Design Inspiration. Planet Stencil Library.

How to stencil a silk skirt

The silk skirt has languised in my wardrobe for years and I am about to attend two occasions which may require evening wear. The skirt was always much too big and I never got around to altering it. This is a relief because I have been getting a little hefty of late and now it fits....and nothing else does. 

I had damaged a lettering stencil whilst cutting it for a client and as it was a custom job I felt I could not put it in the sale bin. The text is in French and describes moonlight, and birds in the trees so I felt it was an apt choice to combine with a Chinoiserie stencil of branches, birds and flowers.

I stenciled the skirt with many colours so that I should always have a top and shoes to match it. I also wanted to use many of the colours from our new Lumiere range of metallic and pearlescent paints.

This is how I stenciled the skirt.

Firstly I sprayed a light mist of Spraymount repositioning adhesive over my work table then smoothed the largest area of skirt onto it.  The Spraymount stops the fabric from moving when stencilled.  The back of the stencil was also sprayed lightly and evenly then it was pressed onto the silk.

The text was stencilled onto the silk using a bright gold paint. The paint was taken from the lid of the pot so that very little gets taken into the bristles of the stencil brush.

 
Work the lightly loaded brush onto paper towel (see photo above) until the tips of the bristles carry moist paint not wet. Do this using a circular motion.  Stencil brushes are flat, round and should have flexible bristles.  Do not risk spoiling the project by not using the right tools.

You need a separate clean,dry brush for each colour used on the project.

The text from the custom stencil was applied over and under the Chinoiserie designs.

As each area was stencilled I repositioned and re-smoothed the fabric onto the slightly tacky surface of the table.  In the picture above I am masking areas of the design with tape.  This is to prevent me stencilling into these areas.

 

Sometimes just a small detail was needed.

When finished I dressed Matilda the mannequin in it and took pictures...just incase I don't get any of me wearing it. 

Helen.

Helen

Stencil your stairs

The July issue of Living Etc is full of colourful goodies.

They showed stencilled pattern on stairs and recommended that their readers come to us at The Stencil Library for both stencils and inspiration. This is a great way of getting another use from the odds and ends in your stencil collection.  The floor in the next picture can be re-created with assorted stencils too.

Thank you Living Etc!

The picture of the stenciled stair risers was credited to paintit.biz which is one of the web sites of Carol Leonisio whom I have written about several times on this blog as a 'featured decorative artist'.  She is a very talented and busy faux and stencil artist working in Watertown, Mass, USA.  She writes the Paint It blog and co writes stencil talk.  She is also a wonderful embassador for the Stencil Library because she does such creative and imaginative projects with our stencils then shares the results with her readers.

Thank you Carol Leonisio!

Helen.

 

 

 

Chippendale & Morris Modern Mosaics

My husband Chips (Michael Chippendale) has named his new collection of paintings 'Modern Mosaics'.

I have had little to do with the latest art works, mine has been a supervisory (nagging) and supporting role.  I have watched these pictures evolve and they are quite fascinating.

Each painting is based on a regular grid of dots. When viewed up close the Modern Mosaic paintings appear to be a pleasing but abstract pattern, viewed from the side, at a distance or whilst squinting the dots merge to reveal a recognisable scene, object or person.

Chips was not happy with the final result of this one and is repainting her. She looked brilliant to everyone else. He repainted his images of Cassius Clay and Audrey Hepburn several times until he was satisfied that they were good enough to offer for sale.

Would you know what this is?

A pugs nose!

Chips painted the pug knowing that if it did not find a buyer I would give it a good home.  If I had the room I would have them all but I can not resist paintings of pug dogs.  This one is not finished yet. In future posts I'll show you more Modern Mosaics in progress and completed. 

Chip's paintings including the Modern Mosaics Collection can be seen at The Stencil Library, Stocksfield, Northumberland.

Helen.

