Blue Willow Stenciled Kaftan

I have to tell you, this has been a very difficult week. We celebrated the 3 year anniversary of our recovery program and it brought a wealth of mixed emotions for me. I am learning to deal with these emotions through crafting and writing. So at the moment, this blog is my saving grace!

I will tell you, the reason I purchased the Willow Pattern stencil in the first place was seeing a Kaftan made by Helen Morris. Her white Kaftan had a much better shape than mine, but this one served its purpose. It has kept me busy each evening this week. It is hard at the moment getting used to the quiet in the house after all of our kids have moved out. Not sure how well I like this empty nest thing.

Anyhow, let me tell you how I tackled this. First off this item is linen so it needed to be ironed. I will be the first one to tell you, I DO NOT iron! I was never good at getting the right settings, but I had no choice, I could not stencil something wrinkled!

So after a good ironing, I laid it across my dining room table. I lightly sprayed sheets of paper with adhesive spray to put in between the front and back of the Kaftan so the paint would not bleed through if I got it on heavier than I wanted. Helen Morris gave me this advise and it worked well. It kept the paint from going clear though the thin fabric.

Next I stenciled the bottom of the Kaftan. I used two different colors to give it depth, but you really don’t have to. I only used one color for the pattern I chose for the chest of the Kaftan. I probably could have chosen a different part of the pattern, but I think it turned out ok.

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I then waited until the following evening to do the back of the Kaftan. Then I followed the exact same process as I did with the front. Now, I could probably add something to the sleeves, but I really didn’t want it too busy. I think this little piece would look great as a beach cover up! Now to find a piece of furniture!!!!!!!

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I am finding the more I deal with folks struggling with drug addiction, I need some form of outlet and this keeps my mind quiet and focused. Plus the end result makes me smile.

Because so many of you have asked, the stencil I purchased came from The Stencil Library.

I am providing the website address below. There are so many on this page I would love!

https://www.stencil-library.com/

If you do decide to make a stenciled draft, let me know how it goes! I would love to see it.