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You are here: Home / Crafts / How to Doily Stencil a Cushion / Pillow

How to Doily Stencil a Cushion / Pillow

1st June 2016 by Claire Armstrong 80 Comments

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how to doily stencil a pillow

It is very easy to stencil a cushion or pillow with doilies.

I gave my outdoor canvas cushions a bit of a makeover by using doilies as stencils to paint pretty patterns on them.

It was a very affordable and fun pillow upcycle that gave great results for very little effort. I warn you it is a very addictive craft, as the cushions are so lovely. It’s very tempting to make many stenciled pillows, I’m on the lookout for more fabric.

I got so carried away with using doilies as stencils I even painted some old vintage plates for a cute upcycle.


 A couple of weeks ago I made some Map Table Mats. When I was putting them away in the kitchen with all my other table stuff, such as paper napkins and cloths, I struggled to shut the drawer. It was time for a clear out!

Brighten up your cushions by painting them using a doily as a stencil

Firstly I discovered that I must stop buying paper napkins no matter how pretty they are. Secondly, I found right at the bottom a packet of paper doilies.

I’m not one normally for fancy doilies, these must have been leftover from the traditional English garden party we held for the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

These doilies did, however, give me an idea and that didn’t involve cucumber sandwiches and Victoria sponge cake. I would use them as a stencil.

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Doily Stencil a Cushion/Pillow

What you need to stencil a pillow

  • An assortment of paper doilies.
  • Repositionable spray mount
  • Acrylic paint
  • Fabric Paint medium
  • Foam paintbrush
  • Plain canvas pillow covers.
How to doily stencil a cushion / pillow

How to Doily Stencil a Pillow

1. First, remove the cover from the cushion / pillow. Then using the repositionable spray mount, spray one side of your doily. Place the doily on the cushion where you want to stencil.

I liked to create a random pattern with my doilies on the cushion covers and used doilies in an assortment of sizes as well as patterns.

Top tip: If you don’t want to use spray paint another method is to pin the pillow cover to a foam board to stop it moving around and to pin the doily stencil to cushion cover.

The idea is to make sure that the cushion/pillow and doily don’t move while stenciling.

Doily Stencilling a cushion / pillow


 

 
2. Next, it is time to add the acrylic paint. With these cushions I painted with the acyrilic paint neat and they have lasted well.

However, I have since discovered fabric medium which if added to acrylic paint turns it into fabric paint which makes it more robust when washing.

When painting with a stencil it is best to use a foam brush and to use a dabbing motion. Load up the foam brush with not too much paint and dab it over the holes in the doilies until all the fabric is covered.

Stencilling a cushion / pillow with a doily

3. When you have finished stenciling the cushion quickly and carefully remove the doily.

Especially if you have used repositionable spray rather than pinning. If you leave the doily too long on the pillow it will get stickier and be harder to remove.

Stenciling with doilies

4. Repeat with the next doily until you have the pattern you want. The paper doilies will get wet so it is best to use a fresh doily with each pillow stencil.

Stenciled doily cushion / pillow.

 
5. To finish off, if you just used paint and no fabric medium you will need to seal soften the doily stenciled pillow.

To do this, once the paint is thoroughly dry, spritz the paint with a 50/50 mixture of clear vinegar and water. Then place a clean cotton cloth such as a tea towel in between the paint and the iron, iron with a hot iron.

spraying the doily stenciled pillow
_DSC0427 sm
Doily Stenciled Cushions - Fun easy craft full tutorial


I love how these cushions turned out. It is best to use a paint colour that contrasts with your cushion cover.

So if you have dark cushion covers then use a light paint. For example, I used a navy blue cushion and white paint. If you have a light cushion cover use dark paint.

I had a light turquoise cushion and stenciled with dark blue paint. I’m tempted to go and by some more colorful cushion covers and try out lots of different color combinations.

Dark paint doily stencil
Doily stencilled cushion, really easy to do for great results.
Brighten up your cushions by painting them using a doily as a stencil

These doily stenciled pillows sit on my outdoor sofa in the summer. Since making the doily pillows I have Shibori dyed the sofa cushions and the doily pillows go really well with them.

There are more ideas of stenciling with paper doilies here. I also have a tutorial for turning vintage cloth doilies into a cute angel wings ornament.

I have also stenciled a denim fish pillow but this time I used bleach instead of paint.

As well as stenciling fabrics I have stenciled a wooden pallet in my garden to make a Moroccan painted wood planter wall that matches these cushions very well. I’ve also made a pineapple stenciled table for my living room.

Doily Stencil a cushion or pillow

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: cushion, cushion upcycle, doilies, doily, doily cushion, doily pillow, doily stencil, outdoor cushion, outdoor pillow, painted cushion, painted pillow, paper doily, pillow, pillow upcycle, stencil, stenciled cushion, stenciled pillow

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ann Martin

    27th August 2016 at 1:47 am

    Such a nice idea! I linked to your post via my newsletter today.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      27th August 2016 at 8:32 am

      Thank you and thank you for the link.

