Stenciled Kitchen Towels

Stenciled Kitchen Towels
By Judi Kauffman for StencilGirl Products

I bought some wonderful retro-looking 16” wide kitchen toweling at an old-school five and dime in Vermont, intending to cut it into pieces and hem the ends. But then it hit me: Add a bit of gel plate printing and some stenciling.

Kitchen toweling and stencils are a great match! The stripes and window pane checks provide a starting point for positioning the patterns, anchor the design, and help determine the paint colors.

Other options:

Instead of using the stenciled toweling as kitchen towels, use it for curtains, valances, children’s clothing, baby bibs, pot holders, aprons, tote bags, napkins, place mats, table runners, throw pillows…By starting with toweling sold by the yard, not pre-hemmed towels, there are SO many possibilities! (Towels shown are 16” x 22”.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash toweling to remove sizing; iron and hem. (Option: Wash and iron pre-hemmed towels.)

2. Using red acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium or red fabric paint, create a background grid with the 3” Gelli Arts gel printing plate. Heat set per paint manufacturer’s instructions. Choose colors that coordinate with your toweling and suit your taste. I went for a 1940s feel and palette.

3. Using green acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium or green fabric paint, add stenciled leaves (striped towel) or stenciled leaves plus random crackle pattern (window pane towel). Heat set. 

4. If desired, add ball fringe, rickrack or other trim. For even more texture and detail, do a bit of hand embroidery!

SUPPLIES:

StencilGirl Products –

Crackle

Woodland Leaves

Other –

Gelli Arts 3” square gel printing plate

Toweling fabric (OR purchased pre-hemmed towels)

Acrylic paint in colors of choice and fabric medium (OR paints formulated for fabric)

Sponge wedges to apply paint

Messy Florals Art Journal Page by Torrie Gass

Hi everyone, Torrie here! I'm excited to bring you my first tutorial as a member of the Design Team for StencilGirl. 

I've got a bright & messy floral page that utilizes a few of the many amazing floral stencils by StencilGirl. Since spring is here and summer is coming, I wanted to show you how to make a happy messy page to celebrate all the flowers we're seeing bloom! I love working in layers and creating a bit of chaos in my work. And neons are a must in any page I make ;)

You can check out my entire process in the video below.

You can find the stencils I've used in this page here:

Deconstructed Cabbage Rose - Traci Bautista

Deconstructed Double Zinnia - Traci Bautista

Woodcut Roses - Desiree Habicht

Bali Love - Flora Bowley

Here's a Toast to the Veterans That Serve and the Families That Wait

Here's a Toast to the Veterans we miss. Here's to the Veterans that serve. Here's to the spouses and families that wait for their safe return.

Hello. Carol Baxter chiming in this Memorial Day in the United States.

My dad is holding a photo of my "Popa", Lt. Cmdr. Jarvis Ramsay Jennings, Sr. I think this picture was take while Grandma waited with relatives in South Dakota for her sailor to come home.

Popa was the Landing Signal Officer on the USS Guadalcanal during WWII. He was the first man to flag in night landings at sea. The crew of the ship he was on, Captained by Daniel V. Gallery, captured the German U505 Submarine. (You can see the submarine at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.)

As I recall, Grandma waited 5 months for a letter from her Navy man while the sub was being towed from sea to Casablanca and from there to England~ it was such a huge secret.

Many years later, two of Popa's fondest memories were Navy reunions in Chicago where where he not only reconnected with his buddies, but the US sailors were able to return items they had taken from the submarine to some of the German sailors.

Guest Designer Staci Swider

Hi, everyone! Staci Swider here! In my painting process I always include a middle layer of red design, often something decorative such as flowers or geometric designs, more recently as drips that influence the placement of compositional items such as flowers and plants. These elements are usually drawn using a squeeze bottle of red paint. I could go into all the subliminal reasons for my color choice and how I got to this point but the end game is that because of the way I apply my paint bits of red almost always poke out around the edges of my designs and aesthetically I find that to be very pleasing. Stencils in beautiful designs are a natural fit for this middle layer of my process and they allow for a broader array of more complex elements that I may not be inclined to take the time to draw out by hand.  For the demonstration that follows I chose two organic plant designs and whimsical bunnies.

If you’d like to learn more about my process or insight into my design choices pick up a copy of my book “Acrylic Expressions” or one of my painting videos that demonstrate more in depth how I apply paint. For now, let’s take a look at how that red layer plays out using stencils.

Materials

9" x 12" mixed media paper (I used a scrap from an old project)

Scraps of textured paper (these are handmade cotton rag)

Mod Podge or similar collage adhesive

Assorted brushes

Water

Acrylic paint in a variety of colors

Stencils: Rabbits, Pickleweed, and Seaside Lavender 

Sennelier Oil Pastels (expensive but worth their weight in Gold)

1.      I chose this particular piece of mixed media paper because I liked the subtle nature of the underpainting and I knew that most of it would get covered up. If you find yourself without any old papers that could stand a facelift, simply use some acrylic paint thinned with water to edit out most of the white.

2.      I can never have enough texture in my paintings so I opted to glue down two pieces of handmade paper, also from my scrap basket. I used a thin layer of Mod Podge applied with a two-inch brush.

3.      I placed my stencils on top of the collaged papers and using the same 2” brush I pounced a little red paint all over to transfer my designs. I wasn’t overly concerned with the edges being crisp and clear because these designs are merely a place holder for color later in my process and will be repainted. I oriented the bunnies up high and the foliage at the bottom, thinking that the bunnies would become part of my sky.

