Make a Halloween Fabric Garland

Hello Everyone, it's Martha again with a Halloween project that I hope you'll like. I love Halloween so I thought I'd give this idea a try. Of course, you can adapt this project to any holiday or no holiday at all. 

I usually start projects with a general idea of what I want to make, then let them evolve as I go along. With that thought, I took out the stencils I wanted to use and some fabrics. I'll list all of the supplies I used down below.

I don't like to measure unless it's absolutely necessary so I mostly eyeballed everything during this process. I tore the muslin fabric into rectangular shapes because I had originally planned to fold over the tops of these pieces to make the openings through which I would thread the string to hang the garland. That plan "evolved" as I went along, but I'll describe that later.

Then I started stenciling on the muslin fabric pieces with acrylic paints. 

I was liking this so far, but decided that I needed some additional color and interest on some of these pieces. I added this warning sign in orange to this one.

I stenciled some of the designs with gesso first to make the second color stand out more from the background.

At some point during the stenciling I realized that I could make five pieces with the stencils I chose, but  needed more than that for a garland so I made two of each piece.

I was happy with my pieces so far but thought they needed more so here is where my plan changed a bit. I decided to put the muslin pieces on top of some fun fabrics. I tore the fun Halloween fabrics into long rectangular pieces and tore down the muslin pieces into more of a square shape that would fit nicely onto the colorful fabrics. Again I just eyeballed everything. I planned on folding over the tops of the colorful fabrics to make that opening for the string to hang the garland. I also pulled out some ribbons to further decorate my pieces.

I did then fold over the top of each piece and sewed around the stenciled muslin pieces. Instead of machine stitching I think some hand stitching around these pieces would look great too.

I used Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbons on and just snipped off the ends with my scissors. 

I'm almost finished! I chose this string and threaded it through the openings at the top of each piece with this large paper clip.  I was forced to break out my ruler for this part. I measured one piece then multiplied by the number of pieces (ten in this case). I then added an extra three inches on each side of the pieces (you'll see why below), added more inches to make sure I had enough string on each end to hang this thing, then doubled all of that. My string is quite thin so I wanted to double it. That's a lot of measuring! 

I added some ribbons in between each piece. This is what I had originally intended to use the fabrics for but thought the ribbons added a nicer contrast.

And with that my project is finished! I tried it on my bookshelf which looks nice. Then I hung it over a window and I love it there. Did I mention I love Halloween?? The garland fits right in with my decorations. 

I hope you'll give this project a try!

Supplies Used:

Industrial Signage

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Industrial-Signage-DeeDee-Catron-p/ll1107.htm

Industrial Wordage 

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Industrial-Wordage-DeeDee-Catron-p/sa1057.htm

June 2021 Stencil Club June Pfaff Daley

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-club-june-2021-june-pfaff-daley-early-art-2-s/2159.htm

Webbed Medallion

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-webbed-medallion-cecilia-swatton-p/s522.htm

Gross Anatomy Inside My Head

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-head-pam-carriker-p/s272.htm

Twist Lattice Stencil

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-twist-lattice-lizzie-mayne-p/s152.htm

Jackwitch Mini

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Jackwitch-Mini-Jennifer-Evans-p/m225.htm

Fabrics

Acrylic Paints

Foam Wedge Sponges

Ribbons

Sewing Machine

String

Scissors

Glue ( I used Fabri-Tac)

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My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@madebymartha

Make Stenciled Fall Leaves and Clear Art Journal Pages with Michelle Schenker

Hello Stencil and Art Journaling Fans,

My name is Michelle (@michelle.schenker.art on Instagram), and I am a mixed-media and watercolor artist who loves exploring nature and incorporating it into my art. So, it's probably no surprise that I would go in my backyard to pick up leaves to add to my art journal! 

