Stenciling Brushup--Sew News Library

Stenciling Brushup

By Ann Ryan

Stenciling Smarts

The room is your canvas when it comes to stenciling. Almost any surface can be embellished, including fabric, walls, furniture and wood floors, making stenciling an ideal technique for coordinating the decor elements of your space. It's also fun, easy to master and inexpensive. You'll need pre-cut stencils or stencil medium (mylar or acetate), a fine-tip permanent marker and sharp craft knife to cut your own design, stencil paints, stencil brushes (one per color), paper towels and masking tape. Stencil adhesive is optional, but ensures a secure bond to the stenciling surface and prevents paint seepage under the stencil edges.

Stencil Selection

A multitude of pre-cut stencil designs are available, many with coordinating elements designed for mix-and-match applications on a variety of surfaces. For the featured fabric border and sheer curtains, the entire stencil is used for the border, the central motif for the panels and the edge motif for the swag. Tape off any unused stencil sections to use a single stencil design area.

Cutting stencils affords you the option of creating a custom design or duplicating a wallpaper or fabric motif to repeat elsewhere in the room. To create a stencil, use a fine-point permanent marker to trace the design onto the stencil medium, then cut it out using a sharp craft knife. Note: Several stencil design books are available. See Resources.

Surface Preparation

Some fabrics absorb paint more than others; practice stenciling on scrap fabric before beginning.

Wash and dry the chosen fabrics to remove the sizing, and make sure any hard surfaces to be stenciled are clean and dry.

Cover the work surface with craft paper or cardboard, if desired, to protect the surface from any paint that may soak through the fabric.

Place the fabric on the surface, right side up, and tape the stencil in place. Or follow the manufacturer's instructions to apply adhesive to the stencil wrong side and press it securely onto the surface.

Paint Application

Using a separate brush for each color, dab the stencil brush into the paint, then onto a paper towel to remove excess paint.

Hold the brush upright and use a circular motion to brush color into the stencil cut out areas.

To highlight an area, reduce the pressure on the brush to let the fabric show through or apply a lighter color after the paint is dry.

To shade, apply a deeper paint shade at the design edges and blend the two colors while the paint is wet or reapply the same color after the paint is dry.

Refer to the manufacturer's instructions for drying time, heat setting and care recommendations.

Stenciled Fabric Border

Add a stenciled fabric border to the wall using liquid starch. The starch won't damage the walls, and the fabric will peel away easily if you decide to change the border later. Cotton and cotton blends work well because they're absorbent. Cotton chintz is firm and the finishing treatment helps shed stains and soil. Be sure the wall surface is clean to ensure proper adhering.

Cut the fabric strips to the desired length, making sure the border height is 2" larger than the desired finished height measurement and the length includes excess for pattern matching.

Stencil the fabric as previously instructed, centering the design on the strip. Just before applying the border to the wall, trim 1" from the top and bottom, leaving a clean edge. Note: The border paint must be completely dry and cured before applying it to the wall. Check the paint manufacturer's recommendation.

Apply the starch liberally to the wall for the first several feet where the border will go. Press the fabric in place with your hands, using pushpins to temporarily hold it in place.

Smooth the fabric into the starch with the fabric grain to prevent stretching. Be sure the starch penetrates the fabric evenly, lifting the fabric and adding more starch, if necessary. Note: Use a wallpaper brush to help gently force out any air bubbles.

To ensure a smooth, soil-resistant surface, apply liquid starch to the fabric top surface in the same manner.

Work your way across the border, applying starch to the wall, smoothing the fabric and applying more starch. When you reach the strip end, overlap the next strip (matching the designs) and cut through both pieces, leaving a clean edge. Butt the edges carefully and liberally apply starch.

If some bubbles are present when the fabric border has dried, soak the bubbles with starch and smooth them out.

Resources

"The Creative Stencil Source Book" by Patricia Meehan and "Stencilling Made Easy" by Susan and Martin Perry, published by David and Charles Publishers, are available from BooksNow, (800) 266-5766; www.booksnow.com.

Source

Stencils, such as the featured Deco Tile and Mediterranean Maze Home Decor Stencils, and other stencil supplies are available from Stencil Ease, Dept. SN, Box 1127, Old Saybrook, CT 06475, (800) 334-1776, www.stencilease.com.


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