– Lin Clements
WHAT IS A QUILTING STENCIL?
A quilting stencil is a tool used to transfer a line design onto fabric as a guide for machine or hand quilting. Quilting stencils can be made from various materials, but the most common are transparent plastic and nylon mesh. Of course, for very simple stencils that are just a single shape, you can make your own from card or template plastic. For this article, we will be looking specifically at commercial quilting stencils, which offer a wide range of designs. Patterns are available in many sizes and also in different shapes, including squares, rectangles, circles, ovals and triangles. Companies also offer all-over patterns suitable for edge-to-edge quilting. A stencil can be used for hand quilting and machine quilting. If machine quilting is planned, bear in mind that some of the more complex stencil patterns will need free-motion quilting skills. Quilting stencils are available from many manufacturers. Your local quilting shop may have a small range but a wider choice is available online. Many of the stencils shown in this article were recently purchased from: Pinhole Quilting (), The Cotton Patch () and Creative Grids (). has also provided some free stencils with the magazine, including this issue (115) and issue 113 (see photo below
