One less thing to think about

These little (10 inch) pre-made canvases I just bought are really turning out to be fun! When you're making art on the run -- too busy to spend more than a few hours at a time in the studio, but you still need a little quality time with your brush -- these small fellows are just the ticket.

I haven't used store-bought stretchers since I was an undergraduate, when the only ones available were narrow (and warped in a second) and had an ugly line of staples running down the side, so you had to frame them. Apparently things have changed. Nowadays stretchers come with nice wide sides, with the canvas wrapped all the way around the back and the staples hidden.

I might even reconsider stretching my own, at least for smaller-sized work. It's such a luxury to just grab a finished canvas and start painting, rather than having to go through the whole process of unrolling the raw fabric, hauling out four stretcher bars and a gallon of gesso, etc.