Thanksgiving with Preval
If you’re a fan of our YouTube channel, you might have seen our latest episode of Maker’s Minute, where we showed you how to create a table runner without any sewing involved. But for those of you who prefer a classic, written presentation, we outlined the steps below.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- A Preval Spray System
- Assorted acrylic craft paints
- A funnel and water
YOU’LL ALSO NEED
- Paintbrush
- Paint pallet
- Paper towels
- An assortment of Fall leaves
- Cardstock
- Self-healing mat
- Craft scissors
- Pencil
- Exacto knife
- Fabric glue
- Painter’s tape
- Raw canvas fabric cut to your desired dimensions
LET’S GET STARTED
Add a few dabs of color to your pallet, and wet your brush to thin the paint. The goal here is to create a background for your leaf patterns with a light layer of color. Continue adding washes of color to paint the entire length of canvas.
If you add too much pigment, simply dab more water onto the canvas and sop it up with a paper towel. This creates some pretty interesting water color effects that add unique character to the overall look. There are no mistakes here. Have fun with it and make it your own. While the paint dries, let’s get started making those stencils.
You’ll need a few leaves, cardstock, a pencil and cutting tools.
Trace a leaf pattern onto your cardstock, pressing the edges of the leaf onto the paper as you go. For a more interesting table runner design, trace different sizes and shapes of leaves.
When you’re done, use an exacto knife to cut along the lines of your drawings, and then use your scissors to refine the cuts. You’ll end up with a positive and a negative cut. We’ll use the negatives for this project. Set these aside for later.
USING THE PREVAL SPRAY SYSTEM
Fill the glass base of the Preval Sprayer jar with 1 ounce of paint. Then, add 2 ounces of water. You won’t need measurement cups here, the container has handy measurement markings on it.
Cap the jar and shake the mixture. Then, attach the aerosol spray can and you’re ready to spray.
But first, let’s get back to that canvas fabric.
Arrange your stencils on the canvas. Play around with various angles, shapes and sizes to create a pattern you like. Then, tape the stencils in place.
To avoid overspray marks on your fabric, lay pieces of paper over the area, and then spray an even coat of paint. Carefully peel the stencil back to see the results.
Keep working like this, alternating the colors of the leaves.
When you’re done, leave the edges of the canvas raw, or use fabric glue and painters tape to fuse the edges for a more polished look.
Let the glue dry for 2 to 4 hours before peeling the tape back and displaying it at your holiday dinner table.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully made the classiest, craftiest runner of any of the Thanksgivings you might have been to.
Don’t forget to follow our channel for other great ideas in our series, and be sure to look through our blog for other useful guides for your spraying applications.
