How to Stencil on Fabric Step by Step

Today I am altering a blank tote bag with some paint and stencils. Let me show you how to stencil on fabric easily in this tutorial today!

To get the best results on your project make sure you also read this How To Use A Stencil Brush + Easy Tips For Stenciling before you begin.

What is a stencil?

A stencil is a cut out design, often made out of a thin plastic sheet, that allows you to transfer a single design onto anything- paper, fabric, wood or even a wall. Using a stencil makes it easy to create a repetitive precise design in a few quick steps.

What kind of paint do you use for stenciling on fabric?

When you learn how to stencil on fabric, you will have so many ideas to personalize all of your fabrics! Best part is you can choose to use fabric paints if you have it- if not regular craft acrylic paints work beautifully too.

Once you have finished your project, allow it to dry for 24 hours and iron on the reverse side to create a permanent heat set bond between the fabric and paint.

How do you hold a stencil in place? What can I use as a stencil adhesive?

Spray the back of your stencil lightly with some repositionable adhesive. This adhesive is lightly tacky and holds the stencil onto the fabric while you work. This way the stencil will not shift its position while you are working on it.

how to stencil on fabric

Step by step photo tutorial showing you how to stencil on fabric easily.

Step 1: Position your stencil onto your fabric. I like to start at the top left corner. If you are creating a radial design, start at the center instead.

Step 2: Dip your paintbrush in some acrylic paint and then lightly paint onto fabric. Make sure that your brush starts from on top of the stencil and then ends on the fabric.

how_to_stencil_on_fabrics_with_acrylic_paints

Step 3: Paint over the entire stencil area. Lift up the stencil gently and carefully, in an upward motion, while the paint is still wet.

Step 4: To clean the stencil, place it onto a scrap piece of paper immediately, and wipe over it using a baby wipe or a damp paper towel. If you have let the paint dry on the stencil, then simply immerse the stencil in a bowl or sink of water for a few minutes and then clean.

Step 5: Place the clean stencil onto the fabric and line it up correctly. The Fiskars stencils have a little plus sign at the top of the stencil which helps in easy alignment of the stencil.

Step 6: (optional) To add a little more details, outline the stencilled design with some dimensional fabric paint. Let everything dry thoroughly and then iron fabric on the reverse (non painted) side

stencil on fabric

Here is how this tote turned out. In a few easy steps this simple tote was changed into something really special. I love how pretty this looks and once you know how to stencil on fabric you can personalize so many things!

More Crafty Project Ideas To try:

Hi I’m Smitha! I live in Minnesota with my husband and two daughters. You’ll always find me painting florals in my sketchbook. And I love the sheer joy of making something with just my hands! But my bigger love is capturing it all on camera Read more.

Thanks for stopping by today! If you learnt something from this tutorial, do share this post with a friend or on social media! Tag me @smithakatti #smithakatti I’d love to see what you create!

INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, BLOGLOVIN, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, YOUTUBE