A festive red apron stenciled with farmhouse style. If you are a regular reader then you know how I swoon over the color red. When I saw this solid red cotton apron at Homesense I couldn't resist buying two. One for the workshop and one for the kitchen.

I didn't care that they were a solid color because there is nothing boring about red. I display my kitchen aprons on hooks and while I love the pop of red, the apron felt like it needed a little something-something.

Stenciled Red Apron

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When Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils sent me a fabulous flour sack stencil along with some grain sack stencils, my thoughts immediately went to my new kitchen apron. The perfect combination to give my red apron some sweet farmhouse style.

Plus, I had some Christmas baking to do, so wearing a festive red apron made baking our traditional Swedish Pepparkaka Cookies that much better.

Even the Miniature Cranberry Loaves rose so much higher in the oven than they normally do. They must have sensed how much fun I was having wearing my sassy red apron while listening to a Christmas party playlist.

But I couldn't stop at just the apron. At the time we were doing kitchen renos (reveal coming soon) and I needed artwork to hang above the island. So I used the same stencils on the glass of an old sash window formerly in my home office.

You'll find a tutorial on how to stencil fabric along with some tips on how to stencil glass further down in the post.

These are the stencils I used and I've included a link to each under the photos.

Flour Stencil

And the three thin lines G2L stencil, second from the top. In the fall I used the first G1L grain sack stencil on a DIY Farmhouse Table Riser and I quite like that design too.

Grain Sack Stencil

Do I Have To Wash The Fabric First?

Yes, you want to prewash and iron the fabric before stenciling. Once the garment is completely dry, iron the wrinkles out of the cotton apron with the cotton heat and steam settings.

What Kind Of Paint Should I Use To Stencil Fabric?

You can use fabric paint or multi-surface paint to stencil on fabric. OR you can do what I did and use regular acrylic craft paint and fabric medium. Whatever paint you decide to use make sure you give the bottle a good shake first.

Mix one part fabric medium to two parts paint in a small jar or container and stir well.

What Type Of Brush Should I Use To Stencil Fabric?

You can use a stencil brush with either flat or round bristles, a foam pouncer, or even a wedge make-up sponge. My preference is a round tip stencil brush like pictured above.

How To Stencil Fabric

Fold the apron in half, as pictured below to find the center point of the apron. Mark the top, bottom, and middle of the apron with white chalk.

Line up the registration marks on the stencil with the center chalk marks you made earlier. Hold the stencil in place with either painter's tape or stencil adhesive spray. I'm not a fan of the adhesive residue left on the back of the stencils so my preference is using tape.

Dip the tips of the stencil brush into the fabric paint and dab the excess onto a paper towel. This is the most important step as it determines whether the paint bleeds under the stencil. The goal is to NOT have a wet brush.

Pro-Tip

Start stenciling in the open part of the stencil rather than along the edges. This way if there is any excess paint on the brush it will be offloaded away from the edges of the stencil where paint bleed is prone to happen.

The photo above is after one coat of paint. You may need 2-3 coats, especially when stenciling with white paint on a dark fabric like my red apron. Either move the brush in a swirling circular motion or an up and down pouncing motion. Are you a stencil swirler or pouncer?  I'm both, depending on the intricacy of the stencil.

Remove the stencil before the last coat of paint dries and allow the paint to air dry for 24 hours. When the flour stencil was finished I stenciled grain sack stripes horizontally across the pocket of the apron.

How Do I Wash The Stenciled Apron?

The stencil should air-dry for 24 hours and must be heat set before it is washed.

To do this set your iron to the cotton heat setting and dry heat (no steam). Place a piece of clean white cotton fabric (I use an old pillowcase) or parchment paper over the stencil. Iron for 10-15 seconds before moving to the next stenciled area. Wait at least 24 hours before washing the apron inside out in cold water.

How To Stencil Glass

It is not difficult to stencil glass and I've included some helpful tips below.

What Kind Of Paint Do I Need To Paint On Glass?

You can use enamel, glass, chalk, or acrylic craft paint to stencil on glass.

Pro-Tip

Instead of paint, stencil the glass with a clear coat of Mod Podge sealer first. This will help the paint bond to the glass better and you'll require fewer coats of paint.

• Before stenciling on the glass it should be cleaned first with either rubbing alcohol or vinegar and water.
• Stenciling on the backside of the glass will create some shadowing. I kind of like the shadow reflected on the wall behind the stencil but it's something to be aware of first.
• Position the stencil on the back of the glass backward (in reverse) and hold it in place with tape.
• If you paint on the front of the glass, the paint should be protected afterward with a clear coat so it doesn't come off with regular cleaning.
• Follow the same stencil steps mentioned in the fabric stencil tutorial earlier to prevent paint bleed. If you do get some paint bleed in some areas don't fret. Dip a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and carefully remove the paint.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by these stenciling tips. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed the stenciled farmhouse red apron or the stenciled window kitchen sign, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your stencil ideas or farmhouse decor board on Pinterest.