      Reply
  2. Debrashoppeno5

    29th June 2016 at 12:33 pm

    The pillows are so delicate looking and pretty. I love how they turned out.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      29th June 2016 at 1:29 pm

      Thank you !

      Reply
  3. Kellie

    29th June 2016 at 11:37 am

    This is so pretty! I love how the cushions came out! And what a great blog you have! Thank you so much for linking up to our Waste not Wednesday Link up!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      29th June 2016 at 1:29 pm

      Thank you ! The cushions do brighten up my outdoor sofa.

      Reply
  4. Lisa

    12th June 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Simply beautiful and easy to do! Love this idea and I have some pillow inserts that need covering. I know what I’m doing now! Thanks for linking up this fantastic tutorial on Happiness is Homemade – we’ve featured it this week!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      12th June 2016 at 2:01 pm

      Thank you so much and thank you for the feature.

      Reply
  5. Nanacf

    10th June 2016 at 11:18 pm

    Thank you EVER SO MUCH for this inspiration!! I cannot wait to try my hand at brightening up indoor pillows!! Love your ideas!!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      11th June 2016 at 6:23 am

      Thank you and good luck with your pillows.

      Reply
  6. twochicksandamom/Donna

    10th June 2016 at 6:35 am

    So cute and easy! Glad to feature your post at Funtastic Friday this week!
    http://bit.ly/24EFO5h

    Reply
  7. Sherry

    9th June 2016 at 1:00 pm

    Just want to let you know that your tutorial is featured at Funtastic Friday #78. The party opens tonight at 9pm EST.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      9th June 2016 at 1:10 pm

      Thank you very much look forward to seeing it.

      Reply
  8. Merit

    8th June 2016 at 7:32 pm

    Such a pretty pattern! Love the way these turned out. Thanks for sharing this with us at the #HomeMattersParty

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      8th June 2016 at 8:26 pm

      Thank you very much.

      Reply
  9. Mary-the boondocks blog

    7th June 2016 at 10:19 pm

    These are just too cute Claire. Did you spray on the water and vinegar to seal the paint on the fabric? That is a new trick I did not know. Pinning and sharing. Thank you for giving us loads of sweet inspiration in a small package.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      8th June 2016 at 6:23 am

      Yes I did and the heat sealed with a n iron. THank you !

      Reply
  10. Tuula @ Thrifty Rebel Vintage

    6th June 2016 at 6:18 pm

    Love how your pillows turned out Claire. The contrasting colours look fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing at Vintage Charm.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 8:10 pm

      Thank you !

      Reply
  11. Sheri Ann Richerson

    6th June 2016 at 5:46 pm

    I love this idea! Thanks so much for sharing! Those pillows are adorable!

    Sheri Ann

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 8:10 pm

      Thank you very much.

      Reply
  12. Laura - The No Pressure Life

    6th June 2016 at 4:37 pm

    What a fun idea! Your pillows look so pretty. I didn’t know about the vinegar/water trick – great tip!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 8:10 pm

      Thank you !

      Reply
  13. LydiaF

    6th June 2016 at 2:53 pm

    Claire I love how pretty your project turned out. I will definitely keep the doily stencil idea in mind. Wouldn’t it be great on a little tote bag, too? Thanks for linking with us at Creatively Crafty #ccbg Hope to see you again! 🙂

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 4:15 pm

      Yes it would look great on most things including a tote bag. Thank you !

      Reply
  14. Wynn

    6th June 2016 at 1:42 pm

    These are very very pretty. Lve the contrasting colours you’ve used. Have you tried washing them .I just wondered how they would stand up to hand washing. Awesome idea and thank you for sharing. Wynn x

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 1:58 pm

      I haven’t washed them yet, but accidently left them out in the rain the other day and they were fine. They should be ok on low temp easy wash. I have used acrylics on other fabrics and they are still going strong. The heat sealing process with the iron helps.

      Reply
  15. Carol@blueskykitchen

    6th June 2016 at 2:39 am

    Claire, what a pretty and creative idea. Using doilies? Would have never have thought of that. So many colors, so many possibilities to try.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 6:16 am

      Thank you ! Yes I want to make some more in different colours.

      Reply
  16. Charlene Asay

    6th June 2016 at 1:20 am

    I am so glad that you linked up at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party this week. These look great!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 6:17 am

      Thank you !

      Reply
  17. creativejewishmom/sara

    5th June 2016 at 9:50 pm

    Gorgeous, I’m so inspired! Thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2016 at 6:20 am

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  18. Katherines Corner

    5th June 2016 at 6:40 pm

    they look lovely. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things link Party, Pinned xo

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      5th June 2016 at 6:57 pm

      Thank you and thanks for the pin.

      Reply
  19. Beverly

    5th June 2016 at 2:02 pm

    I love these pillows. I have so many doilies and I have some paper ones to try this. The end result is awesome.
    Thanks for the idea,
    Bev

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      5th June 2016 at 4:57 pm

      Thank you ! Glad to have sparked an idea.

