Let Me Count the Ways!

There are many facets to the world of dyeing. It has been a craft around the world since time immemorial. According to the World Shibori Network, evidence of adding color to fabric has been found from pre-Colombian society in Peru and ancient tombs in China. The greatest historical record of dyeing is the technique called Shibori, or bound-resist dyeing. We are familiar with this today in the form of tie-dyeing. Traditions over the centuries have not been limited to South America and the Far East. Surviving traditions can be found in the Middle East, India, Africa, and Indonesia.

Adding color and patterns to fabric can also be achieved through a variety of other methods besides tie-dyeing. These include Batik, stamping, silk screening, and painting. Batik utilizes wax as a resist(method or substance preventing dye from penetrating fiber). The wax is applied using a Tjantings, Tjaps, or brushes.

Stamping, well, utilizes stamps to apply dye or pigment to create designs and patterns on fabric. Stamps can be created from a variety of materials. Do you remember using vegetables and fruits to stamp paint on paper in preschool? One of my favorite things to do is to make stamps out of craft foam. It is a simple and easy way to create great images on your fabric.

I think silk screening is a method that everyone is most familiar with. Heck, the t-shirt you are wearing right now was printed using silk screening methods.

Some of the most beautiful painted images I have ever seen were painted on fabric. Fiber, especially silk, takes color marvelously. Combine this with the creativity and skill of an artist and WOW!

How will you add color!?

The Story of the Stencil

There are a couple of ways to create your stencil for screen printing. The most common is to use photo emulsion to "burn" your image stencil directly onto the screen. The second is to use drawing fluid and screen filler to hand draw on your stencil. Another is to create a stencil using paper, acetate film, or wax paper to cut the image out of.

The last method is what I use. I like it for many reasons. The primary reason being that I don't have a huge selection of screens to print with so using a cut acetate stencil allows me to reuse a screen. Though burning the image on a screen using photo emulsion allows for a greater degree of detail and durability, if you need the screen for something else you must destroy the burned image and start over.

Acetate film, commonly known as transparency film, is easily available at office supply stores. You can also get larger sheets at art supply stores. Art supply stores also carry acetate film in colors i.e. green and red. I prefer clear, well, just because it's cheaper.

So, let's get started on making a stencil from acetate film. Can't start without your supplies! What you need is an exacto knife, a self-healing cutting mat, acetate film, and an image. Images can either be printed directly onto the acetate film or drawn/printed onto paper which you put under the film as a guide for cutting. For this particular tutorial my image is larger than what my printer can print. What I did was create my image in photoshop and split it in two before I printed it out. I then taped the two seperate print-outs together to create the whole image.

Now that you have your supplies and your image ready to go, it is time to cut. Because the image itself is on a piece of paper instead of printed directly on the acetate you will need to place the image under the acetate. Center the image as best as possible being sure to leave room at the top, bottom and sides where no cutting will occur. Having these areas solid makes the stencil a bit more stable and durable. Tape the paper to the acetate so it won't slip around while cutting.

I like to start cutting around the more detailed "islands" in the image. Islands are the white areas in the image that don't get cut out and are connected to the outer template by "bridges". The particular image I am using doesn't have any real "islands" but rather long "bridges" that will help create detail and depth in the final print. I prefer to cut these areas first because it can involve more fine cutting and having most of the template intact allows for a more stable cutting surface.

As more of the stencil is cut out you will notice that the acetate may slip or bow in the area being cut. A remedy to this is to place a finger or two above and opposite of the direction you are cutting to give the piece stability. Be careful though not to cut yourself with the exacto knife.


Once the cutting is complete the cut out areas need to be removed. When pulling off the cut outs be careful not to bend or rip the areas of the template that will remain. Sometimes a cut was not complete at certain points. When this occurs, carefully take the tip of the exacto knife to this area and gently cut it.

And voila, you have your stencil and you're ready to print!