We here at Plaid produce several craft products as you already know, but we also love to help crafters at all skill levels learn and understand how to use different craft techniques. Today we would like to show you how to perform letter stenciling. Stenciling with letters is a very traditional technique that has been used for many years. It is a great way to decorate any surface, and add something extra to any craft project.

Plan the spacing of letters before painting in stencils.

Create a tracing paper template for correct type alignment. For straight lines of type, use a straight edge or level and pencil to draw a guide line. For curved lines following an oval edge, place the oval object on tracing paper and trace a line following the outside curve with a pencil. Then place the tracing paper on top of your surface and position the curved line where you want the type. For circular lines, position a nail or thumbtack at the center of the circle. Loop string around the nail, tie the other end to a pencil, and draw a circle or arc. Place paper template as guide on surface; slip stencil between template and surface, align stencil and tape in place.

Line up the first letter and hold it in place with tape. Mark the registration with pencil. Paint the first letter, then remove stencil. Let dry. Use the registration mark and guide line to place the second stencil. Repeat the process for each letter. Once the paint is dry, erase any guide marks.