How to Cut a Freezer Paper Stencil with Silhouette Cameo

Believe it or not freezer paper (yes, the same freezer paper you can get at the grocery store!) makes a great stencil material for stenciling designs on all sorts of projects like signs, shirts, doormats, and so much more. 

In this tutorial I'll share how to cut a freezer paper stencil with your Silhouette Cameo to make a custom doormat. 

How to Paint a Doormat with Freezer Paper Stencil [No Paint Bleed]

Looking for a cheap wait to make stencils and get perfect, crisp paint lines? 

Head to your kitchen because freezer paper is the secret!! Freezer cuts easily sticks well, but is not permanent making it a great material for stencils.

Let me show you exactly how to do this. 

Freezer Paper Stencil: Silhouette Tutorial for a No Bleed, No Fail Paint Stencil

There are many reasons for making a freezer paper stencil, but among the strongest would be that it's nearly fail and bleed-proof for painting.  Your Silhouette can cut a freezer paper stencil, just as it would any other stencil making a detailed painting job super easy.

Let me start off by saying, I have tried what feels like dozens of ways to stencil - from using an exacto knife to transferring images with wax paper and water to using newsprint and a pencil.   Each method is good in its own way and much of it depends on what you are trying to stencil and what your mediums are...wood, fabric, walls, etc.

A freezer paper stencil works best on fabric.  The reason is it can be ironed directly - and firmly - onto the fabric and will prevent paint from bleeding leaving you with a good clean, crisp paint line while stenciling onto fabric.  I have used this method for pillows and table runners and it is nearly fail-proof.

So you ready? Let's get started - DIY freezer paper stencils are super easy to make.  Cut a piece of freezer paper off the roll and trim it down to 8.5x11 or 12x12 (or smaller if your image isn't a full page size) depending on if you are using the Silhouette Cameo or Portrait.  I work with a portrait, but the method is the same.

Reusable Stencils for Painting Wood Signs: Silhouette Freezer Paper Hack

If you're a Silhouette crafter who makes a lot of wood sign stencils, wouldn't it be great to have an inexpensive way to make reusable stencils for painting wood signs?

Silhouette School monthly contributor Cat is here today to share how to make reusable Freezer Paper stencils that are perfect for creating signs. 

Genius Freezer Paper Hack for HTV Design Placement! (Silhouette Tutorial)

Well, don't you just love a Silhouette hack?! I know I do! This one puts freezer paper to genius use when lining up multi-color HTV designs.

Basically what you are going to do is cut the design on freezer paper first so you can iron it to your shirt and use it as a template to line up your HTV design accurately!  While today's hack has a few extra steps, it can really come in handy if you don't have a natural eye for alignment.

Freezer Paper and Paint Apparel (Silhouette Tutorial)

Let's talk today about how much I love freezer paper for stencils, shall we?! I'm not the only one who thinks this stuff is great.... Gabriella from The Single Yet Married Mom blog shares my love for freezer paper. She's here today to share a fun tutorial on how to use a freezer paper stencil to make custom t-shirt designs.

Hi! I'm Gabriella from The Single Yet Married Mom blog.  I have had my Silhouette Cameo since Christmas of this year, and I have to say - I am obsessed. From designing signs and nursery art, using it to address letters in fancy calligraphy, to even applying vinyl on fabric - this thing does it all; and I've yet to even really skim the waters with this awesome machine! I have been dying to get my sewing machine out and doing some fabric appliques, but I haven't gone out to get any new fabric in a while. What I do have lying around my house however, is a ton of acrylic paint. I really think I have 2 of literally every color that was available in Michael's! I also have a large amount of freezer paper on hand - so I thought, why not paint onto fabric? I really love the ease of vinyl, but sometimes a little diversity in my closet would be nice.

I decided that my first acrylic paint fabric artwork would be for my best friend's daughter. Not only does this momma LOVE the White Stripes (and maybe a slight obsession with Jack White), but her favorite song is Jolene. The White Stripes had a vinyl record released with an image of Meg White (at least, it REALLLLY looks like her) and the name "Jolene" in her hair. I decided that's what I would do on a baby onesie. EPIC.

