Stencil Samples Chart

As my stencil collection grew - even with just a dozen so far - it was getting harder to remember all the designs.  Also, when I use a stencil, I like to include its brand and name in my blog post, so I had saved the packaging.  It was confusing to flip through it all to find what I wanted.

That's why I made myself a Stencil Samples chart to show me what I have.  It has twelve 2-inch squares, printed on Neenah solar white card stock.  It's cut off at about 6 inches tall, to be stored with my stencils in a cut-down page protector in the (also cut down) stencil file folder in one of my plastic drawers.

My samples were all quickly stenciled - nothing precise or artistic - masked with a 2-inch circle "window" (easier than masking off each square) and using the same color ink.  I added a few notes as reminders on getting my best results with the different stencils.  There's an extra blank chart ready to go (stored back-to-back with my first chart in the page protector) for future stencil purchases.  And I was happy to discard all the packaging, excepting a few clear sleeves for the more delicate stencils. 

This little chart has been a great help for me.  If you'd like to try it, you can easily draw a grid for yourself, or create a table in your word processor to print.  Or, for a different approach, see this post by Lydia (Understand Blue) or this video by Jennifer McGuire.  The best idea is the one that works well for you, of course!