StencilGirl® Stencil:

• Woodland Creatures #1 by Margaret Peot
• Woodland Creatures #2 by Margaret Peot
• Organic Zen Circles Stencil by Jamie Fingal
• Autumn Leaves by Lucy Duclos

Other Supplies:

• Art Journal
• Acrylic Paint (3-6 complementary colors)
• Makeup Sponge
• Mod Podge (I used Gloss, but you could use whatever finish you prefer)
• Paintbrush (to apply sealing medium)
• Drying Rack/Surface
• Clear Packing Tape
• Scissors

How To Stencil on Leaves:

Step 1:

Collect fresh, non-dried-out leaves. Select different tree types and leaf shapes. If any are changing colors for fall, those make great choices too, so long as they are still supple. Make sure you are ready to get to work within an hour or two of gathering your leaves.

Step 2:

Select your acrylic paint color palette. I went with fall colors, but you can choose whatever you like. I recommend using 3 to 6 colors. 

Step 3:

Choose the stencils you want to use. I used a variety of wildlife and geographic designs (listed and linked above). Apply paint with a sponge. Let dry.

Step 4:

Once dry, you can add a second design in another color over top, if you wish. I found a nice effect by applying a geographic design in a subtle background color and letting it dry. Then add a wildlife design over top in a high-contrast color. 

Step 5:

Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for each leaf on both sides.  Feel free to vary the colors or even the stencil design if you want a variation on the theme for each one. Let dry.

Step 6:

Once the leaves are dry on both sides, paint on a generous amount of Mod Podge or a Sealing Medium of your choice over both sides to seal in moisture (minimizes crinkly leaves and mold). Let dry on a rack so you can remove the leaves without them sticking to the surface.

Step 7:

Once all leaves are dry on both sides, it's time to move on to the journal portion of this project.  

How To Create a Clear Journal Page:

Step 8:

Open your art journal and select a page. Next, you will carefully tear or cut off all but 20% of the width from the spine (see blue markup in image below). You can discard the portion you removed or keep it for another project. 

Step 9:

Tear a piece of clear packing tape about 3 inches taller than your remaining art journal page. Place it behind the remaining page portion so the sticky side faces up toward you, with some on both the journal page and beyond. Then tear more pieces to approximately the same length and apply with the sticky side up again, overlapping the initial piece of tape by 1/4" or so. Continue this until you have just exceeded the width you want for your clear journal page (I normally like it just inside the width of my other journal pages). Try to avoid too many fingerprints on the tape that will become your journal page.

Watch this video to its finish to see the full process. It is extremely hard to see in photos since the tape is clear.

Step 10:

Carefully lay your stenciled leaves (must be dry) in the layout you desire on the sticky tape. You can also add words, glitter, etc., but keep in mind that the front and back of whatever you include will become a part of your journal. Once you are happy with the design, press it down firmly. 

Step 11:

Tear off more pieces of tape the same length as the original pieces and place them over your leaf design to seal it. Continue overlapping slightly, as you did in Step 9, until you reach the edge. It's okay to go past your intended page width with the tape, as you will cut it down in the next step. 

Step 12:

Cut your sealed page down to the size you wish it to be in your journal. 

How fun was that?!? And look what we just made together! If you decide to make any part of this project, please tag me on your social media posts (links below) - I'd love to see what you make! 

All the best,

Michelle Schenker

Michelle Schenker's website | Instagram | Facebook

Etsy | YouTube | Pinterest

Spooky Match Book

Hello lovely creatives, it’s me again, Julie Peterson @Nuthouse73.  I’m bringing you along with me to make a spooky little book.   This tutorial is a little longer than my usual, but no worries; some paint, ink, paper, a tiny bit of sewing and a whole lot of messy goodness.  Such a fun process!

Let’s dive in!

Supply List

Stencils

Rabid Bunny L453 Roxanne Corble

Rat and Bat L454 Roxanne Corble

Spider Web L081 June Pfaff

Women of Mystery  May 2017 Pam Carriker

Plastic to protect your work surface

Under paper, newspaper

Acrylic paint and spray paint in black and white

Acrylic inks a few colors 

Sponge and or sponge roller

Aluminum tray

Instant coffee 

Manila file folder

Assortment of papers, i.e., vintage, tissue or deli, printer paper, book page, magazine, etc.

Sanding block

Paper trimmer

Ruler

4 Binder clips

Wax thread

Needle

Drill, screw punch, or an awl

The first papers we are going to work on are from magazines.  I like to use home decor magazines like Restoration Hardware or architecture magazines.  Lay your magazine page over the spider web stencil on a flat surface and rub over the paper with the sanding block until you can see the design appear.  I only made a couple of papers with this technique, but you can make as many as you like.  We will definitely have left over papers when we are done with this little book.  You can use the left overs for the inside or add them to your stash for later projects. 

