Items needed:
1 Yarn Needle
1 pair of Scissors
5 Sheets of plastic canvas matching/blending colors.
1 color matching/blending yarn
After you have made one of these you will not believe how quickly it goes. For my pattern as pictured I will use the same colors. Feel free to change them to whatever you wish. I have made countless styles of these for friends and family members.
Out of the hot pink plastic canvas, cut 12 rectangles – 8 squares by 20 squares, set those aside. Cut 31 squares the size of 8 squares by 9 squares, set those aside.
Out of the maroon plastic canvas, cut out 7 strips of 3 squares by 66 squares. Also cut out 2 strips the size of 3 squares by 21 squares. Now out of the same maroon plastic canvas cut out the letters “S M T W T F S.” Cut them out just as you would have made them on the key chains you may have been taught as a child. One row cubes. The M and W are exactly the same. Let the pictures attached to this article guide you.
Of the red plastic canvas, cut out 7 strips 3 squares by 66 squares, set those aside.
Out of the hot pink plastic canvas rectangles sized 8 by 20 squares, stitch with up and down pattern not the typical / pattern. Be sure to make sure your months are centered in the plastic canvas. The only months you will be spelling out is, “July, June, and May”. All the rest are abbreviated. Of the 31 squares you cut out, fill in the numbers of the month 1 through 31. Once again make sure you center the numbers in the middle of each of the squares. It will be hard to remember that you are using the straight stitch instead of the / stitch. After all it’s not often a pattern calls for the straight up and down stitch. If you wish to use the / stitch though you will have to adjust the size of the calendar for the larger stitch.
For the back of the calendar, we will be using a red full sheet and the red strips of plastic canvas we cut. Each strip is going to be centered so once you place the first strip you won’t have to worry about counting in or anything, just counting between each one. Count down 2 and place on the 3rd row of the plastic canvas sheet, from the edge, count in 2 and place it on the 3rd. You stitch that strip on by doing the – – – stitch. In one square skip one full square and then back in and through that square, then back up through the next square. Continue on until that strip has been totally attached. To place the rest of the strips you follow the same as the strip you just finished. Between each strip leave 7 full squares placing it over the 8th 9th 10th. After those red strips have been stitched on, take the pale pink plastic canvas full sheet and do exactly as you have done with the red and the red strips only use the maroon ones. The smaller maroon strips will be placed at the top 2 squares down 24 squares in and placed on the 3rd down and placed on the 25th stitched exactly like the other strips.
The “S M T W T F S” that we created earlier will be placed right above the first long strip at the top. This in my personal opinion is the hardest part of the whole calendar. You have to center each of the letters to that section. You have to make them 5 empty squares between each letter previously placed. Starting with the “S” that is for Sunday, count over 5 squares and place the “S” on the 6th square. When you stitch each letter on, do not continue the yarn over to the next letter. Cut and trim off the extra yarn. This will keep it looking nice both from the front and the back.
Now take the red piece that you have stitched the red long strips onto and the piece we just finished up with the maroon strips and place them together. Once will be the front of the calendar the other will be the back. Stitch these together using the same stitch used for stitching on the strips. In one square skip one full square and then back in and through that square, then back up through the next square, all the way around.
If you are feeling creative, you can create extra squares of the hot pink for holidays such as a flag on one, a heart on another, ECT. You can even add lace around the edges if you wish.
Place the extra months and days on the back and set the calendar up for the month you are about to use by slipping the pieces in either from the left or right side.