Using Your Stencils as Embroidery Templates

Hi - Jessica Sporn here to share one of my newest passions with you -- using my stencils to create a template for embroidery.

I've posted before about combining stenciling and stitching.  Until recently, I've used embroidery to accentuate stenciled designs on fabric, such as this journal cover where I embroidered flowers on top of stenciled fabric using one of the February Stencil Club stencils.

But how about using stencils to create an embroidery template, and then going wild over the stenciled design with colorful threads?  You don't need to know more than the most basic stitches to get great effects.  (And if you need any help with that, Mary Corbet's youTube channel has great instructional videos.)

For example, here is one of the Hamsa designs from the Five Hamsas stencil. Here, you can see the how I stenciled the design onto fabric.  

Ultimately, the stitching completely covers and adds to the stenciled design.  

 Here's the same technique using one of the trees from Judy's Trees stencil:

(I stenciled the background of the fabric using fabric spray paint and the Medallions stencil.)

I create journals with these pieces:

Make valances:

And embellish my clothing!

I hope you'll give it a try, and use your favorite stencils as a jumping point for some stitching!

***Make sure you also visit Jessica's blog today for another post on Hand Embroidery and stencils with her NEW Paisley stencil!!!

Jessica Sporn is thrilled to be a Stencil Girl designer. Jessica has been a full time artist since 1996, when she began designing greeting cards for Recycled Paper Greetings. Since then, Jessica has licensed her designs worldwide, and you can find her artwork on fabric, tabletop, and stationary products for companies as diverse as Robert Kaufman, Aviv Judaica, and Hallmark! A former decorative painter, Jessica has long loved designing and creating her own stencils, and is happy to be doing so for Stencil Girl. Jessica keeps an active blog at http://www.jessicasporn.blogspot.com, and is represented for licensing by Creative Connection Inc. The mom of two girls, Jessica lives with her husband and many pets in New Jersey.