Celtic Cut & Use Stencils: 61 Full-Size Stencils Printed on Durable Stencil Paper

This book had a wide variety of designs, printed as promised, on sturdy paper. In fact one of its best points is the same reason I penalize it a star, is the intricacy of the designs. The intricacy is also wonderful, since most stencils tend to give up detail in order to make the stencil simpler to make. The problem here is that you have to cut the stencils out yourself. Now because of the very intricacy, there are a LOT of tiny holes you have to cut out. By the time you get done, or at least by the time I get done, the paper is not quite so sturdy as it was. And it took quite some time to do. I recomend a sharp pair of small embroidery scissors to do it.

I thought the designs selected for this book were fantastic, with a wide variety of knotwork designs as well as human and animal pictures in the Celtic style. The stencils are designed to be used over and over, with instructions in the front cover on how to use them. The only drawbacks to this book are the absence of color suggestions, and the suggestions for how to use the stencils were a little limited. But with a little imagination, the reader can find all sorts of uses for them. I personally plan to use them to paint motifs on fabric, for applique and quilting. I recommend this book as a resource for anyone who has an affinity for Celtic art and wants to recreate it, whether for fine art purposes or for home decoration.