Fashion and Sewing Stencil: Couture Stencil Design From the Romantic Threads Collection by Stamperia

Are you hoping to incorporate fashion or sewing-themed images into any of your art or paper craft projects?

If so, Stamperia’s Couture stencil is just what you need.

This is a large stencil that’s useful for creating sizable projects; but if you want to use it on smaller projects, you can also do that by choosing a small portion of the stenciled image to reproduce.

For example, the dress form image on this stencil would be too large to use on a small project, but you could use just the button images, or just the spool of thread, in cases where you just want to stencil a small area.

Other Craft Supplies That Coordinate With This Stencil:

The Couture stencil is part of the Romantic Threads collection from the Italian manufacturer known as Stamperia.

At one time, this collection probably included a variety of other paper crafting supplies that were designed to coordinate with each other. At this point in time, the sewing-themed supplies from this collection are getting hard to find. Here in the USA, the stencil, the rice paper, the chipboard embellishments and the 12”x12” patterned papers are the only sewing-themed products from this collection that I’ve been able to find. However, if you’re located in Europe, if you look around at the craft stores in your area, you might be able to find other options besides the ones I’m aware of.

Ideas for the Kinds of Craft Projects You Can Make Using Stamperia ‘s Couture Stencil

The Couture stencil is suitable for use with many craft techniques. You can use it to make sewing-themed images to use in all of the following types of crafting activities:

• Junk journaling;
• Art journaling;
• Book binding and altered book projects;
• Collage or any other mixed media art;
• Scrapbooking;
• Card making;
• Bullet journaling;
• Planning and making planner layouts;
• Backgrounds for illustrations or paintings
• Or any other art or paper craft techniques you have in mind.

Suggestions for Stenciling Media to Use With the Couture Stencil:



Whichever media you use, this is a stencil that would benefit from an application of Pixie Spray or a similar repositionable adhesive before you use it.




(All the following stenciling media and Pixie Spray are sold separately from this stencil).




You can use this stencil with a variety of different media; the media you choose will depend on your budget and the effects you want to achieve. You might want to experiment with using any of the following types of media:

• Stencil Butter by the Crafter’s Workshop (The “Pearl White” and “Champagne Gold” colors of this product are pictured above, but there are many other colors you could use besides these two);





• Stamperia’s Mix Media Art Modeling Paste (pictured);





• Pops of Color by Scrapbook.com (not pictured);





• Ink: Tim Holtz’s Distress Oxide Ink is my favorite ink to use for stenciling, but you have zillions of inks to choose from.





• Acrylic paint; two brands of this are pictured, but you have zillions of other options besides these. See also: What paint to use with stencils.





• Graphite pencils (not pictured);





• Colored pencils (not pictured);





• Pens (not pictured);





• Markers (not pictured);





• Solar Paste by Simon Hurley for Ranger Industries (pictured);





• Lunar Paste by Simon Hurley for Ranger Industries (not pictured);





• Nuvo Embellishment Mousse (pictured);





• Distress Mica Spray by Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries (not pictured);





• More! You have lots of additional choices besides these, but these are my current favorites.





The above-mentioned media are ones you’d want to choose if you’re using this stencil to embellish paper, chipboard, cardboard or another similarly porous surface.

Using This Stencil to Embellish Non-Porous Surfaces Like Acrylic, Metal or Glass

If you want to embellish a non-porous surface like acrylic, you might be able to use this stencil to accomplish that, but it would take some skill to do, and you’d also need a different type of media than the ones mentioned above.




Appropriate media for this type of task would be ones that are specifically formulated for use on non-porous surfaces. So you’d want to try using a media like Sta-Zon ink, alcohol marker (like Copic or Altenew Artist markers), or alcohol ink. I haven’t tried using any of these with this stencil, and I’m not necessarily confident that I could achieve amazing results with these combinations of stencil and media – so, try it if you’re feeling optimistic that this could work for you, but be warned that your results with these combinations might not end up being amazing.




If you do decide to try this, please report back and let us know how it works out for you. We’d love to learn from your experiences. The floor is open for comments, so please share your insights in the comments area below.




The Verdict: I Recommend the Couture Stencil by Stamperia, WITH CAVEATS!

So far, my experiences with Stamperia’s Couture stencil have been partially positive but partially disappointing.




The Pros:




I think this stencil offers unique, versatile, useful and appealing imagery that you’ll really enjoy using. It is a lovely stencil design!




There are many possible ways to customize this imagery to personalize it and make it your style.




The stencil design is crisp and bold. If you use it carefully with appropriate media, you’re likely to get outstanding results with it the first few times you use it. Beyond that, you might have a hard time with it, depending on what you are doing.

The Cons:




This stencil is thin and not very sturdy.




Usually, I recommend cleaning up stencils immediately after use. Sometimes I even interrupt my own stenciling sessions to clean up my stencils, just to ensure that I won’t end up with messy stencils.




BUT!




In this case, the stencil is too delicate to reasonably expect that you’ll be able to clean it up more than a few times. If you’re able to be very gentle, and use a very light touch with your cleanup, it’s theoretically possible that it could be reused more than this.




But I think most artists are going to find that this stencil is good several uses, and then it will be too destroyed to continue using (because it is thin and delicate, and it would need to be sturdier to withstand repeated use and cleanup).




So if you buy this stencil, please do not buy it thinking that you’ll be able to reuse it indefinitely.




There are some Stamperia stencils that are thick and sturdy enough to be reused many times – but this is not one of them.




If you’re looking for truly sturdy stencils, I recommend checking out the stencils by Pinkfresh Studio, which are much sturdier than this one. I also recommend checking out Stamperia’s smaller stencils, which are typically thicker and sturdier than this one is. For example, Stamperia’s Little Dots stencil is thicker, sturdier and more easily reusable than this Couture stencil is.




