Recently I’ve been working on a project that required a really nice, crisp painted edge to define a piece of architecture. I was pleased with how it turned out.

It’s a nice lesson on using a different kind of stencil: freezer paper.

I use stencils all the time. My stencils are my studio friends. They appear and reappear in my works as elements in my visual vocabulary.

But this application was different. I had no need for a re-useable stencil. And I needed a clean line. And I was going to paint on flat fabric that had not yet been stitched or appliqued. Perfect criteria for freezer paper.

I drew the pattern right on the freezer paper. (Dull side of the paper facing up.) Because it’s thin, freezer paper is easy to cut. You can use it for intricate shapes.

After it’s cut you iron it on. The shiny side of the freezer paper goes against the fabric. I confess that I have no idea why this sticks. (I did not believe it when an art friend first told me to try freezer paper.)  But something in that waxy side of the paper makes it adhere to fabric by ironing, then lift off easily afterwards. It’s as if it were invented for this purpose and not wrapping food.

Now paint. For this application I used a sponge paint roller. You could also use a brush or a sponge depending on the effect you want.

After the paint is dry – just peel off the freezer paper. If you have not been too heavy handed with the paint application, you should have nice crisp edges without paint seeping under the stencil edge.

Another project used stencils in a completely different way.

This stencil is an old friend. We’ve been through a lot together. I cut it by hand from the box that packaged a pan of Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese. Frozen food cartons and similar food packaging make great stencils. The cardboard is thin, and the waxy coating on one side gives it some strength.

But – even though it’s thin as far as cardboard goes, this stencil is much thicker than a sheet of freezer paper. If I stencil very carefully and back off on the paint, I can get a clean edge. But, generally I use this one for a much looser, expressive edge.

The technical name for this is a squishy edge. (Or if it’s not, it should be.)

In the lower left corner is the fabric I printed with this stencil onto a sheer fabric. I used a wet natural sponge and let the edges be carefree. Then I cut out the shapes loosely and collaged it as a unit into the quilt.

Here’s another use of the same stencil from a different part of the quilt.

I enjoy mixing organic shapes with geometric, and mixing hand-cut shapes with photographic images, and also repeating a shape block on various parts of a quilt.

If you enjoy surface design on fabric, there is hardly a tool more versatile than a stencil.   Used in repetition, or with variations of a hue overlapping, they can… sorry. I got too enthusiastic. More for another blog post.

 The quilt featuring the capitol is not yet ready for its world debut. The quilt featuring the squishy edge shapes is “There by Water Will I Build My Home,” a triptych on canvas. It’s on my website HERE.

For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating

 Thank you for reading.
I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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