The Paisley: New Stencil

New! In my collection=The Paisley Stencil.

 You may have heard me say, ‘HOW you print  is just as important as WHAT you print’…Let’s explore that idea with the new Paisley Stencil. 

Each of us has our own style….it shows up in everything, from the way we dress, arrange a room and MAKE. Whether your design eye loves a more organized, (formal) approach to elements…or a more casual display, you can create it with a stencil. Above, a silk crepe was lightly stenciled just using parts of the Paisley stencil. Stencils can be a subtle layer and add depth to a design: The silk organza piece below started with a commercial print ( a similar effect can be created with Eco-Dyes or DyeNaFlo, a Jacquard product). The Paisley stencil was printed on top with bronze and silver metallic Jacquard fabric paint mixed together.

Printing Play: Some small (12” x 16” is a good size) pieces of fabric is a good place to start. My first pass with a new stencil is: I want to see what It will do in various colors and on different fabrics. In my sample pieces pictured, you see silk organza, linen, cotton and an upholstery blend in solids, prints and stripes. 

Working with dense foam sponges, the printing shows complete, clean elements and brushed, partial elements. My surface designs tend to be more organic and casual…however this stencil would lend itself to a tightly configured placement with each paisley ‘nesting’ close together.

Love the way this design presents as a layer on other prints. Stencils are the perfect way to tweek any design and add a new direction with color too!

The large paisley in the stencil was designed as a ‘frame’ …where you can feature another favorite design inside! The hot pink linen had the 2 stencils  shown, layered to create the finished design. This means all the stencils (and rubber stamps you  have can do double duty and create even more designs!

Stencils are a great tool for eco-dying design. Above, Marta Marthas used  rice resist paste through the stencil, then dip-dyed in Indigo multiple times to create  the color variations.

 Stitching is always a great accent on stenciling…it adds the hand touch to any combination. Above I have added some black thread, so striking on hot pink linen!

Printing bigger pieces opens up more ways to use your printed fabric in combination with commercial pieces. On the left above, strips of printed fabric are combined with commercial prints and textures to create a piece of collage fabric for a potential garment. On these black paisleys, printed on cotton fabric, broad brush strokes in Citrine (a favorite green Jacquard color).

 Want more ideas and techniques for fabric printing with stencils? Here is a link to my streaming Stenciling video, sure to get you excited about your next level of surface designing!!

Let's print fabric!!! Diane