Before you start getting out your supplies and all, I just want to say that I have only made small stencils with this method. The ones I have been making are about 5"x6" in size. My logo screen is about 2"x3". Not saying bigger ones can't be made like this, but I haven't done it. Also, these aren't going to be your picture perfect images. The lines won't be as crisp as you would get with applying vinyl. It looks really cool though. Definitely gives your images character.
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List of supplies:
*Sheer
-I bought a $10 sheer curtain at Target. I had tried tulle, but that failed miserably because the holes are way too big. Whatever sheer you get, just make sure it's not too stretchy. You can make a ton of stencils with one curtain.
*Heat transfer vinyl
-I made some with 631 and 651 vinyl but I personally prefer the heat transfer. I have found it adheres much stronger to the sheer and won't come off easily when you rinse off the stencil.
*Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
*Popsicle sticks
-I bought a box of 1000 of these bad boys at Hobby Lobby for around $10. These are used to basically make the 'frame' of the stencil. If you don't have popsicle sticks or an alternative, you CAN theoretically just make the stencil with no frame and tape it to whatever it is you are stenciling. I prefer to have the popsicle sticks because when it's time to print, all you have to do is press on the frame and it will keep the screen as close to your surface as possible.
*Iron and ironing board OR a heat press if you're fancy.
*Cutting machine or just be really good at cutting heat transfer vinyl by hand. I for one need the machine.
*Small squeegee or flat edge to scrape the ink over the stencil. Some people use an old credit card or gift card that is no longer active.
*Piece of scrap fabric to place between the iron and the htv.
Creating your design-
*Whatever method you use to cut with, make sure you add at least an inch or so border on all four sides of the design so you have plenty of vinyl on the sides. This is important.
*Normally when cutting htv, you need to mirror your image. DO NOT MIRROR when making these stencils with HTV. However, if you would like to use regular adhesive vinyl, you WILL need to mirror the image. So, HTV=no mirror, Adhesive=mirror.
*Be selective in your designs for these stencils. You don't want something that is very difficult to weed with a ton of really small pieces. You can get some pretty small detail in these prints but you don't want something that is ridiculously detailed. Use your judgment and play around with it. These are cheap, so don't be afraid to experiment with it. You want a square or rectangle over all though.
*Cut the design, and weed the areas you want the ink/paint to go through. You should end up with something like this (note-I already ironed it to the sheer in this photo. I will go over that later, this is just so you have a reference to what the image should look like with the border that you need):
*Once you have cut out and weeded your design, cut a piece of sheer that is slightly bigger than your design and iron it if it's wrinkled. It doesn't have to be cut perfectly, no one will be judging how nicely your sheer is cut lol but you do want it flat with no creases. The only thing you do want to be aware of is the direction of the sheer fibers. You want to get them pretty straight and squared up with your design. This is important because if you put the HTV at an angle, you will stretch the design when you scrape the ink across and it will distort the image.
*Now you want to grab that piece of scrap fabric and turn on your heat source (if it's not on already). Put your sheer on the ironing board and make sure it's smooth but don't pull it hard to flatten it. Place the vinyl side of your image onto the sheer (plastic side up) and make sure the sheer hasn't buckled underneath, place your scrap fabric on top of that.
*Very gently, set the iron on top of the scrap fabric. I start from the bottom and do one, gentle, upward pass with my iron on the hottest setting. I wait a second or two and gently peel off the plastic. The vinyl should stick to the sheer. Peel slowly and carefully. To make sure there is a secure bond, I put the scrap fabric back on the image and iron it again. Remove the scrap fabric and you should have a nice adhesion. Your settings will be different than mine so you may have to adjust accordingly.
*Let it cool completely before moving onto the next step.
*Once your HTV has cooled, you can either trim up the edges of the stencil and use it as so. Or, you can create a 'frame' with Popsicle sticks to the sides to stabilize the stencil. That will be the next step.
