How To Stencil On Sheer Curtain Fabric

Printed sheers make stylish window covers. If you already have drapes, try slipcovering cushions in brightly patterned sheers.

CREATIVE SOLUTION | I was never a big fan of anything stencilled until I tried stenciling on sheer fabric. Printed sheers are fashionable, make great curtains and are easy to customize on your own.

4 Steps To Stencilling On Sheers

1. Start with sheer fabric. I prefer sheers with some natural fibres (and with no stain guard, for obvious reasons) because it gives them texture that can aid in the absorption of paint. Pottery Barn has both 100 percent cotton voile and sheer linen panels that would work well for this project.

2. Pick a simple pattern, then cut it out of a sheet of Mylar (or you could purchase a pre-fabricated stencil). For the leaf print in the photo above, I traced a stencil from the tip of a honeysuckle vine.

3. Set up your stenciling station on a table in an out-of-the way place. Cover the surface with craft paper that is as wide as your fabric. Decide on the patterning of the stencil: do you want it random, in rows or diagonal? When you’re ready, set the stencil in place with tape, then, using washable fabric paint, “pounce” or dab the paint through the stencil using a stenciling brush.

4. After stencilling a section of fabric, lift it off the craft paper and feed the fabric over the back of the table so it dries hanging freely. Change the craft paper after every section is stencilled; it can be used again once the bleed-through has dried.—Brendan Power

You can find washable fabric paint and stencilling supplies at Michaels.

Photo: Clinton Hussey