Stencil and Stamps Club

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Holiday stenciling for Every Occasion

Once you have mastered the very simple art of stenciling, you will never be at a loss for decorating, holiday or birthday ideas.  With stenciling you can make unique birthday and gift cards or personalize many presents that you give.  With a small stock of holiday themed stencils that you can buy or download free from the internet, you can quickly decorate your house for the holidays no matter which holiday or birthday it is.

Stenciling is not just for walls and cards, you can, with the right materials stencil cloth, this is a great idea for themed holiday tablecloths and napkins for family dinners and parties.  You can purchase cheap napkins and tablecloths in most bargain stores or use the stencils to jazz up an old table cloth you have already.

First step is to wash the material in your machine but don’t use fabric softeners as this will prevent the paint from being absorbed.  The best color themes are to obviously use light paints on dark clothes and dark paints on light table cloths.  For Halloween I like orange and greens on black cloth or reverse it if you can get an orange table cloth and use black paint for a spooky effect.

I have found that for the best visual effect, you should stencil your design in the centre of the cloth and then in the corners, this means when it is on your table the pattern can be seen no matter where your guests sit.  Once your table cloth has been completed to your satisfaction, you can use this technique on the napkins with a slightly smaller design, depending on napkin size.

Once you have stenciled all the areas you wish, wait until the paint is dry and then heat set the paint by placing the table cloth in the dryer on the hot setting for 20 to 30 minutes.  If you don’t have a dryer, use a hot iron and iron over the stencil with a protective cloth between stencil and iron, this protects both your pattern and your iron from paint.

Now you have a lovely table cloth and matching napkins for your holiday party or you can use this technique to monogram presents for others.  Monograms and dates are great for anniversaries, weddings and christenings.  Once you have done this once your only limits are you imagination and your supply of tablecloths.

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