Now, before you assume you'll need fancy Adobe Illustrator to do a nice trace of this image, you are so wrong! Here is a screen shot of a trace from Silhouette Studio.  If you need a refresher on tracing photos, check out this tutorial on Silhouette School.

Pretty awesome, right!

Now here's what you'll need to complete this project:

• Water Acrylic Paint color(s) of your choosing 
• Textile Medium (helps make the acrylic paint permanent on the onesie, and will give it a smooth make, so it won't crack after you've put it in the dryer and wash multiple times!) 
• Foam brush 
• Freezer paper 
• Iron Baby Onesie (pre-wash if you want, just don't use any fabric softeners) 
• Silhouette machine 

After you've traced your image, go ahead and cut it on freezer paper with your Silhouette. In Melissa's ebook, The Ultimate Silhouette Guide, she recommends cutting the freezer paper with the shiny side down with cut settings:  Blade: 1, Speed 3, Thickness 2.

Carefully weed the design. 

Make sure you read the instructions on your textile medium when mixing this with your acrylic paint. Mine says 2:1.

Place your cut out freezer paper stencil onto your fabric (shiny side down), and iron on your freezer paper. This allows the freezer paper to adhere to the clothing so you can be a bit messy with your paint, and it will help prevent bleeding.

You can also prevent a lot of bleeding by using a small quantity of paint at a time. Don't slather it on there. Patience is a virtue here!

Using a foam brush, dab your paint onto the fabric until you have reached your desired look. I would wait about 3 hours to make sure the paint has dried onto the fabric, and then you can peel off the freezer paper.

Again, slow and steady wins the race.

My fabric medium also suggests ironing over your new image (after you've peeled off your freezer paper stencil) for about 20 seconds. That's it! You have your awesome new design. Wear it around proudly :) 

That's it! You have your awesome new design.

Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School.  If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!

Get Silhouette School Tutorials
Delivered to Your Email:

5 Ways High Temperatue Tape Can Save a Silhouette CAMEO Project

There are a few crafting essentials that I think every Silhouette crafters should keep handy because they are just that useful! Among them: High Temperature Tape also called Thermal Tape or High Heat Tape.

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.

I honestly never realized just how useful a $5 roll of heat resistant tape could be until I got my hands on this high temp tape from Pro World and now I use it all.the.time.

Today I thought I'd share with you 5 different ways high heat tape can save a Silhouette project!

Freezer Paper Stencils for the Win! Painted Wood Sign Tutorial

If you haven't tried making freezer paper stencils yet, you're missing out especially when painting on fabric including shirts or burlap. 

Freezer paper is a cheap stencil material that can be easily cut with a Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait. It adhesive easily and removes without leaving any gunk behind! Read on for how tips on cutting freezer paper stencils for a sign! 

Advantages of Screen Printing with Silhouette and Vinyl (and book #9)

I've shared tutorials on the blog previously about how to screen print with Silhouette vinyl...but I get a lot of questions about "why would I screen print rather than use heat transfer vinyl or a freezer paper stencil." So today I thought I'd answer that question, because it is a good one!

I should start off by saying I love screen printing, freezer paper stencils and heat transfer vinyl, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages.  When screen printing with Silhouette you cut a vinyl stencil, place it on a screen and use a squeegee to push an even layer of paint over a screen and onto the surface below.  It's then set with heat.

5 Ways to Fake Handwritten Lettering with Silhouette CAMEO

There's more than one way to skin a cat - and there's more than one way to fake your handwriting thanks to the help of your Silhouette cutting machine.

Silhouette School monthly contributor Kati from Houseful of Handmade is here today to show you 5 different ways to fake handwritten lettering with Silhouette CAMEO!

DIY Kitchen Art Made Easy with Silhouette

Yesterday I shared a little secret on how to stretch your dollar in the Silhouette Online Store and today I'm going to show you exactly how I put one of those images I purchased (as part of a larger design) to use.  I recently made a set of Painted Burlap Kitchen Art and my Silhouette did all the heavy lifting.  Honestly, I don't think this project would have been possible without it - at least it wouldn't have been possible to complete the entire thing in about 30 minutes.

What I wanted to do was replace the existing art in three frames that I already had with the 'eat', a set of utensils, and a monogrammed mug.  The opening in each frame/mat measured 5 3/4" square so I cut three pieces of 6 x 6 burlap.  Click here for tips on cutting burlap perfectly straight and details on how to keep it from fraying.

