Less Than Perfect Crafting

Learn how to stencil a pillow. It's an easy DIY and looks great even if it's not perfect. Trust me.


Hello friends! Today, I'm decorating for autumn, adding a little bit of cottage charm to my living room with another pillow. Go figure. I saw this stencil at the craft store a few weeks ago and I thought it would make a very sweet addition to the room.

I was right. I love it.

It's that time of year when the leaves start to drop and I feel the need to bring the color back into the house. So I grabbed my fabric paint, in harvest hues, of course and transformed a plain old pillow cover into a fun fall accessory.

 I could've made my own pillow cover, but this one ~ with a zipper mind you ~ was so cheap at the craft store that it didn't make sense. Besides, I don't love sewing, even if my machine has been behaving better lately.

How To Stencil A Pillow

I started by taking it out of the package and ironing it. I had to use steam to make the wrinkles completely disappear. I needed a totally flat surface to work on. Stenciling over bumps, whether they're on walls or fabric, is a disaster.


I placed a piece of cardboard inside the cover so the paint wouldn't bleed through to the back. It also provided a very sturdy surface to paint on.


Next, I placed my HARVEST stencil on the cover and taped it in place. Yes, I know they make spray adhesive, but I don't like chemicals of any kind if I can avoid them. I might get sharper lines when painting, but I'd really rather breathe well. Just me...

Anyway. I also didn't use a ruler. Rulers can be deceiving. The fabric lines aren't always perfect, so what measures straight, might not look straight and that would drive me crazy every time I peeked at my pillow. I perfected my stencil placement by eye instead.


I gathered my supplies ~ fabric paint, cups for paint, stencil brushes, foam and bristled, and also a few regular brushes for details ~ and got to work.


As always, I stirred my paint, plopped some in a cup, dipped my brush into it, tamped the excess off on a paper towel and then applied it to the stencil in even, straight up and down, stomping motions. I used the bigger round brushes for the letters and smaller one on the leaves.


Now, remember when I said I would rather have less than perfect letters than less than perfect lungs (which I already have btw), well, that's what I got. It happens. I can't say if it would happen less with the adhesive, since I've never used it, but sometimes when I stencil, I get blobs.

Today was one of those days.

Truth? I could've hidden it, because it can be fixed. Well, mitigated is probably a better word, but either way, with a little paint, a few tricks of the camera and my zipped lips, you'd have been none the wiser. Look at me. A total pro. Always.

But that's not the truth and that's not me. I'm not a pro, far from it, and I'm here, sharing craft tutorials on my site, because I want people to take a risk, to try something new, to be empowered that they can make beautiful things...and if they're not perfectly perfect that's ok. 

Heck, my professional bio states "she doesn't own any powers tools and can't sew in a straight line, so just don't look too close." It's the truth. 100%.

And you know what...nobody ever looks that close. They just see the pretty.

So, throwing it back to my pre-blogging career, I'm going to call this a teachable moment and share my mess. And how to fix it in case it happens to you.

Are you ready for the secret? Yeah, there is no secret, just take a brush and straighten out the letters. The end. Not tricky at all. That "H" turned out a little darker and thicker than the others, so I added a few green dots to the design as a bit of a visual distraction, but overall, it's no big deal.


Like I said, not perfect, but now it has what I call hand painted charm. Once it's on the couch no one will notice...or frankly care. Crafting crisis averted. So.

Now that the mess has been taken care of, you may be wondering about the placement of my stencil. It's so high, it's not centered at all. It looks odd just hanging out up there. What was she thinking?


Actually, I was thinking that I knew exactly where I would be placing this pillow before I started painting and I needed the words to be all the way up top, so the pillows in front of it wouldn't cover them up. This way, they are prominently featured.


Peeking out over my placemat pillow.

Over my floral pillow.

Even the head of my stenciled rooster (ok, chicken) pillow.

And I think it looks totally perfect.

Are you a perfectionist crafter?
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