Design Your Own Fabric with Stencils

Call me a control freak, but I like to have things my own way.

I want just the right look that I’ve been dreaming up in my head but it can be so hard to find anything even close. That’s where my love of Royal Design Studio stencils comes in. They have gorgeous designs that coordinate and make creating your own custom look simple.

For example, I’ve been dreaming of making this beautiful Little Bow Pleat dress for a while now, but it needed just the right fabric. And with as much fabric as I have (and love) I just didn’t have the right thing. But I knew that with a little stenciling, I could create a dress that lived up to my imaginings.

I chose the Polka Party Christmas Stencil paired with the Floral Medallion Set A Christmas Stencil for this dress because I liked the way they work together. The small dots in the small floral medallion are about the same size as the small polka dots, so they go naturally together. And then I just had to stencil the pieces for the dress!

Cut out your pattern pieces according to the pattern. Decide which pieces you want to stencil. I used the polka dots on the bow and the medallion on the dress hemline.
Stencil your design on your pieces using fabric paint or fabric medium mixed with acrylic paint. I recommend using a stencil adhesive when stenciling fabric so nothing shifts. I also made sure to leave enough room at the bottom of the dress for hemming. Let your designs dry.
Sew your dress according to the pattern.

And the result is this darling dress. The stenciled images are a subtle glittery white that don’t detract from the simplicity of the brown chambray.

The bow stands out with the polka dots

and the medallion is perfectly centered within the center pleat so it’s showcased and gets to shine.

There’s something so fun about custom fabric. I can be in charge–I can have it just like I imagined. You might also want to check out my tutorial for stenciling curtains that contains tips and tricks for getting great, clean images.