Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Stencil A Pillowcase

This is a heartwarming story featuring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow about getting crafty with a pillowcase, some fabric paint, and a metal grate, hence that pun-tastic title.

Grate Art4

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have one or two extra pillowcases around. We only have one set of sheets per bed, but I think since I buy two extra pillows for every bed (and therefore need extra pillowcases) I must see them on sale and grab them without making sure I really need them (hence the over-abundance). Really, it’s sort of a mystery to me since I’m the girl who won’t buy tomato sauce or toothpaste unless I’m sure I’m out, but maybe in another life I was short a pillowcase and it ruined my day so now I hoard them. Truly, it’s weird.

But anyway, I had this extra pillowcase so I thought it would be fun to use it as spare fabric and get a little crafty. And thus this project was born. First I taped it off in a rectangular shape using painter’s tape to hold the fabric taut. Oh and I slipped a piece of cardboard inside the pillowcase to keep it from bleeding or sticking together before taping it down.

Pillowcase1

Then I taped this cute metal grate over it that I picked up at Home Depot for $9, which I immediately looked at and my brain said “um – STENCIL!” At first I debated doing this on paper to make some frame-able art, so you can go that route too, but then I thought using fabric paint on a pillowcase and stitching that up to make an easy little bolster could be fun, so I veered that way at the fork in the road that is Craft Street.

Pillowcase2

I raided my supply drawer for some Martha Stewart craft paints (they say right on the label that they work on fabric – and they’re only a few bucks a pop so I grab them in colors that I like whenever I see them on sale). I also had these stencil brushes (the ones in the blue package) in my craft basket after using a coupon to get them almost free a little while back from Michaels, so I was happy to finally put them to good use. All told, the only thing I bought for this project was the $9 grate, but if you had to pick up the paint and the brushes and the grate it would probably be around $20 as long as you have some fabric on hand. The good thing is that the grate is reusable, so you could make a few pillows or even a table runner and matching napkins and then make some art/stationery/gift tags with it. Oh man, now I’m thinking about the holiday-gift potential…

Pillowcase3

Next it was stamping time. I tried not to load my brush up too much (I worried from the start that things could bleed under the grate – and thick paint applications can make fabric crunchy) so I dabbed it on a paper towel a few times to get rid of excess paint before tap-tap-tapping my way around the grate. I tried to do sections of colors in sort of an irregular wave shape, just so nothing looked like obvious stripes and dots, but had more of a sand-art feeling. Oh yeah, who remembers sand art?

Pillowcase5

Occasionally I blended stuff using a bunch of extra dabs. This is what the blue did on top of the yellow after some extra pats in that area (see how it mixed to create sort of a yellow to green to blue gradient there?).

Pillowcase6

In other places I went with less of a blended edge and more of a defined color-meets-another-color border. It was fun and loosey-goosey and the whole thing probably took me around twenty minutes.

Pillowcase7

I waited a little while to remove the grate (maybe an hour?) just because I worried I’d shift it slightly while ripping off the tape and smear the whole thing. When it dried and I finally removed it… welp, there was some bleeding in a few areas. At first I was sad, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked the varied/imperfect pattern. It almost reminded me of constellations.

Grate Art5

I think if you were going for a perfectly clean-lined look at home, using some stencil adhesive to stick the grate to the paper/fabric might result in a crisper edge, and using even less paint on your brush (and just dabbing it suuuper lightly) would probably cut down on the bleeding issue as well.

Grate Art4

But in the end, I’m calling those imperfections a happy accident. Sort of like how you pay the big bucks for those hand stamped block printed fabrics that are cool and irregular… but that’s the charm. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Grate Art6

Update: For those asking if this is washable, someone commented to say they had luck washing fabric that they painted with the same Martha Stewart product by following the directions on the container, so it looks like it can work! I’d just read the label first to find out what you’re dealing with if you plan to wash the item often (like cloth napkins for example) because other fabric paints might have simpler instructions.

Heck, I also think the grate is pretty great art itself. So you could always just paint the grate and not worry about any bleeding under it and then use a metal snip to cut it to fit a frame.

Grate Art

And now that I’ve mentioned the potential for reusing the grate, I’m kind of excited at the idea of a homemade runner or a matching set of napkins. Anyone else planning to try their hand at some grate creations? Will Ethan Hawke be invited? Will Gwyneth Paltrow bring the crudités?

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Comments

  1. MC says

    i LOVE this. love it. i’m moving into my first place with the boyfriend this weekend, and this would be a really good decor project for once we are settled. thanks for doing something without spray paint – i can’t use it since we won’t have a balcony/backyard so it’s nice to see other apartment-friendly options.

