Okay, I copied the design onto template plastic and attempted using an exacto knife. The design has lots of small curves and it was difficult for me to manuever the knife in the tight curves and points. I didn't finish for fear of doing bodily harm to an appendix that I need.
I googled "burning stencils" and found an electric exacto knife for about 30 bucks ...geez, I don't want to spend that much but if it flows better, I would consider it...anyone have any experience with one?
I'm thinking about buying acetate sheets, or contact paper to see if this would be easier than cutting the plastic with the exacto knife. Also, I just know there has to be a tool that would "burn" the stencil through...is there???? What type of business would make a custom stencil for me?????
I really want this piece to turn out...I'm exicting about the possibility of it being good enough to submit or display in a venue.
Any help is appreciated.
****I just found this at Joann's- heat cutting tool. Anyone have any experience with it?
an easy way to make a stencil: draw your pattern on your acetate, put a twin needle in your sewing machine and don't thread it. Stitch with the drawn line between the needles. Remember to leave bridges so the whole thing doesn't fall apart. when done stitching you can just punch out the design. apula
ReplyDeleteI have the thing you need, I think. It is a "Air Nouveau" Stencil burner. Package reads; "for cutting acetate, mylar, frisket, pellon, and other plastic based materials. Easy! Fast! Innovative!"
ReplyDeleteLOL. And even with all those selling points it has been hanging on my peg board, unopened, since 1991.
Hey Karoda, what are you using the stencil for? If it's to mark your fabric for stitching, dressmaker's tracing paper is much easier. But maybe you're doing some surface design?
ReplyDeleteI looked at the tool from Joanne's, and I've used it or something very like it before. Not for stencils, but once I was making outdoor banners for a festival and had to cut and finish big pieces of a nylon-kite-like (I think it's call rip-stop nylon fabric.) Anyway, the hot knife tool would burn through the fabric and seal the edges at the same time. It worked very well for what I was doing, so it seems like it should work for stencils although I don't know what your cutting those out of.
ReplyDeleteYes another idea is you can use a soldering iron from antex this should do it although I have not tried it yet... but have done some burning of fabrics with it
ReplyDeleteantex with a pencil fine tip
Sandy
dangling by a thread
Others have given you some great ideas, but I still prefer my Xacto... buy a pack of blades, and use a hard cutting surface - I use the grey back of my quilter's cut and press, or a plastic kitchen chopping board. Good luck!
ReplyDelete