How To Design Your Own Stencil-Bleached Upcycled Jeans

Hello Stencil Fans,

My name is Michelle (@michelle.schenker.art on Instagram), and I am a mixed-media and watercolor artist who loves transforming trash into treasures. You have likely noticed that my StencilGirl® blog projects follow this passion. 

I was doing a bit of wardrobe cleanup and was ready to donate a pair of old jeans to Goodwill when I realized I could reimagine them. So, I decided to play with my StencilGirl® stencils and some bleach to see what I could do to add these back in as a "new" beloved item!

StencilGirl® Stencil:

• Children, Our Future by Cynthia Silveri

Other Supplies:

• Jeans
• Bleach
• Fine-mist spray bottle
• Sturdy material to protect the jeans where you don't intend to bleach (I used a thick piece of paper and towels)
• Newspaper or a tarp
• Cotton rags or paper towels
• Low-tack spray adhesive or painter's tape
• Gloves and mask (optional)

Step 1:

Add 1/2 cup of bleach to a fine-misting spray bottle (this helps prevent unwanted drips). 

Choose a spot where you can work either outside or in a well-ventilated area. You might also consider wearing a mask and gloves.

Step 2:

Place a layer or two of newspaper or plastic on your surface to protect it (I used a tarp). Then, put a flat, thick piece of paper or plastic in between the pants leg and lay the jeans out flat. This keeps the bleach from soaking through. 

Step 3:

If you want crisp edges along the stencil design, use low-tack adhesive spray or painter's tape to secure the stencil in place. Then position your stencil where you want the design on the jeans, and tape it in place if you wish. Add some dry towels or plastic sheets around the stencil to protect it and keep bleach from getting where you don't want it. 

Step 4:

Once your stencil is down and the surrounding area is protected, spray the bleach over the stencil until it is damp, but don't soak it. Then, keep the stencil in place and use a cotton rag or paper towel to wipe up any excess bleach. This will keep your edges more defined. Once the extra liquid has been removed from the stencil, you can move it.  

Step 5:

While you may not see the lighter change color right away, don't worry. So long as it's wet enough to see it, the design will turn lighter relatively quickly.

Move the dry stencil to your next desired location and repeat steps 3 and 4. Continue with this until you are satisfied with your completed design. 

Immediately after removing the dried stencil.

This is after a few minutes sitting with the bleach!

Step 6:

Once your design is ready, immediately throw your jeans in the washing machine and run it. Then you can decide whether to put them in the dryer or hang them to air dry (it will not change the outcome).

Step 7:

Once dry, put on your new sassy jeans and walk your own personal catwalk! Maybe your dog will even admire them, like my pup Milo did!

Rock those new jeans and tell everyone that you designed them yourself. Way to go!

Cheers and have fun creating! If you decide to make these, please tag me on your social media posts (links below) - I'd love to see your creations. 

All the best,

Michelle Schenker

Michelle Schenker's website | Instagram | Facebook

Etsy | YouTube | Pinterest

"Break the Rules" T-shirt by Sue Plumb

Hello Stencil Lover! It's Sue Plumb here today to share my Creative Team project for our "Wearables" theme. I love these sort of themes that push me to create something different to what I would usually do. I am sure we all have lots of amazing stencils in our stash that can be used for purposes beyond our normal use, and creating an item that can be worn is definitely one for me. 

Having thought about this theme, my decision was to create something for my (almost) teenage daughter. When she isn't in her school uniform she tends to live in shorts or jeans and t-shirts. (A bit like me, really.) When I considered what item she would get the most use out of (because I am all about practicality) I decided to do a t-shirt. I knew I could also easily match my design to her personality.

So I began with a plain white t-shirt, placed a sheet of cardboard inside it, and then clipped the t-shirt around it. I then used my 2" wide paint brush and the dry brush method to apply two different colours of acrylic paint to the focal area of the shirt.

Once I had some background colour down, it was time to whip out my stencils. I chose the Not Calling You Back stencil designed by Andrea Matus deMeng. This stencil was inspired by Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall, and it was the sassy look she has that drew me to it immediately (and made it perfect for my daughter!) I used black StazOn ink and a sponge dauber to stencil the image onto the shirt.

I also wanted the shirt to feature some text, so I paired the image with the If You Break All the Rules You Miss All the Fun stencil by Carolyn Dube, which was from the StencilClub release back in August 2018. (The entire set was called The Playtime Collection and was an exclusive for StencilGirl Club members.) I used the same ink and technique as I did for the focal image.

