# Embroidery and Fancy Work/Stencilling

STENCILLING.
This chapter might appropriately be headed "Decoration made easy," so simple and effective is the work. Given good taste as to color and form, or even Queen Elizabeth's power of choosing good advisers, and a little care and neatness are the only requisites for producing pleasing results.
A stencil is a pattern cut out of a thin sheet of some stiff material, applied smoothly to the surface to be decorated, the parts of said surface left uncovered by the cut-out pattern being then painted over with the desired color.
These stencils can be cut out from sheet brass, zinc, thin wood or cardboard. The metal is preferable for small patterns, as it is more durable, and less liable to absorb the paint. They can be cut out with a fret saw, or a sharp knife. When made from cardboard it is a good plan to use two thin sheets, pasted together with strong paste. These cardboard sheets are especially useful for large patterns, as they are not so apt to warp or bend. When they are to be used for distemper they should be painted over with "Pattern Knotting." This can be procured at any paint store or made at home, by dissolving gum shellac in naphtha.
Patterns for stencils should be designed on paper, pasted on to the sheet from which the stencil is to be cut, and then cut out with a fret saw, or a sharp knife. The edges of the pattern should be clear cut. It may be ​necessary sometimes to leave small bits of the pattern uncut, so as to hold the design in place. When the paint has been applied, these bits will appear as blemishes, and must be carefully painted in by hand. This process of stencilling can be applied to many uses. Tiles and plates can be very prettily decorated in mineral colors, and the stencilled patterns can be afterward touched up by hand. When a pattern is to be repeated a great many times, a stencil saves much labor, and insures a greater degree of uniformity.
Some economically inclined people transform Brussels carpet from which the pattern is worn off into very serviceable oilcloth by painting the wrong side. Generally, a plain coat of yellow ochre is considered sufficient, but a really pretty floor covering could be made by stencilling a border, consisting either of one of the key patterns, or of a continuous leaf or vine patterns. I have seen in an artist's studio a matting on the floor, painted grey with a border of Indian red. The centre was a square of grey surrounded by a border of red, of the same width as the outside border. This red was edged on either side by a line of black, and the centre border was divided into small squares by black lines. Each of these squares had little figure pieces painted in black. The effect was extremely pretty, and by means of well chosen stencils could be easily achieved by one wholly ignorant of drawing.
Stencilling is particularly useful in the decoration of large surfaces. A pretty frieze can be easily executed by this means, and the whole wall itself may be enlivened by means of the stencil. We are apt to think of whitewashed walls with a certain degree of scorn, but distemper painting was after all but a variety of white-washing, and there are several considerations which plead with many in favor of the use of a lime or whiting wash for our walls. The first of these is its superior ​cleanliness, and therefore wholesomeness. It is inexpensive also and not difficult to put on, and can therefore be renewed at will. Those who have suffered from an ugly or inappropriate wall paper which could not be renewed without incurring an undesirable expense, can appreciate this advantage. For those who wish to try decorated walls done with whitewash, I copy the following directions for a wash that will not rub off—:
"Take of good unslaked lime half a bushel, and slake with boiling water, covering it during the process to keep the steam in. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or strainer, and add of salt, one peck, previously well dissolved in water, of rice, three pounds, boiled to a thin paste and stirred in boiling hot, one pound of clean, nice glue, which has previously been dissolved by soaking it well, and then boiled in the usual manner. Now add five gallons of water to the mixture, stir it well, and let it stand a few days, carefully covered over from dust. This whitewash has a remarkably brilliant lustre, and, it is said, will last thirty years. Coloring matter, such as Spanish brown, umber, chrome, or ochres, singly or mixed, adds to its effect. Indigo or blue vitriol give a good blue color. If you find this too expensive or troublesome, a very good permanent wash may be made by simply infusing two ounces of glue to every four pounds of lime or whiting. This will not rub off."
The ground should be smoothly laid on in the desired color, and allowed to become perfectly dry. Then fasten your stencil flat on the wall, in the desired place. It must lie perfectly close to the wall as otherwise the color may run underneath and thus destroy the outline. Paint over the stencil with the color prepared for the design, and, having carefully removed the stencil, wipe any superfluous color off it, and arrange it for the next division of the pattern. Leaves may be easily formed into graceful designs for borders for a wall. Good ​designs may be copied from wall papers, carpet borders, or damask linens.
Oil paints can be used in the same way for decorative purposes. The brushes to be used for stencilling are of various sizes according to the work to be done; they should have a broad, flat surface, like the brushes used for putting in grounds in china painting. Stencilling can also be used on linen canvas for portieres, curtains, etc., with great success.
Where the pattern is to be repeated several times, the local or ground color can be stencilled, and the design afterward touched up carefully; this touching up giving the individuality to the work, which distinguishes hand from machine labor.
Very beautiful decorations may be applied to articles made of white wood by means of stencils. A very pretty table was for sale in the rooms of the Society of Decorative art. It was of white wood with ebonized legs. The top was square, the centre forming a chessboard, the squares alternately of black and white. On the white squares were silhouettes of children; and immediately around the chessboard was a band of white, on which was a procession of children. The outer border was a band of black. The figures on the table were presumably drawn by hand, but I have selected it as a good instance of what could be done without any knowledge of drawing. The figures could be easily selected from the many illustrations in children's books, by Miss Ledyard, Miss McDermott, Kate Greenaway and others.
The table-top should he, perfectly smooth and clean before beginning work. With ruler and pencil mark off your chess board, and the line separating the two outer borders. Have ready in a saucer or plate some lamp, black and turpentine mixed to the consistency of cream. Paint your outside border, and the alternate squares on the chess board with this mixture, taking care to keep ​the lines true. While this is drying prepare your stencils. If you prefer, your border can be a vine or a purely conventional pattern, and the designs for the square may correspond. When the paint is quite dry you can stencil in your designs with the lamp-black. Let it get thoroughly dry, and then paint all over again, repeating the process until the painting is of a dense black. When the last coat is perfectly dry, rub thoroughly with pumice stone; wash off with clear water, varnish again. Let this dry, then rub with a soft flannel, repeating the process until a perfect polish is obtained.
Any other design could be substituted, as, for instance, leaves, flowers, and butterflies scattered carelessly over the surface. The varnish gives a beautiful yellow tinge to the wood.
In a box which I own, the process described above has been reversed, the background being black, and the pattern left white. When this is done, the design must be carefully shaded with India ink, and although the effect is prettier, much more work and more knowledge of drawing is required than in the first process. If preferred, the design can be transferred to the wood and then painted in with black.
This work is very appropriate for ornamenting handkerchief, glove, or work boxes, and for panels in cabinet doors. The effect is very much that of inlaid work. Monograms and appropriate mottoes can be used with good effect.
A very good imitation of ground glass can be made as follows:—
​Take a piece of putty two inches in diameter, and put it in a piece of thin muslin, twisting up the latter so as to form a handle, and having one side smooth. Clean the glass well, fit in your stencil, and pat the surface over with the pad. Take the stencil carefully off, and when dry, varnish with transparent varnish.