Anthology - 2011 Winter Gift Guide

over the area again. Make sure all
parts of the stencil are fused to
the fabric; if they are not attaching,
increase the heat and/or iron over
the problem areas again. Repeat
with the name stencil.
5. Lay your apron flat on your work
surface. Pour the inks onto your
plate or artist’s palette. Fold a
paper towel in quarters. Dip your
stencil brush in your ink. Gently
tap the brush ends on the folded
paper towel several times until
most of the excess ink has been
removed. This ensures that the
brush is not overloaded with ink,
which can cause the ink to seep
under your stencil, resulting in a
messy print. To apply the ink to
your stencils, blot the brush over
the area in a quick, repeated up-
and-down motion—a technique
called stippling (Figure 4). This will
transfer a thin, even layer of ink
over your fabric. (You may want
to try stippling with a test stencil
and apron scrap first.) Add lay-
ers of paint to your stencils until
you have achieved a solid area
of color, loading your brush with
more ink as needed and letting
the fabric dry between each layer.
Thoroughly wash the brush before
applying a new ink color to the
remaining stencils.
6. Let dry completely, and then
carefully peel off the freezer paper.
Iron the dry fabric on high heat;
this will set the ink and make it
washable after use.
7. Cut your contrasting fabric to
the width of your apron plus 1" (for
seam allowances on both ends)
by 6" high. Fold over and iron ½"
on all four sides of your strip of
fabric (Figure 5). Fold fabric in half
length-wise and iron. Sandwich the
top edge of your apron between
the two halves of the contrasting
strip so that the edge of the apron
meets the center fold. Pin the
waistband into place with straight
pins. Using a sewing machine and
matching thread, sew along the
side and bottom edges.
8. Print the recipe cards onto 4
sheets of 8 ½" x 11" white card-
stock. Using your craft knife, a ruler
or straight edge, and cutting mat,
trim cards as indicated by the crop
marks (about 5" x 4 ¼").
9. Bundle the cards with the apron
and give as a gift!