I have continued to develop the use of stencils with silk paints and Art Deco designs have proved to be an excellent way of using this technique. The stencil was cut with alternating segments of the "fan" motif. The background was painted and dried. Then the stencil was applied to the silk twice, in two different positions, using two different shades of colour. The spots were used to line up the second position.

I have been experimenting with the use of satin silk to see if I could retain the silky sheen that is usually lost when silk paints are used on habutai silk. I was very pleased with the result. The pale background colours retain the beautiful satin sheen. I used a stencil in two positions to produce this art deco design.

There are many interesting textured threads available and they can be used as a resist to create decorative effects. The 'eyelash' thread used for this effect was laid across the wet silk and pinned to the frame in straight lines.

I have been using builders' scrim for sometime to create decorative effects. But by distressing the strips of scrim before they are laid on wet silk this fascinating effect can be created using silk paints. The scrim has a coating of size which makes it cling to the wet silk during the painting and drying process.

By combing the strips of scrim before they are laid on wet silk this fascinating effect can be created using silk paints. The thicker lines that cross the design were produced by the gathered threads.

By twisting the strips of scrim before they are laid on wet silk a helix effect can be created using silk paints. The other feathery lines were created using threads and feathers.

This effect was created in the same way using a combination of distressed builders' scrim and 'eyelash' threads. The scrim overlapped the ends of some of the threads. It helped to hold the thread in place while the painted silk was dried with a hairdryer.