I had these pillows that I bought at Ikea with their linen covers. I like them but they are so boring, and just, well, white. Why not stencil some dandelions on them? Stenciled pillows are an easy afternoon project that can dress up a room. Here is how to stencil a pillow cover.
The boring before pillows:
How to Stencil a Pillow Cover
Learn how easy it is to stencil a design on a pillow cover with these step by step instructions.
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Materials
- Pre-made or purchased pillow cover
- Fabric paints in the colors you'd like, if you have Shiva paint sticks, they work great, too. Fabric paints comes a much larger variety of colors and are easy to mix. I like using both, depending on what I'm working on.
- Stencil with your design
- Painter's tape
- Disposable plate
Tools
- Stencil brush
Instructions
- Take the covers off of your pillows and lay them flat on a surface that would be okay if a little paint got on it. Or, cover your surface with a plastic cloth. I love to use the table covers you find at your local dollar store. They work great for several sessions, and when they get where I can use them anymore, I don't feel bad tossing them.
Put a piece of wax paper, plastic (like a plastic bag) or thick paper inside the pillow cover. We wouldn't want the paint to bleed through to the back of the pillow. I used wax paper - it was handy and easy to dispose of.
Here are the paint colors I selected for this project - a golden yellow and red. I am using fabric paints. Here I've put some of the paint on a sheet of wax paper and started mixing them a little bit. I use a stiff stenciling brush to dab the paint on the fabric.
- I like to tape the stencil to the fabric with painters tape so that it doesn't move or shift during stenciling. Painters tape doesn't leave any reside, as long as you take it off as soon as you are done with your project.
This stencil is Dandelion part of the American mixed media line at DecoArts.
- Ready to put the paint to the stencil! I started with the golden yellow and then added touches of the red in places to add visual interest and a little more color to the finished design.
To apply the paint, dab a little paint on the end of your stencil brush. Then, dab the brush with an up and down motion at a 90-degree angle to the fabric. Be gentle so that the stencil doesn't shift. Don't apply a lot of paint at once as it could then bleed under the stencil and your design won't be as crisp. I wanted the centers of the dandelion to stand out a little more so I dabbed them with the red paint.
- Once it was almost dry, I carefully pulled off the stencil and let the paint dry thoroughly overnight. Then I pressed it, per the fabric paint directions, to heat set the paint.
I like using two or more colors of paints wiht my stenciling - make them so much more interesting! - I wanted two pillows with mirrored designs. I thoroughly cleaned and dried my stencil so I could flip it to the other side for the other pillow. Here they are all finished on my love seat! Much better than plain white!
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What kind of paint do you use to stencil a pillow cover?
I like to use textile or fabric paints OR use Shiva paint sticks. Acrylic paints don’t dry as soft and can make the fabric stiff. Always follow the directions with the paint to set the paint on the fabric. Most require heat setting so that the paint is permanent on the fabric. Then the pillow cover can be cleaned and your design will be intact. Shiva paint sticks are oil based and need time to be be permanent.
Can I stencil on upholstery fabrics?
Yes! If the upholstery fabric has a lot of surface texture, like a cut velvet or wide corduroy, you’ll want to make sure to dab the paint very carefully with a smaller brush to make sure you get the paint into the crevices of the fabric and try hard not to shift the stencil while applying the paint.
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