How To Use Quilting Stencils To Get Design, Repeats And Shapes

Quilting Cubby | April 8, 2016 | How To Quilting

Using Quilting Stencils For Designs, Shapes And Repeats.

Quilting stencils enable you to create your pattern right onto your quilt top. You can also use a quilting stencil for pre-planning and layout. While there’re different methods to get exact repeats and shapes for marking your quilt, stencils totally free up your creativity.

When you first look at a continuous line design, it might be really pretty, but it will look so complicated. You might look at it it and think
“Now, where on earth do I start?!”

After opening up the design, especially like the Hari Walner continuous designs, you’ll often find an instruction block up in the left hand corner. It tells you where to start and where to apply stitching etc.

When using quilting stencils, you would lay the the stencil on your quilt top before it’s layered. You can mark your quilt once you’ve made it, because you might decide on an added design after.

Quilting stencils have a small road map usually on the top left hand corner, to show where you’re going. It can be a bit confusing as to where to start, continue and finish up.

When you see a stencil with ‘S’ designs , they’re usually a continuous design line.

This one was not designed to be a continuous line, although it’s easy to change it by completing any broken lines.

Take a look at these templates. They come in sets. The designs are graduated so you can use one as an outline, and a smaller one to create dimension and/or texture. I love it! The shapes are simple but so versatile. You can make up your designs… like, using them on your quilt around the edges.

You can make your own stencils too. Make up your design on paper, then trace it on to template plastic. If you want to make it smaller, or larger, simply size it up on a copier, and print it out.

The next step is to get the markings on the quilt. For any type of marking tool, you want to be sure to always test it first. You want to be able to see that line quite clearly. However you want to be able to remove that line easily since it’s marked on your quilt top. Always keep the pack that the marker came in since all of the details about that marker is on the package.

Tip: About the well know blue marker. When you use this type of marking, the markings are set by heat. This is the reason why quilters have a problem getting the mark off. So, you don’t want to be using an iron over this type of marker. Generally Blue Marker ink comes off no problem.

For the full scoop on quilting stencils, pattern designs and markers watch this amazing video I found. You’ll come away with amazing designs and repeats.