Easy no-sew stenciled friendship pillows DIY

Greetings & Salutations! 

A friend is in from out of town so I am off to a sleepover or maybe an all-night conversation. 

Not only am I bringing my pillow (because there's nothing like your own pillow when it's not your bed) I am bringing pillows for two of my best girlfriends - one I don't get to see often because she lives up north - shhh! don't tell them! It'll be our secret for a little bit.

Project time: About 4 hours total

1. Gather:

• Scissors
• Measuring Tape or Ruler
• Fabric
• Batting
• Stencils I used on pillow 1: Retro Comets by Mary Beth Shaw, Loose Woamn #1 and #2 (small) by Sue Pelletier, and words for The Dance of This Life.
• Stencils I used on pillow 2: The small stencil for the January 2015 StencilClub Set, by Mary Beth Shaw and dancers and words from The Dance of This Life by Carolyn Dube
• Acrylics
• Paintbrush
• Optional: Acrylics and Fabric Paint Medium or Fabric Paint (I decided not to use fabric paint in an attempt to keep it simple.)

2. Measure 2 pieces of previously washed fabric ( I used muslin I had on hand and it took the paint beautifully!) the size you want your pillow to be plus 3" all round for fringe.

3. Cut out the square, rectangle, or circles. Also, for a square or a rectangle, cut a 3" x 3" square out of each corner. You don't need to do this for the circle.

4. Stencil at least one side - you can do both if you want :) I stenciled the edges of the fringe in 2 different colors and am I ever glad I did because it made pairing the fringe up to tie so much easier.

4a. Sponge on 4 background colors in an uneven number of spots. 
4b. Place your stencils and use 2 new colors to paint the background designs.

4c. Stencil a greeting in black.
4d. Stencil figures in black or white. (Depending on the stencil you may need to fill in the blanks with a paintbrush.)

Pillow 1: 

Pillow 2: 

5. Place the two pieces of fabric together and cut fringe that is 3" long and about a 1/4 inch wide. I carefully measured the fringe on the first pillow. I eyeballed it on the second one. For larger pillows, you could pin them strategically together so they will not move. I planned to do this, but for the approx 10" x8" pillows I made it was not necessary. 

 

Tip: I have scissors I ONLY use for fabric and scissors I only use for paper. Friends who sew tell me this is a good practice. 

Time to be knotty!

6. Tie 3 edges on each pillow. 

Tip: I found this easier to do holding the pillow against the table top than just holding it in my hands.

7. Stuff pillows and tie off the remaining ends.

Adorable if I do say so myself!

8. Toss pillows in the dryer on low heat for about 10 minutes to set the paint.

9. Present each friend with her pillow :)

Here's a toast to Lynn and Diane! Spending time with them never fails to fill my heart with hope and laughter!

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. 

It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. 

We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

– Albert Schweitzer

Take a look at a few more projects from your art friends on StencilGirl Talk - your maker muse is sure to be set alight!

Happy stenciling,

Carol Baxter

Creating Custom Patterns of Fabric with Stencils by Tammy Tutterow

I confess, I am totally addicted to gingham patterns. Recently I wanted to create a small decorative pillow for my living room. I really wanted a gingham pattern but couldn’t find just what I wanted. Instead (and even better) I found a perfect piece of linen fabric in just the right shade and used my Gingham 2 Step Stencil to create exactly what I wanted.

Begin by ironing your fabric. If it is a soft fabric you may want to add fusible interfacing to the back side of the fabric to give it more structure. Adding structure will keep the fabric from slipping and moving under your stencil as you work.

To stencil, simply place the desired stencil (I’m using L531 Gingham Two Step Stencil) on top of your fabric. Use a fabric ink or paint (I used Tsukineko Versa Craft Ink) to apply color through the stencil. When working on fabric, use a pouncing motion with an ink or paint dabber to apply the ink or paint. If you brush or wipe the ink onto the fabric with the dabber you may create extra lint and cause the fabric to get a fuzzy or brushed look.

If you would like to learn how to use my Two Step Stencils, check out this video: Howto Two Step Stencil (https://www.tammytutterow.com/2017/06/video-tutorial-gingham-background/)

After you have created your background, you can add additional design by layering more stencil designs over the first. On this pillow, I added small posies and greenery using my Posie Parade and Petite Greens Two Step Stencils.

