Plastic Canvas Cross Bookmarks

Many of you on the Bulgarian mission trip to minister to the Gypsies requested directions on how to make the cross bookmarks. Interestingly, many of the Gypsy children tied the bookmarks around their neck and turned them into necklaces. If you want to use them as necklaces rather than bookmarks, I would suggest adding 2-4 inches to the ribbon length to make it easier to fit around the neck. Add even more length to the ribbon if you want it to fit an adult's neck.

Cut out one cross with the correct dimensions and trace it onto a sheet of plastic canvas, first right-side-up, then up-side-down along the sheet - to make the most efficient use of the canvas - filling up the entire sheet. 

Make sure to leave a space or two between crosses for when you cut the cross out - so that you don't accidentally cut into into the structure of the adjoining cross because you didn't leave enough spaces.

Once the crosses are cut out, soak them in Dawn (or other) dish soap and use an old toothbrush to scrub off the ink used to outline the crosses.

Cross dimensions:

18 holes long by 13 holes wide on the canvas
52 1/2 inch ribbon (add more to fit neck)

U = Up (come up through the hole from the underside)
D = Down (go down from the top to the underside)

Thread the ribbon onto a canvas needle and follow the directions below. Make sure that with each pass of the needle through the canvas, the ribbon lays flat and smooth.

Enjoy! - Candace

(P.S. To print a picture, right click on it with the mouse and select "print picture.")

Gypsy necklace