Made by Janet Tranbarger

TECHNIQUE DESCRIPTION

Waste Canvas embroidery is achieved by basting a needlepoint type canvas to the surface you wish to embellish. The canvas has a blue thread every 10 threads for ease in counting and less sizing than traditional needlepoint canvas. Most types of counted thread embroidery can then be done through the canvas on to the surface to be decorated. The sampler at the left includes our organization's by the artist in the 1970s. This only demonstrates two of the many types of counted thread stitches that can be accomplished using this technique. The canvas is available in different size counts just as needlepoint canvas or aida cloth. A piece of canvas has been left in the work to facilitate understanding of the technque. Once the embroidery is accomplished the canvas is spritzed with water and the threads are individually removed, usually with the aid of tweezers, (especially if the stitching is particularly dense). This technique can be used to embellish any type of fabric regardless of its surface or texture. It was extensively used in the 1970s and 1980s to decorate T-shirts.

Materials supplied by the artist.