Make Your Own French Grain Sack Stencils

I have made a couple of projects using painted fabric to resemble french grain sacks. 

My current project (which I will share later), requires three long panels of the painted fabric.  The measuring and taping can be quite tedious for a long piece.   One day I saw a stencil you could buy to paint the stripes.  Why didn't I think of that?  The price of these stencils ranged from $35.00 to $45.00.  Too much for me, so I made my own.

I purchased blank stencils from JoAnn's for $1.99, measured and drew lines,

And cut with a blade and straight edge.  I must confess that I ruined the first one.  It took a little practice to get the hang of cutting.

I mix craft paint with textile medium.  That way your color options are limitless.  Just follow the instructions on the bottle for mixing and heat setting.  It is totally washable.  My son spilled a full glass of orange soda on my table runner and it washed up perfectly.

I like to paint the stripes with a stencil brush and pouncing method.  It really gives an authentic and faded look.

I also use a stencil spray adhesive to hold the stencil and help prevent the paint from leaking under.  I put a mark at the center of the design on the stencil to help line it all up.

And this is what it looks like when you remove the stencil.  So much easier than taping.

This was definitely worth the time of making the stencil.  I plan on using them for several more projects.

Click on the parties link on my sidebar for all the parties I will be joining.

Until the next project,

Janet