How to Make Fabric Stencils with the Cricut

I really wanted to try painting on fabric using my Cricut as a stencil.  Often if I'm working with fabric I just use heat transfer vinyl (HTV) but I knew that if I was going to give kitchen towels as a gift the vinyl would get in the way of the towels absorbing anything where the vinyl was. 

I made some really cute Punny kitchen towels using my Cricut and it was so easy! 



I found these plain white towels on Amazon and I made sure to wash all the sizing off before starting.  I also ironed them to make sure they were nice and flat and smooth for the image to adhere to.

Using a few of my Cricut cartridges (mostly In the Kitchen!) I designed some fun kitchen towel sayings/ images in Cricut design space.  I made sure to measure my towels so I knew what size to make my images.  


Then I cut them out and reverse weeded them so I removed the words and larger parts of the image; making myself a nice large stencil.


Once I had all 6 images cut out and weeded I gathered the rest of my materials:  Easy -tack, transfer paper, my plain towels, and a large piece of cardboard to contain the spray. 


I used transfer paper to lift my image off the vinyl backing and then lightly sprayed the sticky side of the vinyl with Easy- Tack.  I knew the vinyl wasn't sticky enough to make a sealed image on my fabric and I did not want any paint to bleed through.


The sticky tack gave the vinyl the extra bit of stick it needed to make a nice tight seal.  I removed the transfer paper and got ready to paint.  I kept the cardboard backing to absorb any paint that might leak through and to keep the fabric nice and stiff.


I made sure to use a fabric/ washable paint.  I really like these FolkArt multi- surface paints.


I began painting my stencils; working from the outside edge in and being careful to keep the paint from bleeding under my edge.  I often worked in a dabbing motion.


As soon as I was done painting I peeled up my stencil.  Mostly I wanted to make sure nothing had bled through and I found that with all  6 towels I painted I never once had a problem.


I just loved all the bright colors!





Linking Up with: Oh My Heartsie Girls, Party In Your Pj's, Wonderful Wednesdays, Dream Create and Inspire,





Comments

  1. Teresa BJanuary 15, 2019 at 9:45 AM

    This is a great idea. I don’t have a Cricut but I want one even more now.
    Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angie ChurchJanuary 16, 2019 at 8:33 PM

    even more great reasons to have a cricut thanks so much for sharing
    come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3January 17, 2019 at 6:44 AM

      There are so many great reasons to have one aren't there?

      Delete
  3. Amy AKA The HippyJanuary 17, 2019 at 6:44 AM

    These are adorable! I have some ideas for towels in my own kitchen that I can't wait to use your method on. Thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marilyn LesniakJanuary 19, 2019 at 5:52 PM

    Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #OverTheMoon this week. Each Hostess displays their own features so be sure to visit me on Sunday evening and to see your feature! I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please don’t forget to add your link numbers or post title so we can be sure to visit!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Claire JustineJanuary 17, 2020 at 4:46 AM

    What a great idea. These are so creative :)

    Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays earlier this week. I hope you can join us today.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Joanne January 19, 2020 at 6:40 AM

    Thank you so much for hosting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Danielle @ A Sprinkle of JoyJuly 30, 2020 at 8:15 AM

    So cute! I love making stencils with my Silhouette. Usually I just stick with wood, but I want to try my hand at screen printing now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 8:45 AM

      Thank you! I have not tried using them as a stencil on wood but I do have a blank sign in front of me that I've been wanting to try something new with.

      Delete
  8. Southern SunflowersJuly 30, 2020 at 10:42 AM

    Those kitchen sayings are super cute! Your stencils turned out great on the tea towels and the fun colors are perfect for the whimsical stencil prints.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne July 30, 2020 at 12:29 PM

      Thank you! I knew the lady I was making them for liked bright colors and I too thought the designs fit that whimsy rather well.

      Delete
  9. Marie-Interior FrugalistaAugust 6, 2020 at 9:56 AM

    Your kitchen towels are so cute! I'm still learning the ropes of my Cricut Maker so I found your tutorial helpful. Are you offering any of your designs in Cricut Design Space or as SVG files?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 6, 2020 at 4:31 PM

      Thank you! I didn't offer any of these designs as a file since they are Cricut designs that are offered in design space.

      Delete

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