Make a Halloween Fabric Garland

Hello Everyone, it's Martha again with a Halloween project that I hope you'll like. I love Halloween so I thought I'd give this idea a try. Of course, you can adapt this project to any holiday or no holiday at all. 

I usually start projects with a general idea of what I want to make, then let them evolve as I go along. With that thought, I took out the stencils I wanted to use and some fabrics. I'll list all of the supplies I used down below.

I don't like to measure unless it's absolutely necessary so I mostly eyeballed everything during this process. I tore the muslin fabric into rectangular shapes because I had originally planned to fold over the tops of these pieces to make the openings through which I would thread the string to hang the garland. That plan "evolved" as I went along, but I'll describe that later.

Then I started stenciling on the muslin fabric pieces with acrylic paints. 

I was liking this so far, but decided that I needed some additional color and interest on some of these pieces. I added this warning sign in orange to this one.

I stenciled some of the designs with gesso first to make the second color stand out more from the background.

At some point during the stenciling I realized that I could make five pieces with the stencils I chose, but  needed more than that for a garland so I made two of each piece.

I was happy with my pieces so far but thought they needed more so here is where my plan changed a bit. I decided to put the muslin pieces on top of some fun fabrics. I tore the fun Halloween fabrics into long rectangular pieces and tore down the muslin pieces into more of a square shape that would fit nicely onto the colorful fabrics. Again I just eyeballed everything. I planned on folding over the tops of the colorful fabrics to make that opening for the string to hang the garland. I also pulled out some ribbons to further decorate my pieces.

I did then fold over the top of each piece and sewed around the stenciled muslin pieces. Instead of machine stitching I think some hand stitching around these pieces would look great too.

I used Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbons on and just snipped off the ends with my scissors. 

I'm almost finished! I chose this string and threaded it through the openings at the top of each piece with this large paper clip.  I was forced to break out my ruler for this part. I measured one piece then multiplied by the number of pieces (ten in this case). I then added an extra three inches on each side of the pieces (you'll see why below), added more inches to make sure I had enough string on each end to hang this thing, then doubled all of that. My string is quite thin so I wanted to double it. That's a lot of measuring! 

I added some ribbons in between each piece. This is what I had originally intended to use the fabrics for but thought the ribbons added a nicer contrast.

And with that my project is finished! I tried it on my bookshelf which looks nice. Then I hung it over a window and I love it there. Did I mention I love Halloween?? The garland fits right in with my decorations. 

I hope you'll give this project a try!

Supplies Used:

Industrial Signage

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Industrial-Signage-DeeDee-Catron-p/ll1107.htm

Industrial Wordage 

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Industrial-Wordage-DeeDee-Catron-p/sa1057.htm

June 2021 Stencil Club June Pfaff Daley

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-club-june-2021-june-pfaff-daley-early-art-2-s/2159.htm

Webbed Medallion

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-webbed-medallion-cecilia-swatton-p/s522.htm

Gross Anatomy Inside My Head

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-head-pam-carriker-p/s272.htm

Twist Lattice Stencil

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-twist-lattice-lizzie-mayne-p/s152.htm

Jackwitch Mini

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Jackwitch-Mini-Jennifer-Evans-p/m225.htm

Fabrics

Acrylic Paints

Foam Wedge Sponges

Ribbons

Sewing Machine

String

Scissors

Glue ( I used Fabri-Tac)

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My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@madebymartha

DIY StencilGirl® Hair Scrunchies by Martice Smith

DIY StencilGirl® Hair Scrunchies by Martice Smith

Hello there! It’s Martice, back with another stenciled fabric project! Here’s a fun fact for ya: back in the day - in the late 90s, - I would never wear scrunchies. It’s true! Not because I didn’t like ‘em...somehow, scrunchies would always find a way to slide out of my hair. I could never wrap them tight enough around my ponytails.

I was a chica who was more into wearing neon barrettes and glitter butterfly clips. Yes, I was that little girl with the noisy click-clack barrettes swinging on the ends of my long braids. I’ve always loved decorating my naturally curly hair with fun hair accessories!

My taste in hair accessories hasn’t changed much. I still love their playful vibe, bright colors and cute patterns! Scrunchies are super popular again so I thought ‘why not give scrunchies another try and make a few custom ones of my own’?

Supplies:

Stencils:

• Butterfly Journeys by Carolyn Dube

• Circles Circles by Traci Bautista 

• Cotton or polyester blend fabric (I cut mine 31 inches long x 5 inches wide) *this size will vary, depending on your desired scrunchie size
• DecoArt Soft Touch Varnish (optional)
• Acrylic paints
• Large, flat paintbrush
• 3/8” wide elastic
• Safety pin
• Sewing Machine
• Rotary cutter / Scissors
• Ruler / Quilting ruler
• Gel Plate (optional)

STEP 1: STENCIL YOUR FABRIC

I had some scrap fabric from another project but any cotton blend fabric will be just fine to use. 

I experimented with cutting the fabric in different widths to figure out how to get more of the beautiful stencil designs to show. I quickly discovered that the smaller I make the scrunchie, the less I’ll see the stenciled design. So, for that reason, I had to increase the width to at least 5 inches wide.

Use a cosmetic sponge and a small amount of paint. Dab off excess paint before applying it to your fabric.

Apply a variety of colors to add more visual interest.

STEP 2: APPLY SOFT TOUCH VARNISH (optional step)

Use a large, flat brush to apply an even coat onto the right side of the fabric. Soft Touch varnish creates a velvety feel on your fabric.

