After deciding to paint the backs of the entertainment center yellow, I decided to add pops of yellow in the living room to tie everything together. My first focus, pillows. Redesigning the blog inspired a pattern. Flipped and repeating arrows.
Of course, I had to make the design. In Photoshop, I altered the background design for a more suitable stencil. Enlarging, beefing up the lines and shortening the overall design gave me a good base.
I opened a new page, copied, pasted, and rotated the arrow design 45 degrees. To make a repeating design, I duplicated my arrow layer and flipped it horizontally. When I like the placement, I merged my two arrows together and duplicated that layer, this time flipping the design vertically to make this design:
Printing to plain paper gave me my template. I had transparency sheets on hand, but you can pick up a package at an office supply store. Taping the template to the underside of my clear sheet made cutting a crisp design quick and easy.
Once I finished cutting my stencil, I gathered my fabric supplies; yellow duck cloth, fabric paint, a foam brush, paint tray, and my new stencil.
I’d suggest marking both the center of your fabric and the center of the stencil. Making reference points for a repeating pattern would be a good idea, too. Eyeballing this design wasn’t difficult, but a more intricate design might be. So, remember that when making a stencil. Then, starting at the center, I worked my way toward the edges.
Fortunately, the fabric paint dried quickly, but I did cut the edges of my stencil to make overlapping easy.
After the paint completely dried (about 20 minutes later) I cut two pieces of yellow fabric to make an envelope closure style pillow. Now we’ve got a completely custom pillow on the couch.
Time to start thinking about curtains, but that could be an entirely different post. So many options, so little time. What have you stenciled recently? Walls? Pillows? Maybe you’ve been sewing? Whatcha making? Or are you starting curtain planning? Let’s discuss.
ourhumbleabodeblog.com 
Wow! What a great idea- I love the end result. So much fun!! I did some pillow sewing over the weekend- plus some curtain planning (I like to have 5 million projects going on at once, keeps things interesting, right??)
http://davenportdiy.blogspot.com/2012/07/adding-some-color.html
This just looks so awesome! I absolutely love it. I am so intimidated by photoshop 😦 I love the design and it’s so cool that it’s a nod to your last name. You’re so talented!
Gorgeous! I’m thinking about stenciling the walls in my powder room but I don’t know that they’d turn out as great as your pillow did 🙂
Wow what a great way of adding something personal! I wish my last name lent itself to something stylish but yeah, not so much.
I can’t wait to make some pocket pillows though, they look so easy!
So cool and personal! I absolutely love it. I am gearing up to sew some pillows and completely forgot about the easy envelope style. Thanks for the reminder!!
super cute. i could even see selling those in your etsy shop!
Love it! Great idea for inexpensive curtains too!
Those are great! I do hope you list them in your etsy shop! Being a Seminole fan….those would make some awesome tailgating must haves!
The pillow turned out adorable! Great job!
Oh my gosh I am so impressed that you cut your own stencil. I don’t know if I’d ever be able to get straight cuts! The pillow looks great! I actually just stenciled my hallway (you can check out part 1 on my blog if you’re interested, and part 2 is coming later this week!) which was quite the task. But I bought that stencil, I didn’t make it! 🙂
That is so cool! I love that you incorporated the theme from your blog!
I love the pillows you made! They are so cute and cheery 🙂 Great job!
Loving the stencil! Looks great! 🙂
I third selling them in your etsy shop in yellow and orange. Really nice job!
Omg, LOVE your arrow pattern! That was some impressive stenciling, and your pillow is a beautiful punch of yellow. But I’m really taken with your arrow pattern in a smaller scale. (I should have clicked over from my rss reader before to see your background.) I could totally see having fabric printed via spoonflower to use as drapes or for who knows what around your house. Or my house — did I mention I love the arrow pattern?
Hi Erin!
Aw, I’m so glad you love it! I agree, the pattern looks great in a smaller scale, too. For stenciling purposes, I kept it larger, but if printing fabric, it would look awesome smaller. 🙂 Go ahead and use it if you like it that much.
Thanks!
Amanda
So, i’m a little late to this party, but I can’t express enough how much I love this pattern. I can’t wait to put something similar in my living room! Great job!