Dingbat Font Flower Garden Flag (Free Studio Cut File)

In case you haven't noticed I've been happily doing outdoor projects recently - ahem, my vinyl window garage door makeover.   Today I'm going to share another outdoor project, this one not nearly as involved...or as much of a commitment.  I made this flower pot garden flag using nothing more than a scrap of burlap, a piece of freezer paper, a dingbat font and some paint.

Cutting Polymer Clay with Silhouette CAMEO or Curio: Step by Step for Beginners

Is there anything the Silhouette CAMEO or Curio can't do? I'm thrilled to share with you some tips on how to cut Polymer Clay with Silhouette Curio or CAMEO today.


 
Mags Bowman is an expert in this little niche and she's here today to share with you pretty much everything you need to get started using your Silhouette Curio or Cameo to cut polymer clay.

13 Way to Save Money on Silhouette Supplies

If your craft fund is running low or is getting a little too pricey, there are ways to save money on Silhouette supplies.  We all know crafting isn't exactly a cheap hobby - but it can be a cheaper one.  Just follow these 13 tips for saving money on Silhouette supplies.

How to Make Fabric Tassels with Silhouette CAMEO (Free Silhouette Cut File)

Tassels are a really hot trend right now that's why it's great that you can make fabric tassles with your Silhouette CAMEO!

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

I am so excited to have Jamie from Craft Chameleon on the blog today to show us just how to cut a three tiered tassel with Silhouette!

DIY Baby Blanket Tutorial with Silhouette CAMEO and Electric Heat Transfer Vinyl

I've been scratching my head recently trying to think of a unique baby boy gift for a friend's second baby.  I came across the baby month blankets that are gaining popularity right now - but still cool and different...and then the inspiration hit!  I love when I can take an idea and totally make it my own which is what I did with this Texas theme baby blanket!

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

My struggle with this project was the fact that while I had a whole set of this beautiful new (as in just released yesterday) Easyweed Electric Heat Transfer Vinyl from Expressions Vinyl...I only had 12x12" sheets in each color.  (Believe me you want all the colors - they're all stunning!  You can check out Expressions Vinyl's full selection of Siser Easyweed Electric HTV here.)

How to Cut Fabric on Silhouette CAMEO without Rotary Blade

You can cut fabric with any Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait machine - including those that can't use a Silhouette Rotary blade.

In a pinch you can use almost any NEW blade to cut fabric - in any machine.

Silhouette CAMEO Projects and Tutorials for Beginners: My Best Advice for Newbies (Updated Dec 2021)

If you're the new owner of a Silhouette CAMEO or Silhouette Portrait and are wondering where to start...you're in luck. Silhouette School Blog has more than 3,000 Silhouette CAMEO tutorials for beginners and lots of beginner projects for all of the Silhouette machines including the Silhouette CAMEO 4, CAMEO Plus and CAMEO Pro!

But don't do what a lot of new Silhouette users do when they get a Silhouette cutting machine and let it sit in the box (seriously more people than you'd believe do this!!) because they're too intimidated to use it. Instead, follow my best piece of advice for Silhouette CAMEO and Silhouette Portrait beginners.

No Sew Fabric Applique with Silhouette

I'm sitting back and enjoying the last day of Spring Break today while I hand over the blog to the lovely ladies from My Paper Craze. They've got an awesome tutorial today on how to do a no sew  applique.

Hi there! It's Becky and Glenna from My Paper Craze substituting in again today! We're so excited to be here and share with another great tutorial!

The best part about being crafty and having kids is getting to make stuff for them (especially girls!). I have spent a small fortune buying up those cute applique embroidery shirts, especially when the holidays come around or we would take a vacation. 

True, there is always HTV and man do I love that stuff, but for little girl's outfits, sometimes you just need a softer look. When I ran across new-sew fusible webbing, I knew I had hit the jackpot!

DIY Painted Owl Pillow Cover

I have some serious love for my Silhouette right now. I mean what's not to love about this adorable pillow cover.  I came up with the saying and immediately knew I had to find the perfect owl for it..would you believe the owl is actually part of a dingbat font and it's not an image graphic?