Shipibo Craft Stencil

Our craft size stencil Shipibo  is perfectly sized for smaller DIY home decor projects where a wall stencil would be too large. This stencil was inspired by traditional art of tribal Shipibo indians from the Amazon basin. Ancient designs like this one today get a second life as a beautiful stencil pattern for modern interiors!

These trendy craft stencils are great for creating your own designer stenciled pillows or curtains. Upcycle a garage sale furniture find by giving it a modern stenciled designer look . Creativity doesn't end there: try stenciling lamp shades, kitchen backsplashes, doors, table tops, picture and mirror frames or create your own work of art on pre-stretched canvas. Decorative possibilities are endless with these versatile reusable craft stencils!

Although usually it is not necessary to use spray adhesive with our stencils, adhesive can very helpful if you want to minimize paint seepage or are using high contrasting colors. (regular Elmer's spray adhesive seems to be the best). Make sure you shake the can well and lightly mist (not drench) the stencil, and let it dry for a moment before positioning it. This step will prevent the adhesive residue transferring to your surface. You'll need to re-mist the stencil after a few repeats.  Clean-up tip: Spray the stencil with Simple Green to help to remove adhesive residue.

When stenciling on furniture, you want to insure good adhesion. If the piece has a varnish or a glossy finish you'll need to break the sheen. You can do this with a scotch brite pad, steel wool or fine grit sandpaper. Lightly sand the surface and then wipe down the piece with a damp cloth or paper towel. Next, basecoat the piece if you want to change the overall color. Most acrylic and latex paints work well, but to insure good adhesion you may want to use an adhesive primer such as Stix or Zinnser 1*2*3. These primers can even be tinted to the color you want. After your primer/basecoat is dry you can start stenciling with whatever paint you like. FolkArt acrylics and Benjamin Moore paints work great. You can just tape your stencils with pieces of blue painters tape, or use spray adhesive for a crisper look. If you want to protect your artwork, you could then topcoat the table with a clear topcoat (spray or brush-on).

When stenciling on fabric, stencil adhesive is very helpful. First, tape your ironed fabric to the surface so it doesn't move around while you stencil. Use stencil brushes, or dense foam roller, and add some textile medium (sold in craft stores) to your acrylic paint. You can also get a special fabric paint, but, frankly, good craft acrylics with a dollop of textile medium work just as well, and cost way less too! :)
Textile medium is optional: it only makes the acrylic paint more flexible when it dries, which is important for wearables like t-shirts but not so much for pillows and curtains. Complete the stenciling and let it dry fully, 24 hours is best, then heat-set it by ironing the fabric for about 20 sec. ( more or less) on a LOW setting through the piece of cloth. Heat-setting will cure the paint and will prevent it from being washed off in the washing machine. Always experiment first stenciling on a sample of your fabric to ensure good results. I've stenciled on silk, cotton, linen and even sheer fabrics with great results. It's always better if your fabric doesn't have too much texture.