    Reply

  2. Heather says

    Love the pillow. When i first saw it I wondered how you got it to bleed like that cause i liked it so much. Don’t think it’s an irregularity!! Looks awesome!

    Reply

  3. MH Toth says

    I think it’s interesting that the design mimics your site’s wallpaper.

    I also immediately recognized the material as I just made an earring holder with a piece of grate following this example: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/02/iheart-valentines-day-and-easy-diy.html#

    (and she used the exact same design as you did), so maybe when you’re done painting with it, you can use it to hang jewelry.

    I added a few s hooks to my jewelry organizer so I can also hang necklaces.

    Reply

  4. Valentina says

    Sherry, I just saw this on One Kings Lane:
    https://www.onekingslane.com/product/27506/1644428
    and, inexplicably, it reminded me of your grate stencil project. I know, the pattern isn’t the same and the colors are also different, but somehow, in my head, these things have a connection. Ideas like this stir up a whole whirlpool of creativity in my mind. It’s almost overwhelming. Thank you!

    Reply

  5. Robin says

    Wow!! I totally love this project!! I may give it a whirl for Christmas gifts!

    Also there are WAY better remakes of Great Expectations. Just sayin. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ohhh but Robbie De Niro is just such a boss. Ah, memories of sobbing while watching it in my room at my dad’s house (cue him walking in and saying “are you watching that movie and crying AGAIN?!”).

      xo
      s

  7. WendyMI says

    Oh man! I’ve stared at those grates every time I’ve gone into Home Depot because I just think they’re so cool, but can never decide on the spot what I’d do with them.

    Such a cute pillow… love it! And your happy accidents look fabulous and just give it dimension. They don’t look like bleeds at all.

    Reply

  10. Mystical Male Reader says

    Wowzers. This is so so cool. It reminded me of a heat map before you took the grate off, which is cool since I like maps, and the pillow looks amazing. I think the imperfections and bleeding are part of what make it so cool. Way to go!

    Reply

  12. Jenn says

    I bought that same exact sheet metal the other weekend! I was redoing our AC intake with the fun patterned metal (got the idea from another blog, but don’t remember which one now), and I was thinking about what I could do with the scrap pieces I trimmed away to make it fit. Now I know! :) New artwork for the walls. Gonna stencil some canvases using your approach. Thanks, Sherri!

    Reply

  14. MonW says

    I could see this with one color of paint + grate + non-white pillowcases for more of the high-end designer look. :)

    Or just a single paint color + white cases/fabric for some interesting couch pillows. hmmmmmmmmmm I predict a detour in the grate section at the hardware store in my future.

    Were you aware of this craft last year?:
    http://www.familycircle.com/home/crafts/projects/lanterns/
    Would give you another option besides framing the grate.

    Reply

  16. ashley jensen says

    I saw metal grates like this at Hobby Lobby and immediately thought to do the same thing!! I would totally use their 40% off coupon! Heck even just frameing them or something. I think the picture on the package showed candle holders or to spruce up heating and air conditioning floor/wall vents!

    Reply

  17. Stevie says

    I love this! I actually was surprised it was stenciled because I looked at the picture first and thought it looked like a professional design with perfectly added imperfections for character. :) It’s so bright and cheerful and does indeed look like constellations. Now I kinda want to try my own sort of fabric stenciling, so thanks extra for that. :D

    Reply

  18. Emily R. says

    Oh my gosh, this is BEAUTIFUL! I’ve never seen anything like this before, and I’m definitely going to make some for our bedroom. Thank you for this great idea! :)

    Reply

  20. Meghan says

    In which department did you find the grate? I went into my local HD looking for this grate last week and they looked at me like I had 3 heads…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry! Ours was sort of near the mailboxes and mailbox numbers. It’s a heating grate I think, so asking for a metal heat register might get you to the right aisle.

      xo
      s

    • MonW says

      Ask the nice people for a “radiator grate”. You might get shuffled to the “knower of all things” in that store, but it’s worth it. They come in different patterns and sizes and metal finishes.

  21. Tara says

    I used the same radiator cover, spray painted it white and trimmed to fit into a frame. I hung it above my vanity and I hand dangly earrings on it.

    Reply

  22. Kay says

    That is AMAZING! I’m in awe of your talents and feel like bowing to you, ala Wayne and Garth. We’re not worthy!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      What?! We’re not worthy of you guys. You’re always so sweet, even when we’re painting heating grates and making lights out of clothespins. Haha!

      xo
      s

  23. Kimberly says

    I recognize those grates! We have them on all the radiator covers we built for our house. I see them everyday and never once thought stencil… but that is such a cool idea!

