Serial cross-stitcher | Soluble versus Waste canvas {Embroidery}

It took me a while to start cross-stitching outside the comfort zone of the ready-made canvases - but once I started there was no stopping me! I have now cross-stitched felt (you can see how with my boxy pouch tutorial here); a baby vest; and a new top! And I am already thinking of the next project - probably some Christmas cross-stitching on random pieces of fabric or felt I reckon. 

I may be a serial cross-stitcher but you can be too - thanks to the wonders of soluble canvas or waste canvas. I used both (soluble canvas for the felt pouch and waste canvas for the tops) and both techniques work. 

I like the soluble canvas method a lot - it is really easy to cross-stitch, it is really easy to get rid of (as in put it into water and leave it to be). However it is quite expensive - for the square you get (you should have seen my face when I opened the packaging) - and it comes only in the one size (from what I could find), so not big project allowed. 

The waste canvas method is a bit more cumbersome (I bought mine here). First of all you have to work out why the hell there are so many holes in the canvas.

You are supposed to cross-stitch through the little holes. It was easier with my top because I did it over 2 squares, it does not look as consistent on the baby vest top though. 

Then, there is the issue of getting rid of the canvas - it takes a bit of time (no leaving it in the water and wait for it to do its thing!).

Yes, people you have to take each strand off, one by one - hours of fun, right-there (ok it is actually not that long, but still a bit tedious). You are supposed to do it with tweezers, and yes it is easier to do it with tweezers. You have to be careful not to pull too much, otherwise the cross-stitching may move. Arggh!

However it is cheaper and you can buy the waste canvas by the metre, and it does do the job perfectly well. For the baby vest top, there are a couple of more steps to take, you have to add muslin fabric behind so that the jersey does not get distorted - I followed this tutorial.  

So what will you cross-stitch next?