To add additional texture, I cut out a word and small round posey centers from wool. I layered the word over the stenciled background in the center of my fabric and placed the circles in the center of the stenciled posies.

I added simple embroidery stitches to the center of each posey center for extra detail.

I love to include a heart on all my projects so I added a white wool heart next to the word. I embellished the heart with a few small die cut flowers and leaves. I added a tiny button to the center of each wool posey.

Even though I fused the word in place on my pillow front, I like to add stitching to the edges to give it a finished look. I used a blanket stitch to add that detail.

I love that I was able to get just the look I wanted for this pillow by using stencils and inks on my background fabric. It gave the finished pillow a truly unique look that matched perfectly with the other elements!

Products shown:

L531 Gingham Two StepStencil

L534 Petite Greens Two Step Stencil

L536 Posie Parade

Weeks Dye Works Linen, Wool, and 6 Strand Embroidery Floss

Just Another Button Company Buttons and Pins

Therm O Web HeatnBond Lite Fusible Interfacing

Therm O Web HeatnBond Lite Fusible Adhesive (for fusing wool shapes in place)

Tsukineko Versa Craft Ink

Tsukineko Ink Dabbers

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Andrew Borloz's Stenciled World with StencilGirl® Products

In the past, I have done a lot of art journaling. The only trouble with art journaling is that they're often inside of closed books and not always visible unless opened. So, I looked for other opportunities to use my stencil designs on the things found at home so that they are more visible to anyone. I've come up with four examples: throw pillow, ticket roll bowl, backyard shed, and former fence post.

Stenciled Throw Pillow

I looked at one golden yellow pillow in the living room, and decided that it needs some updating. Not bold but subtle and needs to go with the other pillow with traditional motif. I used the right half of the Mixed Pattern Double Diameters stencil and applied Jacquard textile paint in two colors: yellow and goldenrod.

I had to be sure to use the masking tape with very low tack as I am stenciling on the velour fabric. Otherwise, I could be pulling some of the pile off the cloth. Instead of a stencil brush, I used cosmetic wedge to apply the paint to the fabric.

I like how the design turned out to be duotone depending on the angle and type of light shining on it. Stencil used in this project: Mixed Pattern Double Diameters.

Ticket Roll Bowl

Several years ago, I created a bowl from a ticket roll. At the time I was creating it, I didn't have any stencil or even any idea of what would be great for the brim. It has been sitting in the living room of my residence for a good long time, and I knew it needed something. After designing stencils for several years, I finally found one that I thought would be good for this bowl.

Ticket Bowl with Plain Brim

You can create your own using the ticket roll that can be purchased from a party shop or a stationery store. I used a ceramic bowl and placed it on top of it. I pushed it down carefully and shaped it a little bit at a time - it takes time and patience. I would then apply matte medium to hold its shape, and then later apply matte craft paint in dull green color on the exterior. The stripes on the sides were created by putting it on the lazy Susan, turning it while holding the brush against the bowl's side.

Bent Stencil on Brim

I bent the stencil on the brim and taped it down with masking tape.

I then applied the craft paint (Plaid FolkArt - Soft Apple), removed the stencil and move it to the next position.

Finished bowl. The stencil didn't match exactly at the end, so I left a little gap between the first stenciled image and the last. Stencil used: Right Angle Triangles and Rings

I have been working in the backyard quite bit lately, and looked at the drab grayish blue paint on the shed that my father built.

Former color (grayish blue)

I decided that I would paint it in green to blend it with the flora from the woods.

New color

Then I thought about the stencils for the front.

Selected stencils taped on the wall.

I went through my own collection of stencils and selected six stencils for this project. 

The three stencil designs in the Crazy Quilt series (Bold and Beautiful, Calm and Frenzy, Crosses and Rounds) are fantastic for this project - I don't have to worry about "lining" up at the top or bottom. For the Curvies Combo stencil, I started at the top and work down. For others depending on the pattern, I would either start in the middle or at the top.

Completed with six stripes of stencils.

Right side of the sliding door.

Left side of the sliding door.

