mandala stenciled pillows

For some of you, stenciling may drag up memories from the past of timidly painted folk-art tulips on country curtains. But today’s stencils are anything but timid! I recently received two mandala stencils from Stencil Revolution, and after one afternoon of experimentation, I was hooked. Not only are these stencils incredibly easy to use (they lay evenly and no paint leaked beyond the edges), but the designs are so fresh and hip. And there’s NOTHING timid about these mandala stenciled pillows I whipped up in one afternoon with stencils, a drop-cloth and some fabric paints. 

It’s worth mentioning again that Stencil Revolution will be my new go-to place for stencils. They have a huge variety, from farmhouse designs to Moroccan tiles. Even some cool industrial designs. And you can order the perfect size for your project, as each stencil comes in multiple sizes. Check it out! 

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supplies needed

• Mandala stencil & Harmony Mandala stencil, each 15″ x 15″
• fabric paint, sponge brushes, cardboard
• drop-cloth remnant,  measuring approx. 24″ x 40″

step 1 – pre-wash the drop-cloth

As much as I wanted to skip this step (because I’m impatient to get to the fun part), I forced myself to do it. I pre-washed the drop-cloth remnants, and it did soften them immensely. Just throw them into the washer for a short cycle with detergent and one cup of white vinegar. Then iron them while still a bit damp. 

step 2 – prepare the stencil

Place a piece of cardboard behind the fabric to absorb any paint that leaks through. Next, place the stencil on top and tape down the edges.

step 3 – paint

I used two colors for the first pillow and alternated waves of pink and orange. I overlapped some of the cut-outs with both colors to create a more fluid design. I applied the paint by pouncing the sponge brush up and down, and it worked well.  Do not remove the stencil right away; allow it to dry for about 2 hours before removing it. You’ll be wowed by the finished design.

For the second pillow, I used 4 different paint colors (purple, blue, green & metallic gold), and once again I overlapped the colors.

step 4 – finishing touches

Now that your design has come alive, there are so many options… frame it? make it into a pillow? a tote? I decided to make pillows out of these designs, and you can find an easy tutorial for sewing a drop-cloth pillow here. If you prefer taking a short cut, there are lots of ready-made linen pillow covers on Amazon. You can also find good deals on pillow inserts. Either way, you’ll end up with some very cute boho throw pillows.

The biggest compliment is a little share – please pin the photo below!