How to Decorate a Leaf-Design Curtain

Gather about five differently sized and shaped leaves from your backyard. Choose interesting-looking leaves that are fully intact.

Place each leaf on its own stencil sheet and trace around it with a pencil.

Create details in the leaf shape, such as veins, with the pencil. Keep in mind that these details must extend all the way to the edges of the leaf; details must not be free-floating inside the leaf outline.

Cut out the shapes of the leaves with the Exacto knife, cutting inward from the edges to include the details. Do this carefully, since vein details are often very thin and fragile.

Lay the cloth tarp onto a flat surface, ensuring that there are no wrinkles, and then lay the curtain on top of it. The tarp will protect the floor from any paint that leaks through the curtain.

Arrange the five stencils on the curtain and tape them down. Keep in mind that these stencils will be reused to fill the entire curtain with leaf designs.

Squeeze some fabric paint onto the palette. Mop up some paint with the sponge and lightly press over the stencil. Use small movements and light pressure, as heavy pressure can cause the paint to bleed. Repeat this step with all of the stencils, then arrange the stencils elsewhere on the curtain and repeat the steps until the curtain is covered with as many leaves as you want.

Let the curtain dry flat before hanging.