Plastic canvas is a safe, lightweight material that is easily embellished to make a variety of different crafts. Because it is flat and does not mold easily, box shapes are some of the simplest shapes to make with plastic canvas. You can use a plastic canvas to make a small log cabin as a toy, decoration or ornament. Because this is a custom piece, you will need to make your own pattern, which has some challenges. But creating a log cabin is not difficult.
Things You'll Need
- Graph paper
- Colored pencils
- Plastic canvas
- Colored yarn
- Tapestry needle
- White or craft glue
Decide upon the dimensions of the log cabin. You can potentially make it any size. However, a very large log cabin may be difficult to work with and unstable. Conversely, you also do not want to make a log cabin that is too small for you to handle easily with your fingers. Write down the dimensions that you want so that you can use them to create the log cabin pattern.
Create a basic house pattern using the graph paper. You can find a house pattern online or create your own. You will need seven basic pieces: a front and back, two sides, two roof pieces and a base. The front and back pieces will make an irregular pentagon shape. They must be symmetrical, identical and have an odd number of squares so that there is one square for the peak of the roof. From the bottom to the peak is the height of the house, and from side to side is the width. The exact angle of the roof does not matter as long as the pieces are identical.
The two side pieces must be the length of the house, and the height of the sides of the front and back pieces so that they connect neatly. The two roof pieces must be at least the width of the top angle of the front and back pieces, and the length of the side walls. However, you can make them slightly larger to create an overhang, which is attractive. The base is a simple rectangle that is the length and width of the house.
Draw windows and doors on the pattern, as well as the textures for the roof and sides. To make the house look like a log cabin, it must be striped. Thick stripes represent the logs, and thin stripes represent the space between them. The roof does not require a texture, but if your log cabin is large you can use small rectangles to represent tiles.
Determine which colors you will use. Write which colors belong in which locations on the pattern itself, or you can lightly color the pattern with colored pencils for easy reference. You must purchase yarn that matches the colors of the log cabin.
Cut out the pattern pieces and trace onto the plastic canvas with a pen, or place the plastic canvas over the pattern and trace - do whichever you find easier. Cut out the canvas pieces with a scissors. Carefully remove any pieces sticking out from the edges so that all of the canvas edges are smooth and square.
Stitch the pattern onto each log cabin piece with a tapestry needle and yarn, using the pattern that you drew as a reference. Cover the end of the yarn by making sure that the backs of your first stitches cover it. Hide the end when you have finished stitching by running the needle under some of the threads on the back and pulling through.
There are several stitches that you can use, but a simple continental stitch is an easy way to cover large areas. With this stitch, put the tapestry needle through a hole in the canvas and pull the yarn through. Then put the needle into the square at the top right corner of the square you started in and pull it through. Put the needle into the square to the right of the one you started in, and repeat. You can also use this stitch in an up-and-down pattern. All of the stitches must face the same direction.
Use a whip stitch to join the front, back and sides of the log cabin to the base when you have finished stitching in the pattern. The pattern must face the outside on each piece. A whip stitch is a simple stitch designed to hold the pieces together. Put the needle through a hole at the corner of one piece, pull the yarn through, then put the needle through the corresponding corner on another piece. Draw the yarn through and repeat to the end of the edge to join two pieces together. Hide the ends of the yarn in the same manner as a continental stitch.
Fold the sides of the log cabin up. Use a whip stitch to hold them in place.
Whip stitch the top edges of the roof together. Use the same stitch to cover the edges of the roof so that the plastic canvas does not show.
Use a small amount of white glue or craft glue along the top edges of the log cabin, and glue on the roof.
Tips & Warnings
- There are many ways to vary or embellish this pattern. A chimney is a good addition to a log cabin. You could create notches at the ends of the sides, front and back to create the look of interlocking logs or add shutters as well.
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
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