April, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



151 



The"S 



wastika," or Symbol of Good Luck 





1 





















It Is Generally Painted White on a Field of 

 Almost Any Dark Color 



THE APPLICATION 

 OF STENCIL WORK IN 

 HOME DECORATION 



By Edward Fesscr, Kensico, N. Y. 



[ANY quaint and beautiful designs can be 

 used at home by the person possessing orig- 

 inality and a good sense of color. These de- 

 signs can be reproduced upon almost any of 

 the textile materials or grass-woven stuffs 

 by means of a stencil, a blowpipe, and an 

 atomizer. The oddest patterns as well as 

 the most effective combinations in the chromatic scale are bor- 

 rowed from the American Indians, and the simplicity of their 

 designs lends itself the more readily to the worker with 

 stencil and atomizer. 



The first thing to do is to make a selection from some por- 

 tion of an Indian rug or saddle blanket, making elaborations 

 or eliminations according to the purpose for which the de- 

 sign is meant, always keeping the same scheme well in mind. 

 Should the designer be near a museum of natural history he 

 can gather many valuable notes from the original Indian ex- 

 hibits by means of a small sketch-book and a box of water 

 colors. If the design is to be applied to either portieres, 

 lambrequins, sofa pillows, divan covers or borders for the 

 wall, it should be first drawn to scale on a drawing pad and 

 colored by hand in order to fix definitely the proper propor- 

 tions as well as the relative values of the colors. The next 

 thing to do is to pro- 

 cure a number of 

 large sheets of 

 white mounting 

 board, such as pho- 

 tographers use, of 

 medium weight, 

 then draw to scale 

 the outlines of the 

 first primary color 

 to be transferred: 

 for instance, if in 

 the design to be 

 transferred there is 

 a yellow and an- 

 other color which is 

 mixed with yellow, 

 like blue and yellow, 

 making green, then 

 have your outline 

 cover the green as 

 well as the yellow, 

 so that if there be a 

 blue in the design 

 the latter can be 

 blown lightly over 



Stenciled Screen in the Author's Studio 



the yellow and produce the desired green, and so on 

 with the other combinations of color. Follow out as closely 

 as possible the same principles involved in chromatic lith- 

 ography or printing in colors. After the drawing for each 

 color has been made take a sharp penknife and cut out the 

 stencil, leaving a bridge here and there, to keep the narrow 

 portions in place. When the stencils are all cut out, cover 

 both sides of the cardboard with a generous coat of white 

 shellac, using methylated spirits or wood alcohol to thin it, 

 if necessary; this will stiffen the board and prevent the edges 

 from warping or curling after the spray is applied. Stencils 

 so made will be found as serviceable for ordinary purposes 

 as those cut fom sheet zinc. In certain complicated designs 

 friskets must be used. Friskets are pieces of cardboard cut 

 in such a manner that when pinned to the fabric they will 

 block out certain portions of the design that are already 

 tinted, or such portions that are to be left flat, that is to say, 

 the original tint of the fabric. A careful study should be 

 made of the design and color scheme and plans drawn out 

 accordingly before an attempt is made to cut out either sten- 

 cils or friskets. Once the stencils are cut and ready for use, 

 the color schemes may be varied indefinitely with the same 

 design. Next nail some boards together so as to make a 



large rectangular 

 drawing-board and 

 suspend it in a per- 

 pendicular position 

 against the wall, 

 then pin your fabric 

 upon it with thumb- 

 tacks. When you 

 have pinned the first 

 stencil in place, 

 great care must be 

 exercised in having 

 each succeeding sten- 

 cil and frisket reg- 

 i s t e r accurately. 

 This can easily be 

 done by drawing 

 two straight lines 

 which w i 1 1 cross 

 each stencil at right 

 angles in the center. 

 The mixing of 

 colors is very im- 

 portant, and much 

 depends upon 

 whether the finished 



