Ebook Stenciling On Fabric Tutorial
Ebook Stenciling On Fabric Tutorial
Shelly Stokes
Stenciling on Fabric
The Legal Stuff
Links on the Tools and Supplies pages are affiliate links. When you
purchase supplies through the links, the seller pays me a small
referral fee. The fee does not increase your cost, and it helps keep the
lights on and the website humming here at Cedar Canyon Textiles.
I’ve been adding images to fabric with Shiva Artist’s Paintstiks for
nearly 20 years, and I love the paint today as much as I did when I
discovered it.
Shelly Stokes
Traditional Stencils
Traditional stencils are those where a series of shapes are cut into a
piece of mylar, plastic or durable material.
When you are creating a traditional stencil, there is one rule that
must always be followed: You must have “bridges” – or connection
points – between all of the design elements. Without the bridges,
parts of the stencil would simply fall apart.
Paper/Stabilizer Stencils
These stencils are “paper” thin and less likely to cause paint to build
up in the stencil openings.
Pay special attention to the heat setting instructions for the paint
you use – or risk seeing your hard work disappear in the wash.
The biggest plus for Paintstiks is that they are very dry compared
to working with liquid paint. They don’t run, drip, or seep under
the edges of stencils. On the flip side, Paintstik colors do not dry as
quickly as liquid paints. If you paint fabric for a sewing project, you
need to plan two work days – one for painting and one for sewing,
with time in between for the paint to dry.
All iridescent Paintstik colors and most of the matte Paintstik colors
are certified as non-toxic. I don’t recommend “finger painting” with
the four Cadmium-based colors or Cobalt Blue.
Cutting Machine
Permanent Vinyl
Transfer Tape
The key to lifting Renegade Stencil off the backing paper and transferring
them to your fabric is transfer tape. I prefer clear transfer tape over transfer
paper, but both have their uses. Clear Choice High Tack tape and Oracal
Clear Transfer Tape work well with Oracal 651 vinyl.
You will need a hook tool to remove the vinyl from the design sections of
your stencil and a scraper or spatula to aid in the transfer process. After
you paint, a precision tweezer is helpful for removing the stencil.
Paintstiks are oil paints in a crayon form. They come in Iridescent and Matte
colors, and in full-size sticks and minis. The Iridescent colors are my persona
favorites because show up beautifully on dark fabrics. (Dark matte colors
tend to get lost on dark fabric.)
If you’re just getting started with Paintstiks, you may prefer to start with the
Mini Sets of 3 or a Mini Assortment.
Stencil Brushes
I use stencil brushes to add Paintstik colors to fabric – at least for the first
layer of paint. Any stencil brush will work, but these short-bristle brushes
from Jack Richeson & Co make it easy to apply even layers of paint in a
hurry. The shorter bristles don’t bend over while you paint, making them
ideal for adding opaque layers of paint to fabric.
The brushes are sold separately, but this Set of 4 is a better value.
Miscellaneous Supplies
• Paper towels: Use them to catch paint peelings and to keep the
paintstiks off your work surface
• Wet Wipes: to clean your hands as you work
• Freezer Paper/Pallet Paper: Use the shiny side as a paint pallet
• Grip-n-Grip no-slip mat: keeps your fabric from shifting as you paint
The first step is to create a design or load a design from your library
into the software. When you design for vinyl stencils, you can break
the rules! There’s no need for bridges between the design elements.
Once you are happy with your design, click over to the Cut/Send
section of your software. Check that you have selected the correct
material and made any necessary changes. The default settings for
material like vinyl will probably work just fine, but I prefer to slow the
cut speed down.
If you are using a manually adjusted blade, check the blade depth
before cutting. (An auto-blade will self-adjust.) Then load your
material, send the design to your machine, and enjoy watching it
work for you!
After the design is cut, it’s time to remove the excess vinyl from the
backing paper. For a stencil, we want to keep the background and
weed the vinyl where we want our paint to appear. (See the note
about decals v. stencils on the next page before you begin.)
To create a vinyl decal (or appliqué), you cut a design with your
Silhouette machine and then remove the excess vinyl from the
background of the design. (See top image at right.)
