Cedar Canyon Textiles recently developed a new line of stencils. I fell in love with the snowflake stencil as soon as I saw it. Today I took just a few minutes to play. I grabbed some scraps of my favorite Kaufman Kona Cotton Solids and cut them into blocks. The larger blocks are 8″ square. The small red blocks are 3″ square. The small green blocks are 2 1/2″ square.
I decided that I wanted my snowflakes to be as opaque white as possible so I chose to use the Titanium White Shiva Paintstik and a short, dense 1/2″ bristle brush.
Here’s my workspace set up:
Snowflake Stencil Workspace
I placed a clear plastic protective layer on top of my work surface. I put down my grip-n-grip mat to hold my blocks securely while I worked (note: some mats are brown/some are black – the color of the mat does not matter) .
If you look at the lower left side of the pic above you can see part of my brush and the “puddle” of white paintstik on a piece of parchment paper. I then pressed and swirled my brush into the puddle of titanium white to load the brush.
Next I centered the stencil on my block. I did that by folding the block in 1/2 and then in 1/2 again, finger pressing each time to form intersecting horizontal & vertical lines. You can see the finger pressed fold lines in the blocks in the pics above/below. Next, place the center of the stencil image in the center of the fabric block where the lines intersect and match up any radiating center lines.
Applying paint with the stencil brush
Holding the template firmly but gently with one hand, I began applying the paint using the “loaded” stencil brush. I used firm, downward pressure in circles and each direction until I achieved the desired level of coverage.
The unveiling is the BEST part for me!
Just a few more to go…
Now all sorts of ideas are swirling through my mind. I could make a cute snowflake quilt or tree skirt. I could make some snowflake placemats or napkins. Hmmm…I could apply it to ready-wear also: perhaps a snowflake T-Shirt, Sweatshirt or Apron (one I’ve made or a purchased “blank” that I can usually find at Sams Club in a 3 pack).
Stenciling is easy and it’s great fun. It’s a wonderful way to personalize a gift or create unique projects to decorate your home.
If you are intrigued but you’ve never used Paintstiks before, basic instructions can be found on this page:
http://www.sewthankful.com/PaintstikInstruct.html
If you’d like a little more guidance, the following are EXCELLENT resources (I consult both for refreshers almost every time I get out my Paintstiks):
I encourage you to your imagination and discover the joy of stencils and Paintstiks!