Next it was time to liven up my design, with some additional background detail. I drew on the theme of Hollywood star, and chose the Military Style Star stencil by June Pfaff Daley to add some stars to my background. I used the same ink technique, but this time switched to a teal ink, so that they would coordinate with the paint colour I had used. 

For my next step, I pulled out a white Posca paint pen and used it to add a few highlights to the face and hair. Although they don't really show up in my photos here, it allowed me to colour over some of the paint on the background to help the image pop more from the background.

At this point I thought my design was slightly lacking something, and decided to add some extra background detail in a different colour (purple). I knew my daughter would like the addition of the purple, but I didn't want to add it in such a way as that it would overwhelm the focal point of the design, so I chose one of my all-time favourite stencils - Organized Chaos by Cat Kerr to add the random style dots in amongst the structured shapes of the stars. 

Now I was finally happy with my design and I knew my daughter would be too! It turned out to be the  perfect custom t-shirt for my girl. 

I hope I have inspired you to look at the stencils in your stash a bit differently to see what else you could create to make the best use of them. Sometimes it is fun to get out of our comfort zones, isn't it?

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you.

Happy stencilling!

Stenciled Child's Play Day Dress by Sunila & Aditi

Hello and welcome,

Today it is Sunila and Aditi here to share our 'Wearable' creation with you. This theme is always fun because it helps us use our stencils to create something fun that can be a part of the wardrobe. Last year we created and embroidered a skirt we still love. 

This time we decided to fancy up our little one's dress to create a fun play day dress. 

Here's a look at it.

Here's a quick video sharing the process:

We've used the Play Everyday Dress Up L599 stencil by Cat Kerr. We took an imprint of the image and the phrases on our dress by dabbing Black and Blue Acrylic paint on the front and back of the dress.

We then used beads and sequins to highlight the dress, some words and the strings of the swing. This adds a pop and uplifts our dress.

On the back, we decided to merely stencil acrylic paint and achieve a shadow effect scene. 

Supplies used

Play Everyday Dress Up L599 stencil by Cat Kerr

Dina Wakley- Black and Night Acrylic

Beads, Sequins

We hope you've enjoyed our creation!

Happy crafting!

Hugs,

Sunila & Aditi

Batiking with StencilGirl® Stencils

‘I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.’

Apparently, Pippi Longstocking never said the above, nor did Astrid Lindgren.

Whoever else came up with it, was, in my opinion on the right track though. It’s undoubtedly a rule I apply to most of my creative adventures.

The Creative Team theme for this month is ‘Wearables’, and it made me think about methods to print on fabric.

Over the years, I’ve stamped, stencilled, gel printed and screen printed fabric.

On my bookshelf, however, there’s an old (second-hand) book on batik. I have never really tried wax-resist dyeing before, so I grabbed this chance to give it a go.

How hard could it be?

From what I read, the minimum of what I needed was: wax, brushes or sponges, fabric, dye and some household items like a bucket, something to stir with, rubber gloves, an iron and ironing board, plus absorbent paper.

I also needed a pan to melt the wax in, however, when I went online to order wax and dye, I found a jar of cold wax. It seemed more manageable than the hot wax, so I ordered the cold wax.

I thought that I was all set, but once my order arrived, I realised that the cold wax meant that the temperature of the dye bath needed to stay under 50 degrees Celsius.

Which would not make things easier at all! And, I would need to buy a thermometer…

Let the experiment begin!

Once I got the thermometer, and I had my white cotton washed and cut (I cut it to the same size as my favourite shawl), I went to work. Watch the video to see how I got on!

Applying the cold wax through a stencil with a sponge was entirely doable. Sometimes a bit of the wax seeped under the stencil, but I decided just to go with it. 

Because the wax was a bit hard to see on the fabric, I wasn’t sure if I had applied enough of it. I was relieved to see the design appear once I got the material into the pink dye bath.

Rinsing the paint from the fabric was more challenging than I expected though. And, although I made sure the water was never too warm, I already suspected that some of the wax dissolved due to the rinsing.

I decided that it would be OK if the second dye bath would cover the white design and went ahead.

Unfortunately, the second dye bath covered more than just the white design. It also covered everything I wanted to stay pink! For some reason, the second wax application hadn’t permeated the fibres as well as the first time. 

While the fabric was still wet, I was hopeful that it would turn out OK. Unfortunately the next day I found the result super disappointing.

Even ironing the fabric to get rid of the wax residue did not provide a better result.

Can I still make this wearable?

I figured I had two options left to turn my craft fail around. One: I could do one last dye bath. I still had one pack of very dark dye left.

