From the Heart....an alternative technique to use stencils.

Hi Claire back with you today and sharing an alternative way to use the fabulous stencils by Lisa.

I am using the Heart Flurry stencil that featured in the shows on 28th February, but any of Lisa's stencils in this style will work with this technique.

We often this of using our ink blenders and sprays through our stencils these days, but they work equally as well using pens and or pencils.

Also, we can tend to forget hat we can use stencils to decorate fabric pieces, wether it be small cotton bags like I've used here, or t-shirts and leggings maybe to create something unique and personal.

Using pens, allow us to draw around the detail of the stencil, and as you can see above line art is produced, giving us plenty of scope to use our colouring or doodle techniques to in fill.

what is fantastic about Lisa's stencils is the lack of a squared off border around the outside, allowing pattern matching and repeating to happen much easier. But of course, you don't always need to use the whole stencil in your design...you as the creator can pick out the areas that you feel best suit your project. Like I have below, Ive only used a selection of hearts, leaving space for me to write out my own message.

In this second piece I have made I have created a very retro design, that at first glance doesn't bear resemblance to the stencils. This is because I have used the smaller areas in between the circles of the 'Pennies in a Row' stencil to create the diamond shapes.

Both of these designs were created whilst on a long haul flight, and highlights another reason why stencils are such a valid part of your craft stash. Obviously packing for any sort of holiday or trip you are tight on space (and weight if you are flying), stencils are so easy to travel with as they are lightweight and can easily slip into a book or even an iPad cover. Team with a couple of your favourite markers, and you are good to go. Ideal also if you spend time waiting anywhere (doctors surgeries, after school clubs etc).

We can most definitely look forward to more amazing stencil designs to come from Lisa, and I can't wait to use them myself and look forward to see how the rest of our fabulous design team will use them.