Stenciled Placemats

So it's been forever since I posted something to this blog.  

 I finally got around to re-finishing my antique table... well the top at least.  It turned out beautiful and I want the shine to last a while. No more stabbing playdough with skewers.  I have been saving this piece of linen to sew something for my table.  I came up with the idea for simple, lightweight placemats with table rules stenciled on them.  I cut out four placemats, serged the edges,  folded over once and top stitched the black thread around the boarder.  I wanted it to look a little old country, rustic.

What so I say the most at the table? "Don't tip your chair. No toys at the table, Take your dishes to the sink. Eat or go hungry."  That last statement may sound a little obvious, but it's been a struggle to get my kids to eat healthy dinners as apposed to PB&J alternatives. So I am holding out, if they don't eat what I fix, they will go hungry.

I started by printing these sayings on plain old paper.  I laminated them so I could stencil multiple times without the fabric paint leaking anywhere.  I used and xacto knife (above) to cut out each and every letter. This was time consuming and very tedious. But the end result was worth it. And I suppose it's not more tedious than crocheting or quilting.  But I am impatient and like results fast. If you have a Cricut that cuts through plastic laminate then you will save hours. I don't even know if they cut that stuff, but it's worth a try.

I used black fabric paint and a stencil brush, not sponge to apply the paint.  And there you have it.