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Fabric Pattern Stencils | Preschool Crafts for Kids

Fabric Pattern Stencils

Total Time Needed: 2-3 Hours

FamilyFun magazine reader Tracey Herburger of Tulsa, Oklahoma, used an ingenious stenciling technique to redecorate her then two-year-old son Kip's bedroom. Struck by the bold, cheerful designs of the room's curtains, Tracey decided to repeat their images around the room. First, she photocopied the fabric to enlarge the designs. Then she traced the designs onto a see-through report cover, from which she cut her stencils: a train, sun, boat, and star. Painted in matching colors, the shapes echoed the festivity of the curtains, much to Kip's delight. We adapted Tracey's idea here, beginning with a set of Garnet Hill sheets and ending with a room full of friendly snails.

Materials

  • Plastic report cover
  • Masking tape or adhesive spray
  • Paper plate
  • Paint
  • Paintbrush

Instructions

Fabric Pattern Stencils - Step 1

1. Trace one or more of the fabric's designs on a plastic report cover. If you want to enlarge or shrink the designs, use a photocopier, then trace the copy. Make separate stencils for each area of color, as we've done with the snail's shell and body. Cut the designs from the plastic.

2. Use masking tape or stencil adhesive spray (follow the label directions) to position the stencil. Pour some paint onto a paper plate. Dab the brush in the paint, then on a dry part of the plate, then fill in the stencil, from the edges to the center.

3. Move the stencil and repeat to make as many images as you like.

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