Bywell Arts Festival

Bywell Arts Festival 2010

I have just delivered finished the stencilled signage for the 12th annual Bywell Arts Festival.  The tents are being erected, both of Bywell’s churches are being cleaned, flowers are being arranged and boards are being put into position to take the two hundred artworks submitted for this years festival.

The festival takes place this weekend.   Both churches, St Andrews and St Peters will display art from amateur and professional artists from all over the area. On Friday at 7pm there will be a preview evening I will be singing old time and bluegrass harmonies with my duet partner..but don't let that put you off.

There will be wine and soft drinks and the event is free and open to all.  On Saturday and Sunday the exhibition and sale of work opens at 10am and runs until 4.30. There will be a grand raffle, refreshments, stalls and ample free parking.  On Saturday evening Prudhoe Community High school presents a concert at 7.30 in St Peters. You'll need a ticket for the concert but I can tell you how to get them.  The festival takes place at Bywell on Tyne,Northumberland. It is a fifteen minute walk from Stocksfield Rail Station and bus stop.

  I did not get organised to submit any paintings for the festival this year but their event is running at the same time as Art Tour 2011 and I am part of that. Three Art Tour artists are exhibiting at The Stencil Library on the Saturday and Sunday.

The stencil shop is a short and picturesque walk from Bywell. So, you could visit both events and enjoy an arty day out.

Last year I submitted the two stamp pictures shown in the top photo. Both were bought,which boosted my morale and added a little to the festival funds.

Helen.

Stencilled Kitchen in The Globe and Mail Canada

The Stencil Library had a nice little mention at the weekend.

Leading Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail showed the kitchen of JJ Thompson, founder of The Compendium Daily, a Toronto-based lifestyle and entertainment website.  Our Rattan stencil features on the main wall. Not only is it an extremely handsome kitchen but I suspect the entire home is a bit fab.

Mr Thompson told writer Deidre Kelly  

“My wife ordered these large stencils from an online store in the U.K., www.stencil-library.com. Yellow goes with every colour; it’s so warm. Also, I’m a big fan of Viceroy Hotels, which use white and yellow extensively in designing their interiors.”

I used the rattan stencil in my own home, it's on the floor of the Japanese bedroom.

Helen.

 

 

Mid Summer Day, Shakespeare, songs and summer

I am stenciling a skirt to wear on Midsummer's Day evening at Shepherds Dene.

I hope that it does not rain because the skirt is a very delicate silk. Also, I intend to wear an antique hat. I will share the progress and result of the skirt project.  Hopefully I will have pictures from the evening too.

I wrote about Shepherds Dene a couple of months ago. it is a splendid Arts & Crafts house and garden near Riding Mill, Northumberland. Later this month I hope to be enjoying Shakespeare, songs and supper on their lawns.

You can do the same. This is the information that they sent to me….

Antiphon and friends: SHAKESPEARE,

SONGS AND SUPPER

Gardens, woods and nature in abundance have the inspiration of sacred and secular music and literature the world over.  Come and enjoy this very English tribute to the summer season  in the magical setting of  our very own gardens on Midsummer Day.

The evening starts with a complimentary sparkling wine and canape reception on the Terrace from 6pm onwards. Then enjoy the first selection of song and verse at 7pm before buffet supper ( supper drinks available from the bar) The evening concludes with a final celebration of midsummer in the twilight of the Friends Garden and all fairies will be away at 10pm.

Please dress up for the occasion ( bring a boater ) but also to sit outside if fine. If wet, entertainment will be in the chapel. Tickets must be booked in advance and limited to 50. £17.50 each or £60 for a party of four.  Special bed and breakfast rates to stay over. All proceeds to improve the grounds at Shepherds Dene. Ring Julie on 01434 682 212 or email julie@shepherdsdene.co.uk

REcyle, REpurpose, REad this

I have just had the most inspiring coffee break. Firstly, The Daily Basics introduced me to the art of Boris Bally,

photo via daily basics.

They describe him as 'The king of repurposing signs. Road signs, hub caps and bottle tops'..