*Adding Popsicle sticks. When you add these, you want to make sure the vinyl is on the bottom side of your stencil. Just put a line of hot glue on the Popsicle stick and attach the stick to all four edges as shown below:
-As you can see, the corners buckle a little bit. I take a few sticks and cut them at angles to create braces to get rid of that and completely flatten the stencil. Like this:
*Adding Popsicle sticks. When you add these, you want to make sure the vinyl is on the bottom side of your stencil. Just put a line of hot glue on the Popsicle stick and attach the stick to all four edges as shown below:
-As you can see, the corners buckle a little bit. I take a few sticks and cut them at angles to create braces to get rid of that and completely flatten the stencil. Like this:
*After you add the braces to the corners, your stencil should be nice and tight. Then I just trim the sheer from the edge and your stencil is ready to go.
*If you don't want to add the sticks to the sides, you can still use the stencil. But you will want to tape all for sides really well to your project. That would work if you are transferring your image onto a shirt or piece of fabric. There are a lot of videos on how to do the actual screen printing. Like how to secure your fabric and such.
I make journals and sketchbooks. So I put my design onto paper that I will be covering the book with. Here is a picture of that process.
I just used craft paint here. You don't want paint that is too runny (this one was just a test and ran a little bit but you get the idea). Screen printing ink works best, but play around and find a medium that you are comfortable with. I recommend doing some test images to begin. It takes a little bit to get your technique down so the paint doesn't bleed underneath. Just practice and play. If you notice the paint gets spread over the whole thing. That's why the inch or so border is important.
*When you are finished rinse the stencil right away. You want to be gentle when washing these off. Don't be afraid of it, but don't be rough. I just rinse under water and gently rub the paint away. Hold the screen up to the light and make sure there isn't any paint stuck in between the fibers of the sheer. Pay attention to the edges of the vinyl. Paint likes to hide there. Especially if it comes to a point. After I rinse them, I lay them on a junky towel or rag on a flat surface and pat it dry as best I can and then just let it air dry the rest of the way. Once you get the hang of it, you can do several items with the same stencil without rinsing it in between. I would practice on scrap doing multiple prints with the same stencil though.
So, there it is. These stencils have worked great for me. They are cheap and easy, and as long as you take care of them, they should last a while and save you time, vinyl, and money.
*If you don't want to add the sticks to the sides, you can still use the stencil. But you will want to tape all for sides really well to your project. That would work if you are transferring your image onto a shirt or piece of fabric. There are a lot of videos on how to do the actual screen printing. Like how to secure your fabric and such.
I make journals and sketchbooks. So I put my design onto paper that I will be covering the book with. Here is a picture of that process.
I just used craft paint here. You don't want paint that is too runny (this one was just a test and ran a little bit but you get the idea). Screen printing ink works best, but play around and find a medium that you are comfortable with. I recommend doing some test images to begin. It takes a little bit to get your technique down so the paint doesn't bleed underneath. Just practice and play. If you notice the paint gets spread over the whole thing. That's why the inch or so border is important.
*When you are finished rinse the stencil right away. You want to be gentle when washing these off. Don't be afraid of it, but don't be rough. I just rinse under water and gently rub the paint away. Hold the screen up to the light and make sure there isn't any paint stuck in between the fibers of the sheer. Pay attention to the edges of the vinyl. Paint likes to hide there. Especially if it comes to a point. After I rinse them, I lay them on a junky towel or rag on a flat surface and pat it dry as best I can and then just let it air dry the rest of the way. Once you get the hang of it, you can do several items with the same stencil without rinsing it in between. I would practice on scrap doing multiple prints with the same stencil though.
So, there it is. These stencils have worked great for me. They are cheap and easy, and as long as you take care of them, they should last a while and save you time, vinyl, and money.
Good post. I've seen this done before using an embroidery hoop instead of popsicle sticks for framing the stencil. It worked really well, too. I need to try this sometime.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I too saw that post but I didn't want to go buy a ton of embroidery hoops lol. She also used regular adhesive vinyl and after playing with it, I find htv to stay in place better. I wanted more permanent stencils too. They aren't pretty but I love them.
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