you learn the basics.
To start you need some regular 7 count plastic canvas sheets. You can get them at any craft store in the needlepoint/yarn area or at Walmart. To cut out your egg and ring shape, you will need to know if your craft pattern is going by stitches or holes. I like to count holes better since I find it easier, but some patterns do stitches. The difference is in whether you are counting the little lines between the holes or the holes themselves when you are cutting.
Count out your measurements, in the egg shape you need a piece of canvas that is 19 holes by 17 holes. For the napkin ring, you need a rectangle that is 35 holes by 4 holes.
Follow the pattern to cut around outside the last stitch to make the shape of an egg.
Now, pick your yarn colors and grab a plastic canvas needle. Start by cutting a piece of yarn about the size of your arm. You might want to start smaller if you are new since yarn has a tendency to tangle alot as you sew. Thread your needle with about 1/3 of the yarn hanging on one side.
Place your needle through the back of your shape and pull it almost all the way through. Leave about a 1/4 of an inch in the back and hold it with your hand as you pull the yarn tight.
There are lots of different types of stitches you can use in plastic canvas, but for ease, I made the eggs with the most basic tent stitch. You will need to go down through the front to the back of the canvas at an angle. You want your stitch to look like half of an x.
Now as you go back up through the back of the canvas, catch the end of the yarn into your stitch to keep it in place.
Repeat this stitch until you come to the end of the row. Now you will want to do the same stitch bu in reverse. If you were going through the top of the x to the bottom, you'll want to reverse by going through the bottom to the top. This will help your yarn look neat in the back and avoid a few tangles. Don't worry...it sounds more complicated than it is.
Once you've reached the end of your color or your yarn, go through to the back and slide your needle underneath several of your finished stitches to secure it.
To finish your egg, you will want to sew the sides to cover them. This is called a whip stitch. You take your needle and run it through the last hole on the edge from back to front. Wrap it around the edge of your canvas and go back in through the back to the front again.
You can use the same stitch for the napkin ring if you'd like, but I used a Gobelin stitch. This stitch is almost the same as the tent, but it runs over several holes to make a larger half x. You start at the bottom from the back of the canvas and pull through to the front. Follow the pattern to skip several of the holes until you get to the finished hole and go through the top. This allows the yarn to cover more of the canvas and provides a different look.
In making the ring, I started 3 holes in and made the stitch to go from the bottom to the top of the napkin ring.
When I got 2 holes from the end, I wrapped the canvas into a ring and sewed through both side of the canvas to secure it. It might be a little loose until you use your finishing stitches to secure the canvas so don't stress to much.
When you are done with both your ring and your egg, use a bit of glue to secure the two together and place your napkin inside for a fun addition to your Easter table.
