Design Magic for Paintstiks on Fabric is a new book by Shelly Stokes, author of the original Paintstiks on Fabric. This book goes beyond the application of paint – it gives the reader a 3-step process for creating a design, turning it into a pair of stencils and then adding the design to fabric in a repeating pattern. It’s a way to make personal prints that can be used for quilts, garments and any other projects you choose. Truly, it’s faster than fusing and easier than appliqué!

While the first part of the book is about making your own designs, the book also contains one set of Primrose DesignMagic™ stencils for those of you who want to jump straight to painting. (The blue tote in the photo was made with the Primrose stencils.) In case you’re wondering what to make with your special fabric, the book contains instructions for 5 projects from small (placemats) to medium (a lap quilt) to large (a queen-size spread). You simply decide how much fabric you want to paint!

The DesignMagic™ DesignPack is a tool for readers and for instructors teaching this concept. The DesignPack contains pre-cut and pre-printed templates that speed up the design process. With a DesignPack in hand, you’ll jump straight into the process with no need to spend time making templates.

We also have a number of DesignMagic™ pre-cut mylar stencils that can be purchased separately. These stencils can be used with any of the projects in the book. The stencils are sold in pairs. The main shapes are cut out from one stencil and the background is cut out from the other.

Alignment guides are etched into the stencils when they are manufactured. Between the alignment guides and the translucent blue stencil material, it’s a breeze to get the stencils lined up in the right place as you add images to your fabric.

Free Projects – Yes, FREE! Visit the Learning Center for additional projects you can make with the DesignMagic™ stencils.

Here is a quick peek at the Design Magic process. It’s not possible to show you the whole process in a couple of paragraphs, of course. For all the details and complete instructions, purchase your copy of Design Magic today.

Start with a square

The design process starts with a square of black (or dark) paper.

Cut shapes from the square

To make a design, you cut shapes from the square with a pair of scissors or an art knife (X-Acto knife). All shapes must start and end on a side of the square – it doesn’t work to cut shapes out tof the middle. And as you work, save all the shapes!

Arrange shapes on a Design Page

After the shapes are cut out, you need to arrange them on a Design Page. Note that the image in the left square is equal and opposite the image on the right.

Create a repeating pattern

Next, you make 5 copies of the design page, cut out the squares, and do a little cut and paste. This allows you to see your design in a repeating pattern.

Once you have the repeating pattern, you can evaluate the design and see where you might like to make changes before you make stencils. A comprehensive discussion on evaluating designs is included in the Design Magic book.

Transfer design to freezer paper

Now it’s time to make stencils. First you transfer the design to a freezer paper template.

Create a pair of stencils

Then you use a really slick process described in the book to cut an equal and opposite pair of stencils – and no, you don’t have to cut each one separately!

Paint images on fabric

And now you are ready to add beautiful paintstik images to your fabric. For all the details and instructions for 5 great projects, purchase your copy of Design Magic today!