Looking for an Elegant Decorating Stencil? Use Lace!

If you like to stencil, you should know that your creativity does not have to be limited by the confines of the stencil aisle at your local art supply store. You can actually make stencils out of everyday items found around your home, including your favorite piece of lace. By creating your own stencil, you will end up with a design that fits your unique tastes instead of a design that is produced for the masses. To use lace as a stencil, you will first need to find a way to adhere the lace to the surface that you are stenciling.

While painter's tape can be used, a repositionable, stencil adhesive would be better suited for the task, due to the delicate nature of the lace. Stencil adhesive generally comes in one of two forms, roll-on or spray. Delta Stencil Magic, a mass producer of stencils and stencil supplies, makes both types of adhesive, while Stencil Ease, another well-known stencil company, only makes a spray. Paper lace can take either type of adhesive. Fabric lace, on the other hand, may be better suited for spray adhesive, as the fabric may absorb too much of the roll-on glue and become gummy. A temporary fabric adhesive like Dritz Spray Adhesive, J.T. 505 Spray & Fix Temporary Fabric Adhesive, or Sulky Temporary Spray Adhesive may also be used on fabric lace. Both roll-on and spray adhesives do something that the painter's tape does not; they seal the edges of the lace, thereby creating sharper lines in the stenciled design and decreasing the chance of paint seepage.

Once the lace stencil is fixed in place, you will need to apply paint to the negative space using one of the many stenciling tools available on the market today. The most common application method is a paintbrush. While you may use a normal artist's brush, a stencil brush-a paintbrush with short, stiff bristles arranged in a cylindrical shape-will allow you to tap and swirl the paint onto your pattern. Tapping and swirling are recommended because they will give your stenciled design the texture and dimension normally found in a hand-painted design. Because stenciling is essentially a dry-brush technique, you should only take a little bit of paint at a time and slowly build up the color, working from the outside of the negative space inwards. If you take too much paint by accident, wipe it off with a paper towel or switch brushes. Otherwise, your design may bleed under the lace and lose the desired dimensional effect.

You may also use a roller, a sponge, a spouncer-a sponge on a stick-or a dauber-a sponge tip that is attached to a cardboard roll that slides over your finger-to apply paint to your lace stencil. If you wish to apply multiple colors, let one color dry before moving onto another, unless a blending of colors is desired. Acrylic craft paints are better suited for stenciling than oil paints, as the former type of paint dries faster and is easier to clean up. Spray paint may also be used, so long as the paint is sprayed in light bursts. After the paint has dried, remove the lace and enjoy your newly stenciled design.

If you want to preserve the integrity of your lace, you can use the lace as a template for a stencil, rather than as the stencil itself. Simply place the lace on a stencil blank-a piece of mylar used for do-it-yourself stencils-and trace around it with a pin or marker. Then use a razor blade, utility knife, or craft knife to cut out the design. You may also use a stencil cutter to remove the negative areas. Plaid Stencil Decor's Stencil Cutter is an electric pen that burns through the stencil blank as you use it to trace the outlines of your design. Stencil Ease's Stencil Cutting Took is a similar electric pen that comes with two interchangeable tips. If you don't have access to stencil blanks, you can make a stencil out of a manila folder, a plastic report cover, or any other stiff material. Once you have the stencil design cut out, proceed as you would if you were using the lace directly.

Sources Cited

Introducing Stencil Decor, http://www.plaidonline.com/articleDetail.asp?entry=article&articleID=235
Stenciling, http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/stenciling.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavHowTo
Stencil Tips, http://www.stencilplanet.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=23
www.stencilease.com