How to Stencil Clothes
Stenciling clothing with your own design is a fun and convenient way to personalize your clothes or other fabric projects. Using freezer paper -- not wax paper -- to create your stencils makes it easy to stencil precisely, with relatively fine details. There are advanced variations possible, but the basic process can be done by almost anyone in just a few minutes.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Clothing to stencil
- Freezer paper -- NOT wax paper
- Cardboard or cutting mat
- Acrylic paint or ink
- Sharp craft knife
- Stencil brush or sponge
Instructions
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Choose the design you want to stencil on your clothes. Your design should include only one color while you are learning the process. If you have any shapes, such as the letter "o," which can't be cut out of a stencil in one piece without destroying the image, try dividing the shapes into several sections. Draw your design on regular paper until you are satisfied with the image.
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Transfer the design onto the paper. Freezer paper has wax on one side, so make sure to draw, trace, print or copy your image onto the unwaxed side. Each stencil can be used only once, so if you want to print several of the same image, make several stencils.
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Place the wax paper on thick cardboard or a cutting mat, waxy side down, and cut out the image using a sharp craft knife. If you are making multiple stencils of the same image, cut each one out individually.
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Position your stencil on the fabric, waxy side down, and carefully iron it down with an iron set to medium heat. It should take only a few seconds for the freezer paper to adhere lightly to the fabric. Make sure that the edges and any small parts of your stencil are well attached.
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Put a piece of cardboard under the first layer of fabric of the article of clothing you will stencil, to keep the paint or ink from bleeding.
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Gently dab paint or ink onto the stencil with the brush or sponge, making sure to cover the fabric thoroughly. Use very small amounts of paint or ink on the brush to avoid excessive leaking, and reload your brush frequently. Check for any gaps created by the drying paint and add another coat if necessary. Wait for the paint to dry thoroughly before removing the stencil.
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Carefully remove the freezer paper. Run a low temperature iron over the image again to help set the paint or ink.
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Tips & Warnings
You can stencil multiple color images on clothing by using a similar method. Make a master stencil with the entire image on any type of paper. Cut out the areas that will be the first color, and trace them onto one piece of freezer paper. Then cut out the areas that will be the next color, and trace them onto a second piece. Repeat until you have completed all the colors you want, then prepare the stencils and paint the images one color at a time, being careful to allow the paint or ink to dry thoroughly between each printing.