When the fabric is completely dry, you can move onto sewing it to make a scrunchie! 

STEP 3: MAKE THE TUBE

The "tube" will become the actual scrunchie once we insert the elastic.

Fold the short edge 1/4" and stitch near the folded edge.

Next, fold the tube in half with right sides together.

STEP 4: TURN THE TUBE RIGHT SIDE OUT  

Here's what it looks like...  

STEP 5: INSERT ELASTIC 

Next, we'll need to feed a strip of elastic through the tube. I cut a 10 inch piece of elastic to make a large scrunchie. (To make a mini scrunchie, just cut a smaller piece of elastic.)

Next, I attached a safety pin to both ends of the elastic, being careful not to pull the opposite end through. I found it helpful to pin one end to something sturdy (like my pant leg) to keep it from going inside the tube. Grab onto the head of the safety pin and gently move through the tube until you reach the end.

When the elastic is through the tube, secure the ends with two knots then clip off the excess elastic.

STEP 6: TUCK ENDS AND STITCH 

Next, tuck the end with the raw edge into the opposite end that was folded over and sewn in step 3.

Secure it with a straight stitch and you’re done!

It’s also important to note that working with stencils that have abstract designs produced a better result. It’s difficult to see some of the cute butterflies I stenciled but I still think it looks good. 

Here's another one I made using a gel plate! It's super easy to print on fabric. 

The piece on the left was made by rolling out some paint into the gel plate, placing down the circle stencil, then laying the fabric down directly on top to transfer the design.

On the right, I used the leftover paint on the gel plate to pull a ghost print. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Happy stenciling!

-Martice

To learn more about Martice and her mixed media art tutorials, please follow the inspiration trail in her newsletter, website, and Instagram.

Creating Wearable Art with StencilGirl® Stencils

Creating Wearable Art with StencilGirl® Stencils

Hello there, our stencil lovin’ friend!

Have you ever considered using stencils to create wearable art? I have and let me tell you, I’m so glad I took the leap into doing so because my creativity has soared! I’m constantly thinking up fun new ways on how I can transform my paintings on paper into art for the body!

I’m Martice, one of StencilGirl®’s Creative Team members and today I’m sharing three wearable art projects I’ve created just to show you the incredible versatility of StencilGirl® stencils.

My art style is very bold with vibrant colors, abstract patterns inspired by nature/florals, and mark-making with a graffiti twist. I also like to incorporate this into my home, office, and studio decor as much as I can because it makes me happy and it’s a continuous source of inspiration in my everyday lifestyle.
 
Here is a list of basic supplies you’ll need to get started creating your very own wearable art pieces:

Supplies:

• Acrylic paints
• Fabric medium (optional)
• Canvas fabric (I like to use a medium weight)
• Sponges (cosmetic and/or a stencil pouncer)
• Sewing machine
• Shoe inserts
• Scissors
• Painter’s tape (optional)

First Project: Fabric Design

One of my favorite projects is to create a collection of handbags. (These are inspired by the exploration and wild imagination of my art journal pages.)

I’ve created over 15 unique handbags using a combination of StencilGirl® stencils and a few of my own handmade stencils made from thin cardboard. 

I took 2 yards of canvas fabric and pinned it to my wall. For a large-scale painting like this, I recommend putting on your favorite dance playlist and getting your entire body in motion! Paint with large, gestural strokes, first. Focus on details last.

One thing I love about StencilGirl® stencils? Besides the exceptional quality, I’m able to build layers upon layers of paint and texture paste without worrying about them buckling or tearing apart. They’re super durable!

Here’s an Instagram video of my most recent collection, “Blooming Season”. 

Stencils used:
Boho Striped Circle

Clustered Leaves

Deconstructed Floral Bouquet

Hash Marks 

Scribble scratch

Second Project: Fabric Necklace

Using a stenciled design instantly makes you stand out! It’s unexpected, fun and is a prime example of putting your art on display.

In this project, I combined canvas and denim fabrics to really boost the wow factor. I only used one stencil but mixing the two fabric textures with small beads made the stenciled areas pop.

Keep your technique simple. Use two colors - one light and one a shade darker - to get an ombre effect. To add more visual texture, I chose a stencil with a geometric design, angular shapes and a variety of line thicknesses.

Stencil used:

Kilim Patterns 

Third Project: Shoe inserts

Don’t forget your feet need stencil lovin’ too! All you need are a pair of shoe inserts, acrylic paints, and your choice of stencils. I found that the smaller designs like the 4”x4” and 6”x6” were the perfect size.

Other ideas while designing your fabric:

• arrange the stencils in a random kind of way or be a little bit more precise on how you lay them down

• combine two or five stencil designs to make a totally different pattern.

I like to use a small cosmetic sponge because it allows me to have more control with paint application. Just remember, to get those nice, crisp lines, you don’t need that much paint on the sponge. Too much paint will seep underneath the stencil and blur your image. Pounce the sponge up and down to remove excess paint. If you struggle with holding the stencil in place with your fingers, tape it down with painter’s tape to keep it from sliding around while you’re applying the paint.

Stencils used:

Deconstructed Della Robbia Cluster Mask and Stencil

Hash Marks 

Hopefully, with these examples, you were able to see just how easy and fun it is to create wearable art using stencils on fabric. The possibilities are endless!

Have you ever tried stenciling on fabric? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below! Be sure to tag me on Instagram with your fabric creations. Happy stenciling!

To learn more about Martice and her mixed media art tutorials, please follow

the inspiration trail in her newsletter!

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