DIY Network

The History of Stencils and Marking From "DIY Crafts" episode DIC-130

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Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E

Some quilts feature designs with colored thread stitched into a matching solid-color area. You may want to make a stencil of this design for future use, or you may prefer to design your own stencil. Quilt designer and instructor Pepper Cory explains how to make a stencil for stitching on quilts.

Pepper purchased a wonderful old pink and brown quilt dating back to the mid-1800s at a flea market in Flint, Michigan. The design is called Mariner's Compass in some parts of the country and Rising Sun elsewhere. Pepper discovered a beautiful, subtle eagle design stitched in the quilt and surmised that the quilter may have had Union sentiments during the Civil War. She describes how she made an accurate record of the design.

Materials:

Utility plastic such as that used for storm windows
Tissue paper or tracing paper
Black marker
Template plastic (available in quilting stores)
Craft knife
U-shaped wood-carving tip
Glass to protect work surface

1. Place a sheet of utility plastic over an existing quilt design and trace over the stitching with a black marker. Cut the plastic larger than the design so you can be sure not to mark the quilt. Follow the stitches carefully, and the design will emerge on the plastic (figure A).

2. Transfer this design to tissue paper or tracing paper (figure B).

3. Place a piece of template plastic over the tissue paper design. The template plastic is slightly cloudy and has a tacky back so it won't move around or slip while you're making the stencil. Mark the design on the template plastic with a black marker. If you are creating your own design, draw the design on template plastic with a marker.

4. Place a piece of glass under the template plastic to protect the work surface. Install a U-shaped wood-carving gouge tip in a craft knife. Hold the blade at a 45-degree angle with your index finger on the top of the blade, and push the tip along the drawn lines. This will make a channel in the plastic for the quilt-marking tool or chalk to be placed to mark on fabric (figure C).

Tips:

• When making a stencil of a complex design, shorten the channels that are cut in the design: if they're too long, the stencil becomes fragile. Leave small uncut areas to hold the stencil together (figure D).

• Practice on simple designs first (figure E).

RESOURCES :
Pepper Cory