Re-Design Blog

CREATE YOUR OWN STENCILS WHAT YOU WILL NEED: Photocopier Scotch Tape Stencil paper Fine-tip permanent marker X-Acto knife Unused cutting board or craft mat Repositionable spray-on adhesive Drop cloth Acrylic paint or paint specific to your surface. Textile medium to mix with paint for use on fabric. Small paint brush Wax paper BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Clean the surface to ensure the area is free of lint and dust. If you are stenciling on fabric (like a pillow cover), wash it according to instructiions first. Place wax paper under the area you plan to embellish to protect it from paint that might bleed through. When painting fabric, mix one part paint to two parts textile medium so your stencil won't come off in the wash. 1. PICK YOUR PATTERN find design inspiration from stationery, art, or even fabric patterns. Susyjack.com has great desktop calendar designs. Organic shapes are more forgiving of mistakes than pataterns with straight lines or tricky center cutouts. Once you have found a design you love, photocopy it, enlarging or shrinking the image to suit the object you are embellishing. 2. TRACE THE DESIGN On a cutting board or craft mat, carefully cut out the photocopied shape using an x-Acto knife. Tape the cutout to a piece of stencil paper to prevent it from shifting. Then flip the stencil paper over and trace the design using a fine-tip permanent marker. When finished tracing, remove the design from the stencil. 3. CREATE THE NEGATIVE Tape the stencil paper to the cutting board or craft mat. Pressing firmly, guide the X-Acto knife over the design outline. Try not to lift the knife from the paper as you cut from point to point--you will end up with a more precise template. Pop out the shape and discard. 4. PAINT THE SURFACE Spread out a drop cloth to protect your work area. Spray repositionable adhesive on one side of the stencil paper and let set. Place the stencil on the fabric or other material, then press, making sure all edges adhere to the surface. Fill in the design with two coats of paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time between coats. 5. PEELL OFF THE STENCIL Let the paint dry for a few minutes before removing the stencil. Allow the surace to dry completely (at least 24 hours) before decorating your space with the spruced-up item. Red Book Magazine