Quilting Stencil

Using a quilting stencil is a great way to decorate your quilt top with ease. A quilting stencil helps you create much more elaborate quilt top designs that you would be able to do on your own. It's a way to take a little help and still produce a phenomenal handmade result.

What is a Quilting Stencil?

Like a stencil you might use for painting, a quilting stencil is a plastic sheet that has little holes punched into it. Instead of indicating where to paint, however, the marks on a quilting stencil indicate the stitching lines.

Quilting stencils come in all sorts of patterns, from stars to swirls, feathers to flowers. They make it a lot easier and quicker to mark up your quilt top so you can get on to the sewing.

Using a Quilting Stencil

Again like a conventional stencil, a quilting stencil is placed over the quilt top and the holes are used to mark the pattern you will then sew on the quilt top.

Whatever method of marking you like can be used when working with a quilting stencil. You can use long basting stitches to mark the general outline of the pattern, or mark it with chalk, soap or a washable fabric pen.

If you use a pen, make sure that you test it on a scrap of fabric before using it on your quilt top and mark very lightly in any case so even if all the ink does not wash out, you won't be able to see it around the stitching.

Sources for Quilting Stencils

Quilting stencils are very popular these days because they allow more elaborate stitching on a quilt top without having to use a long-arm machine. It saves a lot of time to use a quilting stencil and allows you to be more creative without the trouble of having to freehand draw a pattern.

You'll probably be able to find some basic quilting stencils at your local fabric store or crafts store. If you don't see them, here are some online sources to check out:

• Quilting Stencils
• Cotton Patch
• Sten Source
• Quilting Creations
• Golden Threads
• Quilting from the Heartland
• Full Line Stencils
• Bee Happy Quilting

Free Quilting Stencils

There aren't a whole lot of places where you can find free quilting stencils. In fact, in all my searching of the Internet, I found just one place with a good collection of free quilting stencils.

Quilt Collections has some good printable quilting stencils. These are fun because all you have to do is print out a bunch of copies and pin them to the quilt top. Stitch along the lines and then just tear the paper away.

If you can't find free quilting stencils that you like, check out stencils that are made for painting projects. For instance:

• Stencilry
• Free Stenciling Patterns
• Spray Paint Stencils

You can also make your own stencils from different outlines, such as small printables, cookie cutters, or even a basic freehand drawing. Again, you can put these designs on a plan sheet of paper and stitch right over it.

Another wonderful idea I picked up from the Simplicity website is to use Press and Seal to "transfer" your pattern to your quilt top. Just draw the pattern onto the non-sticky side and stick the other side to the quilt top. Stitch over the lines and pull the product away when you are done.