      Reply
  20. Elsie Pop

    5th June 2016 at 7:15 am

    Wow, these are beautiful – what a simple but effective idea! xx

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      5th June 2016 at 1:28 pm

      Thank you ! yes they are so simple.

      Reply
  21. Vasudha S

    4th June 2016 at 4:52 pm

    This is so awesome. The outcome is so simple yet elegant.. You make it sound so simple.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 5:15 pm

      Thank you !

      Reply
  22. Sue Nelson

    4th June 2016 at 2:47 pm

    I loved this idea and how it turned out. I have started to redo my bathroom, and everything is done in white and a teal color. I made a cute bathroom shelf using an old house shutter and I put white porcelain brackets on it, and white porcelain hooks for towels. However, I used a chalk paint. Now I need a new shower curtain but the only way to match the color is to use that same chalk paint. So I was wondering, if I buy a fabric shower curtain, would I be able to do this same stencil ing technique using chalk paint? Would I still be able to seal it using a hot iron? I hope to hear back from you soon as I’d love to get started on it and finish my bathroom. Thank you for your great ideas!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 4:00 pm

      I’m not sure about the chalk paint, but it’s worth trying it out first on an old piece of fabric. I have seen lots of tutorials on like for painting fabric with chalk paint so it may be worth googling it to see if you need to set it or how they do it.

      Reply
  23. Pam

    4th June 2016 at 1:35 pm

    These turned out so pretty! I’d never heard that technique for setting acrylic paint. Can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing at the Creatively Crafty link party.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 3:57 pm

      Thank you ! I’ve seen it in several different places online but can’t remember where I first saw it.

      Reply
  24. Lynn

    4th June 2016 at 11:52 am

    Claire…these are fantastic. They look a little Indian Batik-ish. How fun. And I love that you used your doily stash! Those pillows will forever remind you the Diamond Jubilee now, which is really neat. Thanks for sharing your creativity with the rest of us.
    Wishing you a lovely weekend.
    Hugs, Lynn

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 3:58 pm

      Thank you very much !

      Reply
  25. Barbara Viney

    4th June 2016 at 8:47 am

    I love them, can you do some blue and white for me please.
    I have the cushion but won’t be able to get the paint here.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 10:09 am

      Thank you ! I’ll see what I can do.

      Reply
  26. Elina

    4th June 2016 at 6:36 am

    So simple and what a difference it makes!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 7:52 am

      Thank you, yes very simple.

      Reply
  27. Laura

    4th June 2016 at 1:00 am

    What a pretty project and the final product is lovely.
    The colors of the pillows you chose are perfect.
    Thank you for being at TOHOT.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th June 2016 at 7:49 am

      Thank you ! I kind of have a blue thing going on outside.

      Reply
  28. Kim Sharman

    3rd June 2016 at 8:16 pm

    As one who loves doilies I love this idea. =) Your cushions look very cool. I love the contrast. Just visiting your lovely blog via Sweet Inspiration.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      3rd June 2016 at 9:08 pm

      Thank you very much. I love the contrasting colours too ! I think I will try some other colour combinations.

      Reply
  29. Pam @Threading My Way

    3rd June 2016 at 11:42 am

    So, so effective, Claire! Love your cushions.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      3rd June 2016 at 11:55 am

      Thank you very much !

      Reply
  30. Mary Anne Komar

    2nd June 2016 at 10:40 pm

    Wow the ideas are endless! Beautiful project, maybe tablecloths, quilts, knapkins, even clothing! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      3rd June 2016 at 6:17 am

      Thank you ! Yes I keep on looking at things now and thinking would they look good with a doily stencil on them.

      Reply
  31. Nadia

    2nd June 2016 at 9:49 pm

    Oh how lovely….! I’m definitely going to do this as I’ve already got some doilies…..just need to pick up some acrylic paint when I go to the shops later on…. 🙂

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      3rd June 2016 at 6:18 am

      Thank you ! Acrylic or fabric paint will do !

      Reply
  32. Jemma

    2nd June 2016 at 7:00 pm

    This is such a fun and cute project-turned out wonderful too!
    Thank you for sharing this with us at TOHOT!
    Jemma

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      2nd June 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you.

      Reply
  33. Carol

    2nd June 2016 at 3:37 pm

    Just my style, sweet and simple.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      2nd June 2016 at 5:32 pm

      Thank you ! Yes so simple.

      Reply
  34. Ilka

    2nd June 2016 at 12:45 pm

    I really love this craft idea for your pillows! The doily stencils makes these pillows so pretty! Pinning!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      2nd June 2016 at 5:33 pm

      Thank you ! & so simple to do as well.

      Reply
  35. Sarah @ Sarah's Heart Writes

    1st June 2016 at 10:17 pm

    What a great little project – and so effective. I’m definitely going to give this one a try xx

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      2nd June 2016 at 6:11 am

      Thank you ! It is great fun, 8 keep eyeing up other things round the house to see what else I can stencil.

      Reply

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