The big secret to making Renegade Stencils work is the process for
transferring the stencil to your fabric.
To keep all the stencil elements in the correct place, apply a piece
of transfer tape (or transfer paper) over the top of the stencil. Use a
scraper tool (or something similar) to make sure the tape is firmly
pressed onto the stencil.
Next, peel the stencil away from the backing paper. Watch carefully
as you peel the stencil up to make sure all parts of the stencil come
up from the paper.
The secret to removing the transfer tape is to keep the tape flat on
the surface as you peel it back.
Before moving on, place the backing paper over the Renegade
stencil and press once more with the scraper tool. For best results,
the stencil must be firmly “stuck” to your fabric.
After removing the film from the outside of your Paintstik, rub a
small amount of paint directly into the openings of your Renegade
stencil.
Using a stencil brush, gently scrub the paint into the fabric with a
circular motion. Take care that you don’t scrub so hard that you lift
the vinyl from the fabric.
This step will make sure that there is a firm bond between the paint
and the surface of the fabric.
After the first layer of paint is in place, add more color as desired. At
this point, I smooth the paint with my fingers to avoid brush marks
in the paint.
Repeat this process with several moderate layers of paint rather than
adding a super thick layer of paint on the fabric in one application.
Paintstiks are oil based paints and take a bit longer to dry. Most
stenciled images will be dry to the touch in 24 hours, but humidity
and the amount of paint on the fabric will determine the actual
drying time.
Wait at least 24 hours before heat setting Paintstik colors. To heat set,
place fabric paint-side down on parchment or kraft paper. Press with
a hot, dry iron for 10-15 seconds. (Do not use steam.)
For best results, leave the Renegade stencils on your fabric for 24
hours before peeling it up.
If you just can’t wait, using a tweezer rather than sliding something
under the edge of the vinyl bits will make paint smudges less likely.
Allow the paint to dry completely, and enjoy your new painted
fabric!
Press each section of the fabric for 10-15 seconds. More is not better.
Too much heat can scorch the paint, especially if you are working
with Matte Paintstik colors.
If you are impatient and want to heat set the paint “in a hurry,”
sandwich the fabric between two pieces of parchment paper and
make sure you work in a well ventilated area. The smell of linseed oil
is quite strong when the paint is not completely dry.
If you are working with large pieces of fabric or pre-made blanks that
are not easy to press, you can heat set in a clothes dryer.
Do not attempt to heat set fabric in the dryer if the paints are not
completely dry. (And if you do, don’t call me!)
Shelly turned her passion for fiber art into a highly successful niche business. While Cedar
Canyon Textiles was initially formed to sell her hand dyed fabric, Shelly changed the focus
of her business to concentrate on Artist’s Paintstiks and accessory products in 2005.
Ten years later, changed course yet again, and is now teaching fabric lovers around the
world to create fabulous one-of-a-kind fabric through her online courses. She is a leader
in embracing computer-driven cutting machines –– and teaching others how to integrate
these marvelous machines into their fabric art.
Over the course of her career, Shelly has written and published three books, created and
manufactured lines of rubbing plates and stencils, and sold millions of dollars worth of
books, paints, stencils and rubbing plates into the quilting and fabric art markets.
Books by
Shelly Stokes
Paintstiks on Fabric
Simple Techniques, Fantastic Results
Paintstiks on Fabric is the essential paintstiks handbook for quilters and fiber artists.
In this best-selling book, Shelly explains everything you need to know about applying
paintstik color to fabric, from basic information about paintstiks to detailed instructions
that enable you to transform ordinary pieces of fabric into unique works of art.
Design Magic
For Paintstiks on Fabric
In Shelly’s second book, she invites the reader to join her in exploring the magical world
of design and creating personal fabric prints. Design Magic provides a simple three-
step method for creating positive and negative designs, turning them into stencils, and
transferring the designs to fabric with Artist’s Paintstiks.
Rubbing Plate Roundup is the definitive guide to adding texture to fabric, craft and
mixed-media projects. In this book, Shelly has gathered up twelve of her favorite
techniques for creating texture with a wide range of materials. Each technique is
presented with a comprehensive supply list, straightforward instructions and beautiful
step-by-step photographs.