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.  

Stenciled & Quilted Journal Cover

Hello Art Lovers, Linda Edkins Wyatt here with a new project using my stencil designs and a bonus sale on my stencils for the next two weeks when you use the coupon code SPIRAL20. 

I keep two kinds of journals — art journals with blank pages that I fill with paintings, drawings, and collage, and lined marble notebooks that I use as writing journals. I keep a marble notebook on my bedside and write all kinds of unrelated things in it — interesting dreams, Wordle and Connections puzzle possibilities, color formulas for digital artwork, interesting quotes, things I'm grateful for, and rambling morning / evening pages.

I decided that I could really use a removable, reusable cover for my marble notebooks, so I decided to give making one a try. And what could be better than designing a cover using my very own stencils?

I pulled out a few of my favorites to try stenciling onto cloth. I was feeling very experimental, and didn't have a plan or repeating pattern design in mind. I put some smooth, lightweight 100% cotton fabric on my worktable, pulled out some favorite colors of acrylic paint, gathered my stencils, found some cosmetic wedges to apply the paint, and started experimenting. I used heavy-body acrylic so that the colors didn't seep under the stencil edges. 

Below are the stencils I used:

Spiral, Lemurian Garden #M304; 

Lily, Lemurian Garden #M302; 

Lemurian Poppy, #S900; 

Woodcut Garden, #S958; 

Woodcut Mix, #M335; and 

Pansy, Lemurian Garden #M303. 

(You can see that they are well-loved by all the paint and stains on them!)

Here's a tip: I always put clear packing tape around all edges of my stencils when they are brand-new.  Many of my designs go right up near the edge of the mylar, so the tape gives some extra space and helps to avoid accidental smudges. I put the clear tape on both sides so there is no stickiness, and since the tape is clear, it allows me to see what is underneath.

Here's another tip: I used painter's tape to mask off some sections of my stencil when I had a small space to fill. On the bottom left photo you can see that I taped off the outer petals of the Pansy to make it a little smaller. I also taped off parts of the dots from the spiral and used them to fill in empty spaces and add visual interest.

I was pretty happy with the printing, but the white background bothered me. It seemed too boring. I also wanted something to unite the colors and patterns, so I decided to conduct a few tests and see if I could change the background color with some watered-down ink.

I liked the colored backgrounds, but decided to go lighter so that the stencils would pop more. Below, I diluted the ink with water and tried again. (I felt kind of like a mad scientist!)

On the left photo, I tested an edge with the light pink ink, and liked the look. So, I went ahead and covered the whole piece with light pink. I was anxious to see how it would dry, so I pulled out my hairdryer to help speed things up. Once the fabric dried, it was pretty, but needed something more. I decided to enhance it with quilting. 

I made a "quilt sandwich" with the stenciled and dyed fabric on top, thin batting in the middle, and some plain pink fabric on the back. I pinned the three layers together, then, using pink thread, did some free-motion machine quilting in a swirly pattern.

Once it was quilted, I carefully trimmed the fabric using my rotary cutter, metal ruler, and cutting mat to a size (11" x 17") that would fit nicely around the 7.5" x 10" book. I stitched an 11" x17" piece of the pink backing fabric to create a facing for the marble notebook's cardboard front and back to slip into.

After stitching the backing, I realized that I hadn't allowed for an opening that the marble notebook covers could slip into! So, I sliced down the center of the backing carefully and created two pockets for the front and back of the marble notebook.

It was almost finished, but the front cover seemed too plain, so I decided to honor my very first stencil, the spiral, by using it for a decorative front embellishment. 

The spiral is the shape that got me started as a stencil designer so it is kind of a "favorite child". I had entered a hand cut a spiral stencil, along with artwork created from that stencil, in a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine "Hand Cut Stencil" reader's challenge. It was among the winning submissions featured in Cloth Paper Scissors May/June 2016 issue. 

That success inspired me to join StencilClub, gave me the courage to apply to be part of the StencilGirl Creative Team, and eventually the confidence to submit my own stencil designs in 2020. 

Here's the artwork created with my very first spiral stencil, and the cover of the issue — from 10 years ago — that it appeared in:

My first try at a stenciled embellishment for the front cover of my journal wasn't quite right. I liked the turquoise spiral on the hand-dyed olive fabric, but the colors clashed with my quilted cover. I tried uniting the spiral patch with the cover by adding decorative buttons covered with some of the dyed fabric experiments. It was interesting, but not quite right, and also would have been too lumpy on a journal.

So, I used some of the cotton that I had dyed light pink (using the leftover dye from my earlier experiments) and tried stenciling the spiral with both white embossing powder and white acrylic. I tested both deep pink and aqua inks over the white spirals to see what looked best.

Once the samples were dry, I decided on the pink version that was dyed over white paint. I was a bit surprised that the white paint created a better resist than the embossing powder...on paper embossing creates a beautiful resist, but on fabric, the embossing ink sunk into the fabric too much and looked spotty. 

