The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-17

Many women of artistic tastes are
turning their attention. from embroid |
ering to stencil decorations for house
hold fabrics, where a bold effect is de-
sired. Stencil designs have the adj
vantage, OF costing, practically nothing
very serious undertaking to decorate |
the walls Of room with a. simple stem
Gil design, put on with generous inter-
walls between the figures.
The May Craftsman describes the
process of stencilling as follows: "A
stencil in itself is no more or less than
a sheet Of metal or heavy paper, SO cut
spaces. Having selected a design or
decorative motif, the first step is to
adapt the ornament to the special re-
quiremnets of the stencil pattern, chief
among which is that when the design
is cut out the various portions of the
background will still be connected by
what is technically termed the ties.
That there be no chance Of an error,
it will be well for the inexperienced
worker to lay out the pattern on ordi-
nary drawing paper before transfer
ring it to the stencil paper and block
In, in either pencil Or charcoal the
parts to be cut ont. The best stencils
are those in which the designers has
contr1ved to have the ties actually a
part OF the ornament and little in
genu1ty applied to this problem will be
the finished work.
What to Use.
Except for the use Of painters or the
professional decorator, paper. and never
metal, should be. used for the stencil
pattern. For this purpose a regular
cardboard is obtalnable, and where this
Mia paper will be found an excellent
substitute. When this latter is used,
the paper should be treated with a
preparation OF inseed oil, to which tur-
pentine. and Japan dryer have been
added IN the following proportions:
One-half as much turpentine as oil, and
after, these two have been well mixed,
When this preparation has somewhat
dried out, the stencil is ready for cut
| ting, and this process is best accom-
| Pllshed by knife whose point is slight
ly rounded and sharpened on both
edges. In order. to secure the best re-
1 suits, sheet OF ordinary glass should
/ be placed Under the pattern to be cut,
thus insuring the clean, crisp edges
otherwise difficult to obtain. The stem
| Gil is then ready for use except for a
Z thin coat of white shellac which tough
ems the paper and makes it impervious
/ 10 moisture OF any KIND. 49,
Where the prepared stencil paper is
used, all such preparations are unneces-
sary and the work of the cutting may
be begun at once. e.s~ =
1 In applying the patterns to the fabric
selected there is a choice of three color
mediums: water colors, oil paints or
chemical dyes. Oil paints, when mixed
i in Japan, have perfectly dull mat
4 finish, and being absolutely opaque, are
/ especially desirable when the design is
j to be carried out in lighter tones than
the background affords. In case of the
water colors or dyes, the pattern stem
/ ciled must, of necessity be darker than
i the background; but, for lighter silks,
linens, etc, the two latter are much
to be preferred to the oils, in that the
/ colors. are fresh and transparent and
/ the texture of the material is in no way
/ hidden. The chemical dyes are much
more permanent than the water colors,
and when mixed with small quantity
i OF albumen and the stenciled pattern
/ pressed on the reverse side with a hot
/ iron will be found to be absolutely fast.
Method of Coloring.
| The method of applying the color to
the surface Of the fabric is simplicity
. itself. This is best done by means of a
/ round brlstle brush and only the small
est possible amount of dye or paint
used. The best effect is secured not
with the ordinary brush stroke, but bv
quick repeated taps which drive the
color into the fabric rather than giving
1t simply surface coating.
1t IS ALWAYS trua IF courca that 4,