Creating Collage Paper Quilts with StencilGirl® Stencils

Hi, everyone! Jennifer Wilkin Penick here! I have always loved the look of quilts, so it shouldn't be a surprise that as a collage and mixed-media artist, I finally thought of making paper collage quilts. It then took just one more step for me to realize that using stencils with a gel plate could create the most wonderful fabric-like papers to use in my paper quilts.

I'm going to walk you through all the steps of making some gorgeous paper quilts, using "paper fabric" made with StencilGirl® stencils.

Step 1: Gather your materials:
gel printing plate
StencilGirl® stencils
acrylic paint
scissors
glue
optional templates (download here)

Step 2: Print your "paper "fabric". 
I like to use a variety of patterns -- some with big patterns and some smaller ones, that replicate the kinds of fabrics that I may choose if making an actual quilt. You will have fun choosing these or other similar StencilGirl® stencils that make an array of different "paper fabric" that is pleasing to you.

I have used the following six StencilGirl® stencils (you can see the names indicated in the photo, too):
Doodle It Tornado Bloom Stencil
Tapestry
Mermaid Scales
Fishscale Brick Stencil
Stockinette Small Pattern
Lila Stencil

The following photos show how I first print a solid color using my gel plate and then the results of making 4 different prints with each stencil using a second color of acrylic paint on top of the first printing. 

If you are new to gel plate printing with stencils, you can also check out this video to see me printing some papers using these same StencilGirl® stencils. Actually, even if you are NOT new to gel plate printing, you may find my simple two-step printing process interesting to check out. 

Step 3. Assemble your quilt
Now it all comes together, and I will use some gorgeous papers that I have made to assemble my collage paper quilt. To help you get started, I have provided a simple quilt block template in two sizes. 

You can use a large piece of paper and have your quilt block repeat several times (for stunning effect!) or you can start out by making maybe four or six and gluing them into your sketchbook or piece of paper. 

In the three photos below, you first see the result of me using my template to cut out the quilt pieces from my lovely stash of new stencil-printed papers. In the second photo you see me laying out the pieces into a pattern of repeating quilt blocks, and in the last photo you see the pieces glued down into the final collage paper quilt.

Since sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video tutorial is worth even more, you can see me putting a paper quilt all together in this video:

I hope that you try this tutorial and have fun either using the templates that I have provided OR making up your own quilt block pattern. If you've admired quilts before, you know that they can be made using many (many!) different patterns, and many of these are quite simple to replicate. 

Last of all, please consider sharing your collage paper quilt artwork on social media. On Instagram you can tag both @stencilgirl_products and @jenniferwilkinpenick so that I can see them. 

Thanks for your time,
Jennifer 

Jennifer Wilkin Penick is a practicing collage and mixed media artist. She teaches art for children and adults at her home studio located in a renovated 18th-century carriage house in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. She also teaches at the Arlington Arts Center in nearby Virginia, and is an artist-in-residence at the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC.

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