A stencil is the frame, not the shape. Each panel on this sheet is a rounded card rectangle with the subject cut out of the middle as a hole, so what you keep is the card around it. Lay it down and draw, sponge or dab through the opening. Four subjects cycle through the sheet: a wreath ring, a five point star, a tree and a snowflake.
The wreath has bridges and they matter
A ring is the one shape that cannot be cut as a single hole, because the middle would be an island with nothing holding it. The wreath is cut instead as four crescents with four strips of card left between them, and those strips are what keep the centre attached.
The strips are the same width all the way along rather than narrowing towards the middle, so the thinnest part of each bridge is the same amount of paper whatever size the stencil is printed at. Cut the four crescents and leave the bridges and the stencil holds together.
Sizes and what is on each sheet
Medium is where it opens and puts two panels on the page, each about 110mm by 119mm: the wreath and the star. Small gives six panels at about 74mm by 80mm and brings in the tree and the snowflake as well. Large is one panel filling the sheet at 180mm by 194mm.
The snowflake is the most demanding cut of the four: six arms off a hexagonal hub, a pair of branches on each arm and an arrow tip. Print it at Large if a child is doing the cutting, or at Small as a set for an adult with a craft knife.
Using a paper stencil
Paper stencils work for pencil, chalk, a sponge and a stencil brush. They do not work well with anything wet, because the card cockles and the edge lifts. For paint, use the thickest card your printer will take and dab rather than brush.
On a window, tape the frame flat and dab with a sponge and white paint for a frosted look. Keep the stencil flat between uses, because a bent bridge is a snapped bridge.
Questions
- What shapes do the Christmas stencils come in?
- Four, cycling through the sheet: a wreath ring, a five point star, a Christmas tree and a snowflake. Which ones appear depends on the size setting, since that decides how many panels fit on a page.
- What are the gaps in the wreath ring for?
- They are bridges. A ring cut as one hole would drop its middle out, so the wreath is cut as four crescents with four strips of card left between them. Cut the crescents and leave the strips alone.
- How many stencils are on a sheet?
- Two at the medium setting it opens on, each about 110mm by 119mm. Small puts six panels on the page and large puts one, which is the easiest version for a child to cut out.
- Can I use them with paint?
- With care. Print on the heaviest card your printer takes, dab with a sponge or a stencil brush rather than brushing across, and keep the stencil flat afterwards. Anything wet will cockle a paper stencil.