Learn how to make your own simple stencils and use paint to create your own stenciled table runner.
It’s time to get creative and start making some holiday decor. I wanted a table runner with holly leaves and berries on it, but couldn’t find a stencil that would work, so I made my own and it turned out amazing! Using SoSoft Fabric Paint, graciously provided by DecoArt I was able to stencil my perfect table runner and some tea towels too!
Today I am a part of the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop which has been sponsored by some awesome brands! You need to check out some of the other incredible blogs that are playing along and enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
I’ve always loved holly bushes. My grandmother had one and it reminded me of Christmas year-round, even when it wasn’t full of berries. Of course I avoided playing around it because the prickly leaves weren’t the friendliest. My plan for Christmas decor this year is bright and traditional red and green. There is definitely not enough green out here in the desert, so I have to make my own!
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Supplies~
Paint Brushes
For this table runner, I needed a small stencil. I hand drew the leaves and berries on to a stencil sheet. This looks much more challenging than it really is. I’m not much of an artist, but the leaves turned out okay. I cut out the straight lines with a craft knife, but the craft knife ended up a little tedious for the small leaves, so I used cosmetic scissors. Yes, nose hair trimmers. You could just steal the ones from man in your life, but that would be kind of gross (I won’t tell though.) Run to the pharmacy and get a two dollar pair. It made the stencil cutting so quick. Once the stencils are cut out, test them with paint on scratch paper. That way you can see and fix any blemishes before stenciling on the fabric.
Make sure the table runner is clean and dried without any fabric softener. Then iron so the surface is smooth. I always use paper plates to pour my paint on since it makes the clean up easy. Squeeze the paint on to the plate and add transparent medium at about 1/3 of the amount of the original paint. Blend the two together well. The transparent medium helps the paint stay on the fabric.
Using the foam pouncer, dab into the paint and then dab off a little of the paint on to the plate. Going slowly, dab the paint on to the stencil. I found that the slower you go, you get better coverage with less mistakes. Strategically place the leaves and holly leaves around the table runner and let dry. Go back with red paint and add the berries. Originally, I was going to stencil the berries on, but I liked just painting them on instead.
Let the paint dry overnight then iron the fabric to set the paint. The paint will stay on in the laundry and your stenciled table runner will be beautiful for years to come.
For the dish towels, I used a bit of a different technique. The fabric was wet when I stenciled it and the paint just glided on. Wash the flour sack towels and use them straight out of the washer. Smooth them on a flat surface and start stenciling!
Let dry overnight and then iron to set the paint. For the last towel, I wanted to do a little more than just stencil. So I hand lettered Merry Christmas on to a piece of paper and slid that underneath my damp towel. Using a small paint brush, I traced over my hand lettering, pressing the brush down harder on the down strokes and lighter on the upstrokes. It wasn’t as easy as using my favorite brush pens, but it turned out pretty darn cute! Then I just added a couple of holly stencils for decoration. LOVE!
Check out some other great Handmade Holidays Decor ideas!
I’d like to say a special thank you to all the sponsors of this blog hop!
Awesome project!!! Really amazing!!!
These are so pretty!
Very pretty! I would love to make these for Thanksgiving too.
Very sweet! I can’t believe you hand-lettered that! Looks awesome. Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim