Monday, February 18, 2013

Tedious.....continued



Don't try this at home.

In my effort to prepare for a sewing spree.....

I suspected cutting this stencil from the Alabama/Chanin website would be difficult, but had no idea.

First of all, did anyone notice that the Peace Sign stencil pattern was justified in a less than desirable way?



And in my opinion not condusive to stenciling a skirt, that's for sure.

(Well I guess it depends on how short the skirt is, and mine won't be a mini.)

So I set out to correct this.  And I'm sure there was an easier way.

However,  this is how I approached it.


First I retrieved two of my enlarged copies.....


and taped them together,


cutting away the unusable parts....

I made them the size of the original paper.

Then since I ran out of pennant felt I searched for a suitable masking material for the stencil.

I found a large sheet of lightweight chipboard left over from my bookbinding days and decided to use that.

I forgot how sturdy that board is.

Then I sprayed the pieces with light fabric adhesive and set out to cut the stencil.

Which, using a scalpel, is very painful on the fingers....

AND tedious


But I found a way to have fun with it and appreciate it's beauty and light.

 My advice is to take your time if you are so ambitious to tackle this project.


And so will I.



Give Peace a Chance

6 comments:

  1. Compliments!
    I confess - now I bought a stencil in the Alambama-Sop. Patience was finished.
    LiLo

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  2. Liselotte, thank you so much for visiting! I wish we could share a cup of tea. No confessions needed...I am sure it's more sensible to purchase the stencils! I always seem to make too much work for myself. This came about after attending a week long workshop with Natalie Chanin where she instructed us on every aspect of her business. I felt I had to do this. Crazy, huh?

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  3. You are one determined lady! I am inspired. I bet the workshop was great. I know the setting was.

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    1. Yes, the image I have of myself is one of a 'dog with a bone'.......I can't let go....and have only a vague idea of where I'm headed. And aaaaahhhhhh, the setting.......I can hear the Angels sing....

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  4. I tried to cut out my stencil (anna's garden) from 4 thin mylar sheets ...

    Super, you made a workshop with N. Chanin?
    I live in southern Switzerland - little bit too far away, also for our cup of tea!
    Actually I practice hand sewing, just a comforting occupation.

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    1. Oh, my the mylar sounds even more tedious! And Yes, I was very lucky to be in a long workshop with Natalie and her wonderful assistant Diane Hall. I must say, your stitching is perfect and beautiful...you don't need the workshop...only to make friends! She has shared ALL of her techniques in her books. Your blog is beautiful and inspirational, I only wish it was in English so I could better understand. I spent some time looking up the patterns you use. I love that you have joined in here all the way from Switzerland! Isn't that amazing??!!

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