How To Do Spray Stencil Printing

cal patch, contributor

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This is a quick, easy project for all ages!

Cal Patch

Cal Patch

This is a quick, easy project for all ages!

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I love to make my own prints. You may not realize how many options there are for printing textiles at home; silkscreening and stamping are two good methods, but stencilling is probably the easiest of them all. This is a simple and economical project the whole family can enjoy, and is best done outdoors. Anything flat with a cut-out pattern can be used as a stencil, or you can cut out your own. Take a look around your home (don't forget the garage!) to see what you can come up with. Experiment! Lace, pegboard, fencing, trivets, loose knits, or screens could all be stencils. Objects can also work: leaves, jewelry, yarn, flowers, or paper clips could make interesting patterns. Just don't use anything precious that might not recover from being drenched in paint!

You can use spray stencilling to print on any flat textile surface. It's a fantastic way to embellish t-shirts, tote bags, or anything made of fabric. You can even print your own yardage for sewing. Or do what I do, and stencil on the cut-out pieces before sewing them together, so you can control the placement. OK, let's get busy!

What You'll need:

• An item to print on

• A stencil (I used a crochet doily)

• Some textile paint or ink

• A spray bottle

That's it! Probably the only thing you don't already have is the paint; just look at your local craft supply store for one that works on fabric and can be permanently heat-set so the item will be washable

You don't need many supplies to do stencil printing.

1. Dilute the paint. Mix the paint with water, so that it will be liquid enough to go through the spray nozzle. Something like two parts water to one part paint should work, but it'll depend on the consistency of the paint. Test the paint/water solution on a scrap of fabric to make sure it is saturated enough.

2. Place the stencil. I centered my doily on the T-shirt, but don't be afraid to play around with asymmetric placement or scatter objects randomly. You might want to play around on some scraps to see what you like best. Once you are happy with the placement, use your hands to flatten and smooth the stencil against the item, ensuring as much contact as possible.

Place the stencil on your garment as you like.

3. Spray! Begin spraying the diluted paint over the stencil. You want to make sure color gets between all the holes and over all the edges. Don't spray too heavily, or the paint will bleed into the covered areas.

Spray the paint evenly and thoroughly over the stencil.

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Comments (14)

Rowan_Autumnhold writes: At the 2 to 1 ratio of water to paint, do you find that the paint/water mixture soaks through? I didn't risk it when I tried this project and I slid a piece of cardboard inside the shirt, to protect the fabric the back of the shirt and made sure not to soak the piece. After the paint dried I found a few little blotches of paint on the cardboard and was immediately glad I'd thought ahead.
Posted: 6:06 pm on July 29th

cazmc writes: Unbelievable!
Posted: 9:49 pm on December 8th

Chantal2628 writes: this looks cute and easy. I am thinking christmas snowflakes right now.....
Posted: 10:10 am on December 6th

FlipFlopFancy writes: This is AWESOME!! My 2.5year old will only wear tees right know so this is a great way for me to get different looks for a cheaper price. Thanks for sharing this.
Posted: 5:38 pm on December 1st

debx writes: I love this idea for stencils. The oil stain delema... Short time ago I had this oil stain on my shirt that went through the laundry, so I tried some Engine degreaser that I had nearby and thought why not. I was happy with the results. Spray it, rub it, and wash it.
Posted: 12:55 pm on November 19th

LaserStencils writes: We offer laser cut adhesive stencils that work really well for T-shirts. My daughters room made Homecoming shirts and they all got a sticky back stencil on their shirt.. it made it a bit easier for the kids.

We cut up foam and rubberbanded the corners together to make dobbers.. and taught them LESS is MORE...

They really turned out great!

Love the doily.. that is a great idea...
Posted: 5:02 pm on September 14th

SusanElizabeth writes: how cute! love the idea of spray painting designs. i know what my next project will be!
Posted: 5:08 am on August 19th

thread123 writes: I would also like to know the answer to the cardigan question. I ran into the same problem. I posted but no reply.
Thanks,
Posted: 7:55 am on August 7th

JenniferStern writes: Hey Cal...I love that idea!!! looks great!
Posted: 5:34 pm on August 6th

kandiodesigns writes: What a great idea, my daughters going to love this!
Posted: 11:50 am on August 6th

DebraC writes: Oh, I love this! Simple, with striking results. My head is spinning with ideas. Thanks for sharing :).
Posted: 10:46 pm on August 5th

VictoriaNorth writes: Hi sokkertenngrl,
Cal has posted a reply to your question on the ruffly cardigan post. Hope this helps.
Posted: 3:39 pm on August 5th

resalikescolors writes: I have a shirt that I got some oil stains on, this will be a great fix!
Posted: 12:37 pm on August 5th

sokkertenngrl writes: Hi! I actually have a question about the red ruffly cardigan from a t-shirt. I posted it in the comments box for that, but I believe you haven't seen it since it's so old, thus I'm commenting on the recent tutorial of yours. Plus, I don't think there's anyway I can message you.

Hope you can answer me here!

I tried it with a fitted t-shirt, with a slightly low neckline, but longer. Everything was fine, up until the pinning and gathering. It came out too short, so I sewed the 4th on, and it still was too short. Especially when it was gathered.
My question is, what is the normal length of one piece of ruffle strip? Also another question is, did you do two gathering basting lines or just one? I did one, and I gathered, and I sewed the ruffle, but the ruffle wasn't set, and I could still spread it.
Posted: 12:56 am on August 4th

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