For this project, I used a mixture of white and black gesso paint (Liquitex) to create a grayish color so that they don't pop out too much. It is recommended that a clear acrylic finish be applied to make them last longer.

Stencil used in this shed project: Bold and Beautiful, Calm and Frenzy, Crosses and Rounds, Floating Cubes B, Screw Heads Small, Curvies Combo.

I was taking down the falling/rotten privacy fence, and noticed that one post is in pretty good shape. I have been pinning a lot of garden totem pole photographs, and have thought about creating one on my own. I had a Eureka! moment - why not use the fence post as a garden pole?

The video below shows the step-by-step process that I used to create the garden pole.

Paints used in this project: Sherwin William's HGTV Home Showcase (100% acrylic - used at the top of shed - same paint used on the shed), Plaid Folk Art, Craft Smart Premium Satin, Blick Matte Acrylic, Ranger Dylusions and Liquitex Gesso (black & white). I used POSCA paint markers for lines and marks. For protective finishes, I used Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating and Minwax Polycrylic (clear gloss).

For your convenience, I have identified each stencil used by name. The only stencil not available from  is the one that I designed and made myself at my home studio. 

Stencils used in this project: Post Memphis Collection (available for purchase by StencilClub Members only) - Alternative stencils: Chevron and Wheel Spokes Set #2 or  Crossed Rounds and Squares.

Others: Screw Heads Small, Small and Large Triangles Mini, Double Diameters Small,

Mixed Mini Cross Stitches, Intense Half Rings, Busy Triangles and Rings, Crossed Rounds

I hope I have inspired you to find many opportunities to use the stencils more creatively for home décor & accessories. 

Stenciled Spider Web Pillow

by June Pfaff Daley

Halloween is without a doubt my very favorite project holiday. What gets me is that mix of the whimsical, mysterious and sometimes creepy themes along with the bold color palette that often includes bright orange, black, white, neon purple and even lime green.

I had an idea in my head for this project, but it didn’t really come together until I found the spiders. I flipped when I found these purple glittered gems (Halloween aisle at Hobby Lobby.) If you can’t locate glittered spiders, it would be easy enough to take a plain plastic spider, apply adhesive and glitter it up yourself. After the spiders, finding the perfect trim was on my list. I loved how this particular white trim reminded me of a thick spider web. I already had the black fabric on hand which had a light pattern, but plain black fabric would work just as well. With these key elements in hand, here’s how I put it all together.

SUPPLY LIST:

StencilGirl Spider Web Stencil
white fabric paint
stencil brush or paint brush
54 inches of white trim
11” x 14” preprinted black fabric
11” x 14” white backing quilting fabric
11” x 14” cotton batting11” x 14” pillow back fabric
Polyfil pillow filler
glittery purple spiders (2)
sewing machine
thread
fabric scissors

1)  Center the 9” x 12” spider web stencil on the black fabric. You will have a 1” border on all sides of stencil. Use a stencil or paint brush and white fabric paint to stencil the design on the fabric. Stencil unevenly to get a rich effect of light and dark values.

tip: I often use a product called Stencil Stik to spray on my stencil when stenciling on fabric. This helps the stencil stay firmly in place.

2) After the paint is dry, make a quilt sandwich: stenciled fabric, batting, backing fabric. Pin together with safety pins. Then quilt with purple thread using a sewing machine following the black lines of the web.

3) After the front of the pillow is quilted, make another sandwich. This time pin together the pillow front with wrong side facing out, trim with the edge lined up with edge of fabric, and pillow back with wrong side facing out. Sew approx. ¼” all the way around leaving an opening large enough to turn pillow and fill with Polyfil. Hand stitch the remaining opening shut.

4) Finally stitch the spiders around the middle of their bodies to the front of the pillow.

The spooky pillow is complete. Happy Halloween!

For another fun Halloween project, click here to check out Maria McGuire's spider web designed pumpkin.

 June Pfaff Daley is a mixed media artist who creates with everything from wood to fabric. She enjoys transforming thrift store treasures and favors whimsical motifs. June resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with three fantastic kids, one supportive husband, a darling dog and a charming cat. Visit her website: http://www.junepfaffdaley.com.