Next, I debated about the shape, and decided on a circle. I traced around a roll of packing tape to make the circle, then rusticly hand stitched the white spiral with white thread, basted the edges, and added some turquoise beads around the edge. The beading is a little wonky, as is the white hand quilting, but I decided to embrace my wonkiness and let go of my Virgo quest for perfection. My inner critic is still screaming at me to fix it and make it perfect :-)

As a final touch, I created a page marker with a handmade tassel, a few small beads, and one of my own handmade beads made from recycled Tyvek USPS mailers. If you want to see how to make the tyvek beads, here's a link to my post on bead-making.

Last but certainly not least, don't forget to use code SPIRAL20 to get 20% off any of my stencils through 9-24-26. 

If you want to see more of what I've been working on,  I hope you'll take a look at my beautiful new website and see all my favorite creations, especially my stencils & stenciled art section!

Happy Creating! 

Linda :)

StencilGirl® Doll Makeover Collaboration Challenge

Hello StencilGirl® and stencil lovers!

Tina Walker here today with a new Collaboration Challenge.  This month, we are ALTERING DOLLS!  How might someone go about altering a doll?  Simple!  Alter the doll's clothes, alter the doll's accessories, or even alter the doll's physical body!  And yes, this can all be done with stencils!

The challenge was simple - take a gently (or not gently) played with doll, and get creative with stencils, techniques, and more.

Let's get to the reveal!

TRACY KRUEGER 

How freakin' cool is this!?!? I love it, AND, I could totally see a celebrity rockin' this outfit!

Here's what Tracy had to say about her project:

"For this project, I knew she HAD to have tattoos (like me) so I was inspired to find stencils that could easily be tattoos.  My doll had clothes that really weren't conducive to being stenciled so I hand made everything she has on (except shoes)!  I absolutely adore how she came out!"

Stencils Used:

StencilClub Jan 2022  

Trefoil Rieven Glyphs 

Seeds 

DEB CORDER

SO, SO cute.  I love her eclectic, authentic self!  You do it girl!

Here's what Deb had to say about her project:

"I started with a box of doll heads I bought from an Etsy seller. This head caught my eye because she was completely bald but still wearing earrings—can you relate?  I pictured her as a tattooed girl in a hand-embroidered dress.

I used a 100% cotton kitchen towel as the base for the hair, body, and dress. For the hair, I tore the towel into 1/2-inch strips, tied knots in the middle, sprayed them with Dylusions Ink Sprays, and glued the knots to the head.

The body started with a basic doll pattern, but I had to enlarge it a bit to fit the head. Nothing scientific—I just kept penciling around the pattern until the proportions looked right! Before assembling the body, I stenciled the tattoos to the fabric. Because I started with a white towel, I used Dylusions Ink Spray to make the skin pink/tan. The finished doll is stuffed with lentils and Polyfil. The lentils add weight to her lower body parts to help her sit.  The legs and arms are also similarly filled.

For the dress, I used the “Layered Salad” stencil by Terri Stegmiller. I stenciled different colors onto the kitchen towel fabric and then hand-embroidered the design areas. Once the embroidery was finished, I laid the doll on the fabric and sketched a simple sheath dress pattern around her.

I’m so happy with how my tattooed BoHo doll turned out!"

 

Stencils Used:

Layered Salad 

 

PATSY BUCCY

 

 

She is so dark and mysterious.  I love that!

 

Here's what Patsy had to say about her project:

"This is a sad rainbow girl, inspired by the shirt she came with.   It is hard for me to make happy art these days. I used Stencils Girls “Lots of Dots” for her dress.  She will probably evolve a bit more; I hope to find a coffin in the Halloween aisle and do something with her then.

loved the stencil and the colors remaining on it after I used it, which made me want to the stencil in an art project.:

 

Stencil Used:

Lots of Dots 

 

 

Now on to mine....

 

Before I reveal my doll, here's a little BTS look at what she looked before her makeover, during her makeover (just for fun), and her finished, Victorian Inspired Self.

 

Take a good hard look at the BEFORE and AFTER! 

 

 

 

I bought her and a few of her closest friends at an auction and since she was a larger size, I could really alter-her-up! 

Just a funny little pic of her while I was prepping her body for her makeover!  

 

Drumroll.....

 

 

 

We can pause right here - it's okay to scroll back up - check her out! ;) 

 

 

She HAD TO HAVE a vintage-inspired backdrop...so stencils to the rescue. 

 Although her stencils 'parts' are subtle, so is BOLD in every way! Are you wondering how I got her hair to stand up and how I painted her body?  I used Powertex products throughout.  Interested in learning more about how Powertex works and how using it with your stenciled projects really elevates your dimensional work into the sky!

 

Stencils Used:

Church Window 

StencilClub Jul 2023 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you have a wonderfully creative, and STENCILFIED week!

 

XOXO