So, in conclusion, I recommend this stencil if you’re in need of a fashion or sewing-themed design like this one, for just one use, or for just a few uses in extra special projects – BUT ONLY if it won’t be a deal breaker for you if the stencil isn’t extensively reusable beyond the initial project you need it for. In that case, I think you will be delighted with it.




But if you’re shopping for stencils because you’re hoping to find imagery you can repeatedly reuse in your art and craft projects, you shouldn’t buy this particular stencil, because you’re likely to be disappointed with it in that case.




So, keeping those caveats in mind, I’m delighted to recommend this stencil to other crafters.




Considering the limited reusability of the design, I think that it is on the expensive side. You can easily find other stencils that offer a better value for the money than this one does. Nevertheless, I think the image is unique and special enough that the higher price is warranted if it is exactly what you want for a specific, very special project that you have in mind.




I really love the design, and the project I made with mine is one of my all-time favorites. I personally found it to be a worthwhile purchase. I think it’s likely that you’ll enjoy using it, too.




Important Note: I am a real person, and this is an authentic product review. I paid full price for my Stamperia Couture stencil, and I think it was worth the price.

Where to Buy the Couture Stencil from the Romantic Threads Collection by Stamperia

• Click or tap here to shop for this stencil at A Cherry on Top Craft Shop.

How to Apply Your Stenciling Media to Your Paper (Or Other Surface) Through This Stencil

There are different tools you can use for applying stenciling media through your stencil.




If your media is relatively thick, stiff and sticky, I recommend using a spatula to apply it. You can get these in the kitchen department at most department stores, but the spatulas I like best are specifically engineered for use with mixed media art techniques. I happen to have this set of 2 spatulas by Nuvo, but there are many others like these that would work just as well.




It’s also possible to apply thick, stiff, sticky media in other ways – perhaps using a stipple brush, paintbrush, sponge brush, or ink blending tool. Be sure to proactively clean these up immediately after use, because if you don’t, this kind of media will absolutely ruin your brush or tool.




If your media is relatively thin and runny, like paint or ink, you have a zillion amazing options for applying it. One of my favorite methods is spraying it on; to accomplish this, get yourself a bunch of spray bottles and use a different spray bottle to use with each color.




You can experiment with layering spritzes of different colors through the same stencil, onto the same paper. This can result in either gorgeous, sophisticated projects (if you know what you’re doing), or it can make a colossally huge mess (if you haven’t yet figured out what you’re doing). So if you’re new to this, don’t get discouraged when you make a huge mess. If you keep experimenting long enough, you’ll figure this out.




And, of course, you can use Scrapbook.com’s ink blending tool to apply ink blends or other media through a stencil. I highly, highly recommend giving this a try, because the possibilities are endless, and you could spend the rest of your life having fun messing around with just that one technique. Seriously.

Check Out My Top Picks for Papers to Stencil On:

If you aren’t sure which paper you want to stencil on, I invite you to try my favorite paper to use with wet media, which is Strathmore’s Bristol Board.




This paper withstands spraying, stenciling, painting, inking, dyeing, and all kinds of other mixed media shenanigans. You don’t have to waste time priming it with gesso or primer to achieve outstanding results. It’s good to go as soon as you tear it out of the pad. I LOVE that stuff!!! If you don’t already have a favorite paper for stenciling on (or, even if you do!) I recommend trying it to see if you’ll like it.




If you don’t mind taking the time to apply gesso or primer to your paper, Neenah’s 110-lb Solar White cardstock is another fantastic choice. If you don’t already have gesso or primer in your craft supplies stash, you might also want to take a look at my top picks for primers, HERE.

Find More Sewing-Themed and Fashion-Themed Craft Supplies:

If you enjoy sewing or shopping for clothing, there are many other similar paper craft collections and related craft supplies you’re likely to LOVE. Take a look at some of the following suggestions for more sewing and fashion-themed craft supplies you could use with (or without) the Couture stencil:

• The Metropolitan Girl paper collection by Steven Duncan for Carta Bella — This paper collection has a charming nostalgic vibe, and features a jet-setting character who heads off to the world’s fashion centers to shop for designer clothing and accessories. The items from this collection focus more on fashion and shopping and not so much on sewing. The paper is colorful and slightly textured. I have this collection, LOVE it, and can highly recommend it.





• The Tailor Made Collection by Brutus Monroe — This is a collection consisting of stencils, stamps, dies and other paper craft supplies that all have a tailoring / sewing theme.

Find More Stencils and Stenciling Project Ideas:



• How to Use Stencils
• Best Bullet Journal Stencils
• Christmas Stencils
• Find more of my stencil recommendations HERE.

Over to You:

Have you tried using the Couture stencil from the Romantic Threads collection by Stamperia ? If so, how did you like using it? Which projects did you use it for, and how did they turn out? Let’s talk about it in the comments.




By Amy Solovay




About Your Product Reviewer: Amy Solovay is a content creator and educator who holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor; she has also earned a separate degree in textile design. Amy learned to stencil as a small child, and she still enjoys stenciling techniques all these years later. Beyond that, she enjoys introducing other crafters to the best new craft supplies, and she also loves helping crafters learn new techniques for making the most of the craft supplies they buy.




As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles.




Nowadays, Amy uses online platforms to teach digital courses to craft pattern designers, content creators and influencers all over the world. If you’re an artist, crafter or DIY enthusiast who is interested in earning income from your creative work, you’re invited to visit Crafterprise.com to learn more about monetizing the arts, craft(s) and / or DIY projects you do.




Thanks for visiting!




This page was last updated on 9-7-2024.