How to make stencils: Craft #1

Hello!

The other day, I found my jeans had gotten stained. The stain wouldn’t come out. They were my favorite jeans, so I didn’t want to throw them away. But, at the same time, I didn’t want to spend money fixing them. Sure, I could embroider them or something along those lines, but that seemed like too much work. So, I decided to make my own stencils. Today, I’ll walk you through how to make them and how to use them on jeans.

Materials ( based on what level of effort you wan to put in 1- being little, 4 being a lot)

Level 1: Normal paper, scissors, and pencil/pen/marker-for very temporary, flimsy stencils)

Level 2: Cardstock, scissors, printer ( for 1-4 time use)

Level 3: Plastic sheet, scissors and printer ( reusable stencils)

Level 4, Plastic sheet, Exacto knife, and printer ( for exact and reusable shapes)

How to make stencils:

1- draw / print the shapes you want as stencils on paper/ sheet of plastic.

2- cut out using Exacto knife, or scissors. I recommend choosing simple shapes that are easy to cut out, especially if using an Exacto knife and a sheet of plastic ( since it can be slippery and it wont always turn out perfectly).

3- Use with care!

How to make stenciled jeans:

1. Align stencils where you want them on the jeans
2. Using fabric markers, or acrylic paint (which I used) trace the outline of the stencil and then color in.
3. Touch up edges with paint pens, I used Posca paint pens, if stencils were used with acrylic paint.
4. Wear many times before washing, since the paint/marker may come off once washed. ( If it does, you have a blank slate for your next creation 🙂 )

Other ideas for how to use stencils:

• On cards
• Baking and decorating cakes
• Table
• Pieces of scrap wood
• On pottery

Enjoy making your stencils and comment how it turned out!