How to Stencil Quilting Patterns
Quilting stencils are an easy and effective way of creating a nice, polished looking quilt. Even novice quilters can easily create professional looking quilts with the proper use of quilting patterns. Quilting stencils are a simple and easy alternative to freehand stitching.
Quilt stencils are thin sheets of flexible plastic that display a specific pattern. The stencils make creating quilt tops significantly easier, while allowing the user to create nearly perfect patterns on their quilt. Quilting stencils are the easiest way to ensure you get identical patterns on your quilt every time and can be much more effective than patterns from a magazine. Using quilting stencils is very easy and can even beginning quilters create the top of a quilt in no time at all.
What You'll Need:
- Quilt stencil
- Measuring tape
- Quilting pencil or chalk
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Measure the top of your quilt so you can accurately judge what size of quilt stencil will work for the design or border of your quilt. Stencils are designed to fit certain sizes of quilt tops. Visit a local craft, fabric or quilting store to find a pattern that appeals to you.
- Lay your quilt top on top of the backing and batting of your quilt. Place the stencil at the center of the middle of one of the blocks in your quilt if you are doing stenciling on the entire quilt, or in a corner of the quilt if you are only creating a border. Tape or hold down your stencil. Use a pencil to draw the stencil's design onto the top of the quilt.
- Carefully remove the stencil. Move the stencil to another quilt block, place it on another quilt block, in the same position that you placed the first stencil. Trace the pattern again in the same manner, being careful not to smudge the pencil when moving the stencil. Repeat this process in different blocks always moving from the center of the quilt outward.
- Go back through all of the stencils and make sure the lines are all filled in and haven't smudged.
- Using a long basting stitch go back through all of the markings and sew on top of the pencil marks. Be careful with the sewing so no other marks are smudged.
- Carefully rub away or wipe away the chalk or pencil markings with a towel or a cloth so you no longer can see the marks from the stencils.