How to Make Damask

Damask is a pattern that can be woven into fabric, hammered into steel or stenciled onto almost any surface, from the parlor wall to the icing on a cake. This intricate, endlessly-repeating decoration derives its name from hard steel weapons produced in the Middle East -- possibly in the ancient city-state of Damascus, in what is now Syria -- starting about 500 A.D. by forging multiple layers of steel together. Each layer had a different hardness because it contained different impurities, and when the layers were hammered into one, the finished blade showed a squiggly pattern in two tones of the metal: light and dark.

Damask stencil
Paint (2 colors or textures)
Stencil brush
Blue painter's tape
Airbrush
Food color
Plaster
Small trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Select a damask pattern stencil or create your own pattern and have a stencil custom cut. Stencils are usually made from polyester film of various thicknesses, depending on how flexible and durable they need to be for a particular project. The pattern may be a single medallion that stands alone or a continuous pattern that requires relocating the same stencil multiple times so that each block connects with others on all sides to cover the entire surface with the design.
- 2
  Prepare the background. This may be cake icing, paper, fabric (including needlepoint canvas) or any other surface you want to damask. Paint or dye it the color you want it to be and allow it to dry.
- 3
  Apply the stencil to the surface and secure it with painter's tape. This special tape will not damage a painted surface when it is pulled off.
- 4
  Apply the second color or texture over the stencil. Use a stencil brush or airbrush with paint, an airbrush with food coloring or a small trowel with plaster. Allow this layer to dry.
- 5
  Remove the stencil carefully, move it to a new location and repeat the process until the desired effect is created.

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