How to Use Quilting Stencils
Stencils allow you to stitch intricate designs to enhance the pieced work of your quilts. Whether you want to repeat a design across the whole quilt or fill in blank squares or add a center medallion, stencils make the job easier. With hundreds of designs to choose from, you'll find a stencil suitable for almost any project. You can even make your own stencils.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose your stencils. Different stencils are designed for different parts of a quilt. You may need a long, narrow stencil for the quilt's border, a large medallion for the center and smaller medallions for the corners or individual quilt blocks.
-
2
Decide which areas of the quilt to stencil. While some designs are suitable for an entire quilt, stencils are most often used to accent unpieced sections of the quilt between quilted designs.
-
-
3
Arrange your stencil over the part of your quilt you want to stitch. Tape the stencil at each of the four corners with a strip of Scotch tape.
-
4
With a lead pencil or tracing pencil, lightly trace each line of the stencil. Make the lines distinct enough that you can see them, but not so heavy they won't wash out.
-
5
Remove the stencil and look at your design. Fill in any lines you missed. Connect any lines that need connecting.
-
6
Repeat steps three through five until you've transferred the stencil design to all areas of the quilt you want to stitch are covered. Quilt over the lines of the design.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always test your pencil or marking pen on a scrap of fabric before using it on the quilt. Make a few marks, then wash the fabric to be sure the marks will wash away. Use parts of large stencils for smaller designs.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by Cindy Funk; www.Flickr.com
