Lesson 4: Stenciling on Fabric - Supplies
Stencils for Fabric
Almost any stencil that will work on a wall will work on fabric. However, you may find that thinner mylar is easier to work with than the heavier stuff, simply because it is more flexible. This can be important if you are doing something like a border at the hemline of a dress. You can stretch that hem around a cardboard box and have a perfect disposable work surface, but if the stencil won't bend easily around the corners, you will run into trouble in those areas.
If what you really dream of is monogrammed pillowcases, towels, and clothing then you may be lucky enough to locate the special copper stencils designed for embroiderers. These stencils have a monogram and decorative element cut out of them. Stencil through it with a pale color - just enough that you can distinguish it from the fabric base, and then, when it has dried, embroider it. Or stencil it carefully with a coordinating and visible color and forget the embroidery. Alternatively, you can use a paint called Liquid Embroidery to create a raised, embroidered effect in paint.
In addition almost anything you can use on a hard surface as a stencil can be used on fabric, from masking tape to create plaids and grids to lace.
If you've learned to cut out your own stencils then you have another option, and that is to create your own stencil using clear ConTact paper. You will need to cut it on a piece of transparent glass, so that it can be easily removed and transferred to your fabric. Since you can see through both the glass and the ConTact paper, you will be able to trace and cut your design easily. Obviously, you need to remove the backing before cutting to do this, since the backing is quite opaque. So removing and repositioning the ConTact paper can be tricky. But there are times when it is also very useful.
If your fabric is silk, you will want to save the cutout portions of the stencil. Position them on the fabric, paint around then with resist, then position the stencil itself, and paint as usual. If you are skilled at hand painting you won't even need the actual stencil. Just paint in the design in the areas not covered by resist. This will give you more freedom to position and space objects differently than with the actual stencil and is useful when doing a border design where you may need to cheat a bit to get the repeats to work out.
However, if you are careful about removing the ConTact paper from the glass and repositioning it on the fabric, it will act as its own resist and you can stencil through the cut out portions fearlessly.
