Stretcher bars are made of wood and used in conjunction with brass tacks to keep your canvas stretched and taut. The idea is to secure your canvas to the stretcher bar as tightly as possible so that your canvas doesn't distort while you are stitching. This is really a personal preference, some stitchers like to hold the canvas in their hand and fold it. Mini wood stretcher bars are easier to hold in your hand, lighter weight and smaller sizes. You can use a floor, lap or table stand to give you a "hands free" stitching experience. Placement of the tacks is also a preference. Some start in the corners pulling the canvas tight and then divide the space in half, and continue in that fashion until they feel the canvas is secure. Others will place them every inch starting from the middle of the bar. It is up to you and the number of tacks you have available. Stretcher bars are reusable; however, after many years of use, you may need to replace them as you may have too many holes in one area to allow the tacks to take hold. Note that because they are thinner than regular stretcher bars, reuse of the bars for years is less likely as there is not as much space to place new holes in the wood to hold your canvas,
