Quilting Stencils at Linda's Electric Quilters
Quilting stencils are pre-cut plastic templates used to mark quilting designs onto quilt tops before quilting — trace through the stencil openings with a chalk pencil, marking pen, or Pounce powder to transfer the design onto the fabric. Linda's carries a full range of stencils from The Stencil Company, the industry leader in quilting stencil design. Pounce powder itself is stocked with the longarm notions, and freehand design references in the Pam Clarke design books guide.
Straight Line Stencils
The most frequently used quilting stencils at Linda's are the straight-line guides — perfectly spaced parallel line stencils in multiple widths and lengths:
- 1" Straight Lines — 14" length (1890)
- 1" Straight Lines — 9" length (2291)
- 1.5" Straight Lines — 14" length (2189)
- 1.5" Straight Lines — 9" length (2379)
- 2.5" Straight Lines — 14" length (2190)
These stencils produce perfectly parallel straight-line quilting in the most common spacing intervals. Use them for crosshatch, diagonal grid, and parallel line backgrounds.
Design Stencils
Beyond straight lines, the Stencil Company catalog includes elaborate continuous-line quilting designs for blocks, borders, and sashing — feathers, wreaths, cables, medallion designs, and traditional motifs in sizes from 4" through 18".
Using Stencils with Pounce Powder
The classic stencil marking technique: hold the stencil firmly on the fabric, apply Pounce powder (available at Linda's) through the openings with a pounce pad, lift the stencil, and the powder design is on the fabric ready to quilt. For dark fabrics use white Pounce; for light fabrics use blue chalk Pounce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who uses stencils in the longarm era?
Everyone doing marked custom work — hand quilters, domestic-machine quilters, and longarmers marking block motifs that freehand or pantographs can't place precisely. A feathered wreath centred in twelve identical blocks is still a stencil job.
Does Pounce powder come out of the quilt?
Yes — chalk Pounce brushes and irons away, and the 'Ultimate' white formulations disappear with the iron's heat. Test on scrap with any marking method, and remove chalk before pressing rather than after, since heat can set some chalks.
Why buy a straight-line stencil instead of using a ruler?
Marking speed and repeatability — the stencil lays a whole field of parallel lines in one placement, keeping crosshatch spacing identical across a full quilt. Rulers draw one line at a time and drift; the stencil is the production tool.