4.      Next is the fun part; adding color. When I paint, I move my color around the entire piece at the same time, rather than completing a small area and then moving to the next. If you look closely at this photo you can see how I added paint not only over top of the bunnies but also around them. My intention was to create a monochromatic blue area with a subtle rabbit pattern.

5.      At the same time I added tints and shades of greens and golds to the foliage area below. I continued moving my brush around on my paper, switching between blue and green until all of the under painting was covered. I allowed bits of red to peek out around the edges of the design.

6.      The sky area was looking a little too light to me so I added darker blues and purples. I started losing the edges of my rabbit pattern but I was pleased with the overall effect so I decided to let it go.

7.      Here you can see more closely how I used the design from the stencil to guide me as I painted over top of the red and then filled in around the red with a lighter neutral in the negative spaces to form the ground.

8.      After the painting was dry I used several greens and a bright orange oil pastel to add pops of color and clarity to the plants. I also rubbed a little grey into a few spots of the sky just to elevate the color up there a little. When all was said and done I accidentally created a painting that was almost cut in half horizontally between sky and ground. I corrected my composition by cropping out a portion of the sky to create a square. Shifting that horizon line upwards divided the painting into thirds thereby making it more interesting than if it was divided directly in half. 

Learn more about Staci Swider and her artwork on her website at staciswider.com!

Throwback Thursday for May with Creative Team members Karen, Carol, and Sherry

Hi Carol Baxter here curating our Throwback Thursday for May! We love pulling stencils our of our stash that have been a tiny bit overlooked and making new projects.

Karen Gaunt, Sherry Canino, and I are pleased to share our poetic collage paper, 3 silly cards and lime and pink art journaling spread and we hope you'll be inspired to grab a stencil and make some art of your own. (Sherry even made a video tutorial for you!)

Karen's Poetic Bird

Karen writes: "I'm knee deep in the 100 Days Project right now and I am trying to keep things as simple as possible when I am making them. 

"The graphic and bold nature of the Perched Bird Stencil S228 by Kimberly Baxter Packwood meant this stencil was a perfect focal point for this piece.

6"x6" stencil

"I stenciled the bird in black and added some over the collage background for my poem. viola! The perfect piece for today's project."

We love Instagram. You can find us on Instagram HERE.

We'd love it if you use the hastag #stencilgirl any time you incorporate StencilGirl Products and would like us to share your creations.

When you think The 100 Days Project on Instagram is cool! #The100DaysProject

Whimsical Willows Cards by Carol

I've been meaning for a while to use the Budding Branches Stencil S249 by Cecilia Swatton as a base to add baby animals.

6"x6" stencil

I was imagining the buds as rabbits or kittens (think "pussy willows"), as I would only need to stencil the willows in one color, paint the buds in a contrasting color, and then for the hard part, draw in details such as ears, noses, and whiskers.

Of course I needed a momma bunny on my card ...

6"x6" stencil

and step-momma-bunny for my kittens (where has my Cats stencil wandered?) ...

The third card was inspired by a video of a baby porcupine nibbling on a banana. I was utterly charmed by the size of the little critter's nose! 

(I maintain these are baby porcupines because of the size of their noses. If it they were baby hedgehogs they would have small pointed noses.)

Does one send a porcupine card to turn a "frienemy" into a friend? Art shared equals love, right?!

I think I will make yellow porcupines on brown cards next!

Sherry's Collaged Art Journal Spread

Mini Star by Mary Beth Shaw and Farmer's Market by Daniella Woolf Stencils

4"x4" stencil

9"x12" stencil

A Variety of New Stencils Designed by Jessica Sporn!

serious and heartfelt sentiments 

wild creatures and man's best friend

gently falling leaves plus a stencil of faith

Stencil Girl is pleased to offer new stencils designed by Jessica Sporn.

L526 Women Will Heal the World

The empowered women and symbols in Jessica's Women Will Heal the World stencil are all about social justice and sisterhood.

What wonderful post cards to find in your mailbox:

 

S468 Love is for Everyone Script

Inspire your art with the words of Jessica’s Love is for Everyone Script stencil. 

S467 See the Divine in Everything

Feeling blue or know someone who is? You can use the sentiment of Jessica’s See the Divine in Everything stencil to make art and help hasten brighter days.

Jessica's Hanukkah Stencil features the Star of David in several artistic styles, both mosaic and unadorned Menorahs, a separate set of patterned candles, the words Happy Hanukkah and LIVE FREE, a dove, eternal flames, and several dreidels for play.

L523 Hanukkah

Now for stencils of a less serious nature ...

Fetch Jessica's Dog Stencil with Masks into your home and you’ll be able to showcase man’s best friend in your own crafty fashion. 

Nimby is diggin' her new treat jar! 

L525 Dog Stencil & Masks

4 stylized dog silhouettes (masks) are included: a Poodle, a Dachshund, a Beagle, a German Shepherd, and a Labrador. Stylized dogs in the stencil: one Terrier/Schnauzer standing and one running, a Bull Terrier, a Labrador, an English Bull Dog, and a dog sitting with its paw raised. There are 3 dog faces, a bowl of food, an award cup, bones, paw prints, dog toys, and the words love, home is where my dog is, best, good boy girl, sit, come, stay, and down.

L524 Born to Be Wild Animals

Run wild and free on the savanna of your art journal with Jessica's elephant, lion, tiger, giraffe, zebra, antelope, and a kangaroo that hopped into the mix! 

There are many different kinds of veined leaves within this stencil if you wished to mask off a particular type. It is shown below paired with Women Will Heal the World.

L522 Fallen Leaves

You can find out more about Jessica on her website and obtain all of Jessica's stencils HERE.