Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs is the new kid on the block here on Infarrantly Creative. I admired her style ever since being graced with her amazing talent on Creating With the Stars (which she won by the way!). I begged her to come on board here on IC so I could showcase her skills. I know you will love her creative ideas as much as I do. And anyone who loves painting fabric as much as I do has gotta be awesome. Today she is here sharing some handmade stenciled pillows she created for cheap – plus she is sharing the Silhouette files with us. Please give a huge IC welcome to Sarah.
Hi Infarrantly Creative readers! I’m Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs and I’m so happy to be sharing a super easy, budget friendly way to update your sofa with stenciled pillow shams!
I love this because you can simplify it to be finished in about an hour or you can spend a little more time to have a completely custom look! Want to know the best part? It only cost about $3-5 per pillow sham!
Supplies:
$3 white pillow shams Gurli from Ikea.
Acrylic paint
Silhouette Cameo Machine
Grafix Clear Craft Plastic
White foam roller
Stiff Stencil brush (for making the faux trim around the edge)
Free Silhouette Files:
Hong Kong 1 / Hong Kong 2 (you will need both to complete design)
I decided to purchase the colors that I didn’t have and also use leftover latex paint with fabric medium so that it would be washable after heat setting.
Download Free Plans for a Double Sliding Barn Door!
Enter your email and the DIY Barn Door Plans will be sent to your inbox!
Crazy talent, as usual. Your lines are so straight!
Measure it out with painters Tape and try not to use runny paint
Amazing and beautiful!!!
I love this! I have definitely been thinking of how to get some of cw textiles into my home…can’t wait to try this!
beautiful…as always! awesome sarah!!
Came over from SMD because I just had to see this project. Beautiful work, as always! I am considering stenciling my own duvet cover b/c the design I wanted was a comforter (not duvet cover), color was slightly off and way too expensive for something that usually does not last, so this has given me a bit more confidence.
Oh, and I’ve been playing around with creating a few pattern stencils myself so thanks for the tip about splitting into two to make it work.
Any tips for achieving a kind of geometric watercolor design? And, is there a specific finish that is more desirable when using latex paint and fabric medium (flat, satin, etc.)?
Hi Lauren! I like to use flat/matte paint for textiles, satin works well too though. I haven’t experimented with watercolor on textiles, but sounds fun! I’d love to try sometime!
Cutest pillows ever!! Great job
Love the pillows. Great talent!! Thanks for sharing.
Nancy
LOVE these! I can’t believe those are stenciled! Reason number 187,654 that I need to get a Silhouette! Thanks so much for sharing!
~Abby =)
Sarah is one of my faves!! Super talented and sweet! This is such a good idea 🙂 xo Kristin
Beautiful! And simple…
These look so professional! How do you keep the lines so crisp?
Hi Ann Marie! For fabric it helps to be on a flat surface, such as a table top. Before applying paint it helps to remove as much paint as possible on a paper towel, and then apply more as needed. This significantly reduces the amount of paint under the stencil. Finally, with your other hand, hold the stencil down where you are painting. Hope this helps!
I love this! Do the pillows come out crusty when they dry or hard?
The fabric medium helps prevent it from feeling too stiff.
Hi Meghan! The thin paint lines are pretty soft, the thicker striped lines are a little harder. I’d recommend sticking with thin lines for a softer finish.
Hello! What setting did you use on your Silhouette to cut the .007 plastic? Thanks!
Hi Hillary! I use speed 1, thickness 33, blade 5, double cut (sometimes I run it through one more time if it doesn’t cut on two.
I’m curious about the IKEA Gurli shams, aside from stenciling them. I was considering buying a royal blue one but having only seen them online, I am unsure about the quality and how they look up close. Yours look nice here but in other photos they look a bit lumpy. Maybe it’s just that other people didn’t use a large enough pillow form inside?
They are great – a nice thick canvas. I will say though if you purchase the pillow forms from IKEA they are crap. That might be why they look lumpy in other pictures. I always buy my pillow forms from JoAnn Fabrics instead.
Beautiful!!