Or, two: I could up the contrast by adding bolder strokes to the fabric with another type of fabric dye I had in my stash.

I did not want to risk the chance of investing more time and effort in another dye bath. I would instead save that pack of dye for another time.

So, I opted for the bold move and painted a big circle pattern all over the fabric.

Because this dye was very wet, I could only paint a couple of circles at a time and had to let the paint dry before I could move on to the next row of circles. 

It took me a whole day to paint the circles and then the textile dye had to dry for another 3-6 hours before I could fixate it by ironing the fabric for 5 minutes.

The result is very loose, splotchy and irregular. I love how it turned out, though. You can see the stencilled pattern peeking through, and this colour combo is one that I can actually wear.

Once I was happy with the fabric, I hemmed it. And, in an attempt to finally get rid of the last of the wax residue I threw my new shawl in the washing machine.

When I took it out again, I realised the backside actually looked better. 

Oh well...

At least now you know. Sometimes I know what I’m doing, and sometimes I just fly by the seat of my pants. And, though I rarely show my craft fails online, like everyone else, I do have my fair share of them.

Anyway, there’s no turning back now. Luckily I do love my new shawl!

Until next time!

Marsha Valk

Stencil used:

ATC Mixup Missigman #1 Art Marks by Rae Missigman

Stencil it! Wear it! Louise Nelson's Necklace in Black & White

Hello Hello :)

What is not to LOVE about 'wearing' your favorite StencilGirl Stencil :) :) :)

There are sooooooooo many ideas for this particular theme it was hard to choose!!!

That said, I really wanted to create a statement neck piece using one of my current favorite stencils. Making my own jewelry and personalizing it to my own tastes is one of my favorite creative hobbies at the moment. With that in mind, you will not be surprised that I chose to create these neck pieces in black and white LOL :)

Let me first begin by sharing with you the fabulous stencil that I used! The 'Clustered Leaves' stencil was designed by the fabulous Cecilia Swatton.

I love all three of these neck pieces that I created, I can't wait to wear them out!

I have created 3 photo collages to share with you just how easy it was to create these neck pieces :) :) :)   To begin you will need to collect the following supplies and tools;

• Cropodile, Foam brush, sponge applicator, small jewelry pliers, Tonic scissors, painters tape
• Canvas sheet, white gesso, acrylic paint, jump rings, coordinating tassels and soft material cord, eyelets.
• Your favorite StencilGirl stencil >>> Clustered Leaves :) :P :)

Clustered Leaves 9x12 Stencil by Cecilia Swatton

• Begin by applying a thin coat of white gesso to the canvas sheet, allow to dry.
• Position and tape down stencil over canvas sheet [ I find this helps to prevent it from moving when I apply the paint.
• Apply desired paint with a sponge applicator and allow to dry.

• Start to trim and cut the stencil patterned canvas that will become your neck piece.
• Select coordinating eyelets and set them into place in positions from where you would like to suspend the piece on neck cord.

• Attach tassels with jump rings and and the soft neck cord. This soft cord that I have used is tee shirt material but I cheated and I bought a big roll of it from the hardware store as it is sold as soft plant tie :) :) :)
• What isn't pictured is that I have also sealed the stenciled canvas with spray on sealer (I used one that is used by artists to seal painted canvases).
• I have also adhered (with liquid glue) stiff plastic (from product packaging) to the backside of the canvas pieces to ensure they don't fold and buckle when I wear it.

Please find below some close up photos of the neck pieces so you can see the details a little clearer :)

Some areas I did touch up using a white paint pen to define the pattern a little better and where the black paint had smudged.

Creating these neck pieces was so easy and simple, it is something that you could perhaps do with your children??? :)

I do hope you have enjoyed this creative share :) I so loved creating them and look forward to wearing them.

Cheers and Happy StencilGirl Creating!!!

Louise :) xoxox

Stencil It! Wear it! Ombre Effect Tote Bag with Katie Lamb

Hello all. Katie Lamb here.

Would you love to create your very own customized accessory to wear on your arm ready for the summer? Then check out  my easy to follow tutorial below.

You will need:

Tropical Floral Stencil by Traci Bautista

Fabric paints

Make-up Sponge

Canvas bag

Use tape to hold down the stencil and then use a make up sponge to dab over the first colout.

Keep working down the bag applying a new colour to the bag.Go over the last colour a little bit to blend the colours.

once you get to the bottom of the bag and then carefully remove the stencil and tape it to the other side of the bag and repeat the process.

Once you have finished you should end up with a brightly colored tote bag.

Thank you for visiting!