Question 1

How did Arabesque Stencils start?

Accepted Answer

Arabesque Stencils is a small family business started in 2020 by Diana and Darren Falkingham. We design, make, pack and send stencils from our home in South Yorkshire.

Arabesque Stencils started life in 2020, during the COVID lockdown, when many people began to explore hobbies and crafting as a pastime.

We wanted to find a stencil that could be used to decorate bottles and vases, while keeping your hands free to create. However, we felt that the options available on the market just weren't good enough. So, we decided to start making our own!
We have researched dozens of different materials, spending a lot of time and effort to find the very best stencil materials that can:

• deliver professional quality results
 • be cut accurately with intricate designs
 • be applied reliably to many different surfaces
 • be washed and reused over and over again

Question 2

What is special about Arabesque Stencils?

Accepted Answer

Arabesque Stencils are a range of reusable stencils designed for both hobbyists and professionals. We have three different types of stencil material:

• Pink high-adhesive: for strong surfaces like glass, tile, wood
 • Blue low-adhesive: for cardmaking and gentle surfaces like painted walls
 • White food safe non-adhesive: for use on foods, cakes, coffees and plates

Our stencils can be used in endless ways on your crafting projects, giving you a way to add intricate and beautiful designs where standard stencils fall short.

We have also added a small, carefully selected range of stencilling accessories, to enhance the quality of your stencilling result!

Question 3

What are the different stencil materials?

Accepted Answer

Arabesque Stencils are made from high-quality, durable materials that perform excellently in all the important areas.

They are all flexible, reusable, and easy to clean. They are strong enough to be reused again and again. They cut accurately, for intricate and beautiful designs. They are waterproof and can be used with a wide range of mediums.

We have spent a lot of time and effort researching and testing many different materials - and we now have three professional quality stencil material options in our range:

Pink high-adhesive

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• a vinyl stencil material with a special high-tack cling layer on the back
 • a clear plastic backing sheet provides waterproof protection for your stencil 
 • perfect for stronger surfaces such as glass, tile, slate, ceramics, brick, wood and more

Blue low-adhesive

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• a vinyl stencil material with a special low-tack cling layer on the back
 • a clear plastic backing sheet provides waterproof protection for your stencil
 • perfect for cardmaking and gentler surfaces like fabrics, painted walls, layering and more

White food safe non-adhesive

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• a food safe stencil material (PET) that is laser cut for clean, sharp and detailed designs
 • a super tough material that can be washed in soapy water over and over again  
 • perfect for decorating food, cakes, coffees and plates, or just when you don't need an adhesive stencil

Question 4

What are the different designs available?

Accepted Answer

Arabesque Stencils offers over 300 different designs, including fairytale scenes, floral motifs, home and garden stencils, animal illustrations, seamless background patterns, designs for special occasions, and so much more.

We introduce new designs regularly, adding as much variety as possible to cater for everyone's different tastes and project requirements.

We want our customers to find the perfect stencil for their needs - and if we don't have it in our range, why not talk to us about creating your own custom stencil?

Question 5

How to use self-adhesive stencils?

Accepted Answer

Every Arabesque Stencil is carefully packed with a detailed instruction sheet. We've repeated the information from that sheet here in this section, so that it's on hand whenever you need it:

How to use self-adhesive stencils (pink or blue vinyl material)

1. Clean and dry your workpiece ready for stencilling
- avoid using on loose or fragile surfaces... maybe consider our low-adhesive option for delicate surfaces
2. Remove your stencil from the bag and backing sheet
- keep the backing sheet and bag handy for washing and storing your stencil later
3. Apply your stencil to your workpiece
- take your time, apply slowly for no creases or bubbles
- our special vinyl lets you see where it’s not stuck down
- if you don’t get the position right first time, carefully peel away and reapply
4. Apply your media
- get the best results by gently building up the media
- apply media with a sponge, brush, or palette knife
- ensure a good covering, applying more as necessary
5. Carefully remove the stencil
- gently pull ‘up and away’, peeling from different directions to help remove intricate designs safely
- you can pop the stencil straight onto your bag or backing sheet, ready to wash
6. Wash the stencil in warm water and gently shake dry
- use a little washing up liquid if you really need to
- please DO NOT use hand soaps with glycerin or oils!
- some media will stain the stencil – that’s fine, as long as the cut edges of the design are clean
7. Rest the stencil on its waterproof backing
- allow the stencil to dry for a while, adhesive side up
- once dry, place adhesive side down on the backing sheet and store away