Museums and collectors are flocking to him and so can you. Then I checked in with The New York Times on line and they had a wonderful article on London street artist Ben Wilson.

Photo Andrew Testa for The New York Times

Mr Wilson paints intricate pictures onto gum that careless people discard on our pavements (sidewalks) then varnishes them for others to enjoy.  They feature him lying on the paving with blow torch and paint. I had not heard of this man but loved the stories and you might too.  Also on NYT is a feature about a picturesque home in Pennsylvania.

Photo Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Brian and Esther Dormer and their artist/decorator have recycled and reworked 'stuff' around their farm  land to make the most beautiful spaces. It reads...'At the Farm, iron chairs wear mink coats, candelabras sprout from picnic tables and crystals hang from the trees'.

My chairs don't wear mink but I do indulge in the other two peccadillo's. Apart from that I can not compete with the scale of their creation. The pictures of the glasshouses and fire are quite dreamy. There is a slide show of photos to enjoy. I liked the comment that the farm workers keep pinching bits of the art installations when they need rope or machine parts.

Earlier today on Design Inspiration blog I posted Ghost Furniture which again is recycled and re-purposed.

Actually I think the term to describe Ghost is up-cycled. And...whilst we are on the subject of 're' you could round off this extended coffee break with a visit to RE-found Objects.

They are just down the road from my shop but they deliver worldwide.

Helen.

This post is repeated on Chippendale & Morris blog.

How to write a newsletter

In October 2005 I composed the first Stencil Library newsletter... No one ever saw it.  If my effort had resembled the newsletter that Ghost Furniture sends I would have been much, much keener to get it to you.

 
Trawl through the back copies as well as the current edition. Its short, sweet eye candy from Di Overton, the writer of DesignersBlock blog and the creator of Ghost Furniture. My peacock stencil got a mention this month...which was an unexpected surprise.

Helen.

Stencils on clothing

Add a little stenciled bling to an old (or new) denim jacket.

This one was decorated with silver fabric paint and a damask style stencil.

Swarovski crystals were glued with fabric glue onto areas of the motif.

I wonder if the eyes of the birds on the sparrow stencil might benefit from a little sparkle too?? 

Helen.

 

Cheering up Ireland with stencils.

There is a somewhat cheeky notion in the United Kingdom that our queen believes that every country smells of fresh paint.  Probably the same could be said for the president of the United States.  Both have visited Ireland recently and Dulux donated gallons of paint to help the country look it's Sunday best. 

On a way smaller scale and perhaps with more noble intentions a small group of students in Ireland are trying to clean up their village. I do not think any internationally known names are visiting.  They are doing this in to cheer up their community.

 

Student Ferdia Hayes wrote 'We are a group of students from Dundalk, Louth, Ireland and we are participating in a project with O2 Think Big, an initiative designed to get young people involved in raising awareness about mental health and also improving mental health in our community. It is associated with the registered Irish charity, Headstrong. www.headstrong.ie.

 

Dundalk has been effected by the recession big time, because of it's proximity to the Northern Irish border and with the current state of the country. This has had a dramatic affect on peoples moods and humour. So basically we want to change that by lightening the mood a bit by painting the derelict shops and businesses with colourful designs and stenciling flower baskets on to the walls. We loved your stencils on your website and thought that it would fit in greatly with our project.

I had some floral stencils lined up as giveaways to you dear readers but I side tracked them to Ireland to help with Ferdia's cause.  I shall have more for you in the future.  Hopefully, I shall have more pictures from Ferdia and his friends too so that we can follow their progress.

I have just been reading an amusing piece by of The Irish Times called Moneygall cleans up It described the villagers of Moneygall preparing for the vist of President Barack Obama.....  There is a movie script just waiting to be written ( just wish I had the talent and time to write it).   By the time that I post this both the USA President and the Queen of England will have been and gone and I hope the experience was enjoyed by all.

I hope that the newly stencilled Dundalk will be enjoyed for a long while too.

Helen.