    Reply

  26. Aimee says

    I found a cool project using one of those grates on a blog once and I did. I took an old picture frame without glass and spray painted it a nice matt silver then I cut the grate to fit the frame. Next I spray painted the grate black, put it in the frame and hung it on my bathroom wall to hang my earrings on. It’s so convenient and my earrings are not cluttering up and space now. I also took a really huge old frame that was matt silver (hence why I spray painted the other one silver), covered a foam board with black fabric with a subtle white pattern and put it in the frame. Then I collected a bunch of old drawer pulls (some basic ones from Target and some extra pretty ones from Anthropology and World Market) and attached them to the board and hung it on my bathroom wall also. I use that to hang my necklaces (I have a bit of a necklace obsession).

    Reply

  28. Danielle Gambrell says

    I love this! Maybe a gold metallic paint over a black table runner! Fancy fancy!

    On another note– I had a green paint mishap that reminded me of your bathroom cabinet Kermit situation! We have a yellow house and wanted to paint the shutters a light green that complimented it. It turned out way to minty/easter-eggy/nursery and made for a south Florida beach look! Seeing as how we live in middle Tennessee we just picked up a new shade today. Behr Green Amazons–cross your fingers that it works! :)

    Reply

  29. Carey-Jane says

    I love this!! May have to go out and buy an extra pillowcase and grate just to try it:)
    I think everybody has something that buy way too much of…mine is Mayonaise. We rarely ever use it but for some reason the second I walk down that aisle at the grocery store I’m thinking “mayo! we’re for sure out of that” and then get home to realize that nope, not even close to being out and into the cupboard it goes to join the other 4 bottles:)

    Reply

  30. Heather D says

    I hung a grate just like that on my bedroom wall and use it to display my earrings and jewelry. I use Xmas ornament hooks to hold up the necklaces. Love the idea of using it as a stencil too! Gotta love repurposing these household finds :)

    Reply

  32. katie says

    I just bought this type of grate and cut it to fit an empty frame to hang pictures on. Since is matches you could use it in the frame and clip pictures to it, OR buy little s hooks to hang jewelry for a jewelry display!

    Reply

  34. Erin {Home Everyday} says

    DUDE! This is so awesome. I always stop by the little display of grates at Home Depot and think, “I bet there are other uses for those.” SHABAM! These are great! Thanks for the tips, you know I always love a good craft.

    Reply

  36. Kristen says

    I think I speak for everyone when I say – I wish there were two posts every day (or more… ;) haha). Every afternoon I keep coming back with my fingers crossed! You guys could write a post about going grocery shopping and I’d be excited to read it. Hahaha. So excited to see your new tiled floor!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Kristen, you’re so sweet! For the past year or so our schedule has been two posts on Mon, two on Wed, and one of Tues, Thurs, and Fri, but there are also two posts a week on Young House Life most weeks, and Forums to poke around in if you’re bored. Haha!

      xo
      s

  37. Dee says

    Sherry ,love what you did with pillow case , can u suggest some cool colors to make these covers to match with black and white duvet covers ? I’m stumped in the color matching area right now …

    Reply

  40. Julie says

    I love how that turned out. I think the parts where the paint went under the grate (or whatever it did) to smear together looks great.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Someone commented to say they had luck washing fabric that they painted with the same Martha Stewart product by following the directions on the container, so it looks like it can work! I’d just read the label first to find out what you’re dealing with if you plan to wash the item often (like cloth napkins for example) because other fabric paints might have simpler instructions.

      xo
      s

  44. Jessica says

    LOVE this! I splurged on a pottery barn quilt for my daughters room but didn’t buy the accompanying shams. Ever since I’ve been looking for some pretty pink pillows to decorate the bed…but they are always so expensive (who wants to spend 40 dollars on a decorative pillow for a 5 year olds bed?). I can’t wait to try this with stencil that will complement the bedspread! As always, thanks for the great idea!

    Reply

  46. Meredith says

    I may have missed this, but was there a barrier in the pillow to prevent bleeding and the case drying together? If so, how did you prevent bumps and keep the smooth service? Also, when did you pull out the barrier so it was not dried inside the pillow?

    Thanks

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sorry I forgot to mention that! I used a piece of cardboard between the pillowcase to keep it from bleeding or sticking together! Will update the post with that!

      xo
      s

  48. Sarah says

    I really love the way the colors ended up bleeding under the stencil! It reminds me of Spritz cookies, since I always tye dye the dough.

    Reply

  50. julie says

    Wow! That turned out super cute. I have that exact same grate and planned on framing it to hang earrings on. Using it as a stencil is a really fun idea, I didn’t even think of that.

    Reply

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