Question 6

How to use non-adhesive food safe stencils?

Accepted Answer

Every Arabesque Stencil is carefully packed with a detailed instruction sheet. We've repeated the information from that sheet here in this section, so that it's on hand whenever you need it:

How to use non-adhesive food safe stencils (white laser cut PET material)

1. Remove your stencil from the bag
- keep the bag handy for storing your stencil later
2. Always clean and dry your stencil before use
- for food use keep your stencil hygienically clean
- the laser cut PET material is extremely hard wearing and can be thoroughly washed many times
3. Apply your stencil to the surface to be decorated
- take your time to position and fix your stencil carefully
- on curved surfaces, food safe toothpicks can keep your stencil in place while applying decoration
4. Apply your decoration
- application methods can vary depending on the decoration being applied
- icings and pastes can be applied with a palette knife or spatula, food dyes with a dry brush and sponge, and loose decorations by sprinkling or shaking
5. Carefully remove the stencil
- remove any toothpicks (if used)
- on curved surfaces, the stencil will try to straighten itself and lift away from the surface - be ready!
- on flat surfaces, lift the stencil directly upwards using opposite corners, or peel carefully from one corner
6. Wash the stencil in hot soapy water and shake dry
- some food dyes will stain the stencil – that’s fine, as long as the stencil is always cleaned
7. Dry thoroughly and return to the bag
- you can pat dry with a clean paper kitchen towel
- once dry, return to the bag and reseal

Question 7

What stencilling tools and accessories should I use?

Accepted Answer

Essential tools will include stencil brushes, sponges, palette knives and spatulas, along with your choice of mediums (including paints, inks, pastes, gels, etching cream and more).

The right tools will help ensure the precise and clean application of your medium to the stencil design. Very often, we will use a combination of tools to achieve the best result - for example, a sponge to fill in larger areas followed by a fine stencilling brush for the edges and details.

Cleaning up is easy - we recommend only using water-based mediums with our self-adhesive stencils, as any solvent-based mediums will attack the adhesive layer (as solvents are meant to!). Just rinse your stencil and tools under warm running water, and that should be enough.

Question 8

What are the best stencilling techniques?

Accepted Answer

Some of the best stencilling techniques include using a stencil brush or sponge - often in combination - for an even application of your medium.

Ensure that the stencil is pressed down firmly to help prevent smudging, and always build up thinner mediums like paint and ink in lots of layers to avoid bleeding.

Practice and patience are key to achieving the best results.

Why not grab a cuppa and spend a few minutes reading Diana's blog post on 'How to Start Stencilling'?

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https://www.byarabesque.co.uk/post/how-to-start-stencilling (https://www.byarabesque.co.uk/post/how-to-start-stencilling)

Question 9

What are the things you can stencil onto?

Accepted Answer

Well, pretty much anything!

Arabesque Stencils can be used on a variety of surfaces, including glass, walls, furniture, mirrors, slate, tile, wood, fabric, card, canvas, paper... and so much more.

Our self-adhesive stencils with their innovative cling layer are great for keeping the design in place, freeing up your hands to concentrate on the stencilling process.

This versatility, combined with the endless creativity of our customers, constantly surprises us. Lanterns, shoes, artworks, brewery bottles, office partitions, mountain bikes... did you know our stencils were used in the Apple TV sci-fi series, Invasion?!

We never know what we'll see stencilled next.

Arabesque Stencils - Frequently Asked Questions