Grab your black and white paints, sponges, rollers, a manila file folder and assorted papers.  We are going to pounce through the stencils onto the papers, doing some black and some white.  I used spray paint on my more delicate papers.  Let everything dry. 

   

Now, we are going to prepare a coffee bath to start the dying process for the rest of your papers.  Cover your work space with some plastic and lay down some under paper on top, we are about to make a mess.   Take the aluminum tray and put some coffee in the bottom about a quarter cup add some warm water about an inch deep, mix it around to dissolve the instant coffee.  You want a nice rich coffee mix, if you feel like you need it to be darker just add more coffee.   Grab your acrylic inks, some juicy brushes, a jar of water for your brushes and a pallet for your inks.  Dip your paper in the coffee bath then lay it on your table and add some inks with your brush.  Once again, let everything dry

Save your delicious under paper!

It’s time to cut and score our cover.  Get your painted file folder, ruler and paper trimer.  We want to use the three folds in the bottom of the file folder for the top folds of our book to make the flap.  So keep this in mind when you are measuring it out.  I cut about an Inch off the side of my file folder because my design didn’t go all the way to the edge.  Then I left the file folded and cut 3 1/4 inches from the bottom to the top of the folder, this is the width of the book.  Now we need to cut the hight of the book. Measure from the center fold on the file folder 7 1/4 inches on one side and 5 3/4 inches on the other.  Now cut out the rest of the book.  On the long side of the file we are going to score 1 inch in from the end and then 3/4 inch in so, we have a 1/4 inch fold for our papers.    

Now that all of our papers are painted and colored we are going to prepare them for the book.  I chose to tear my pages to size, 3”x 5 1/2”.  I started by cutting one of my thick papers to the correct size and then used that as a template to tear the other papers.   Save all your paper bits and left overs.

We are almost there!  Get your binder clips, drill or punch and a pen to mark your your holes.  I used a white pen.  Tuck your pages into the 1/4 inch slot that we made on the file folder.  Put your binder clips on to hold the pages and cover together while we mark and cut our holes.  We are going to mark three holes.  Measure 1/2 inch in from each side and 3/8 inch from the bottom and then mark the center hole 1 5/8 inch in and 3/8 inch up.  

Lets make the holes!  I really prefer to use a drill, it's fast and easy.  If you are using a drill make sure you put a block of wood under your project to protect your table.   If you are not comfortable using a drill you can use an awl or a Japanese screw punch.  

We are going to do a Japanese-esque stab binding.  I say that because I'm not a very precise sort of person.   

We are going to measure out 5 times the width of the book for our length of thread.  Make sure the whole time you are sewing that you are making sure your thread is snug.  

1. Thread your needle and we are going to start with the center hole.  
2. From front push the needle and thread through the center hole but leave a tale on the front to tie a knot later.   
3. Go around the bottom of the book and push the needle and thread back through the center hole creating a loop. Remember to snug up the thread as you go.  
4. This time from the back side, push the needle and thread up through the hole to the right. Your needle and thread should now be back on the front side.
5. Now wrap the thread around the right side of the book and go back through the same hole on the right side.
6. Next wrap the thread around the bottom of the book and once again go through the same hole
7. The sewing on the right side should be completed now and the needle and thread should still be on the front side of the book. Push the needle and thread through the center hole again.
8. From the back push the needle and thread up through the left hole.
9. Go around the left side of the book and push the needle and thread through the hole on the left. 
10. Go around the bottom of the book and push the needle and thread back through the left hole.
11. Finally your needle should be on the front side of the book.  Push the needle and thread back through the center hole, go down the center hole and around the bottom of the book back to the little tail you left in the beginning and tie a square knot.

Now that everything is sewn you can take off the clips and your book is ready for whatever journaling or embellishments you want to add

Thanks for hanging out with me and I hope you had a good time making this little treasure.  Keep up with me on instagram to see how this book progresses and tag me so I can see your book.