Free Stencil Maker

Original guided maker · Narrated tutorial

How to Bridge Stencil Islands and Fix Loose Pieces

The centre of a letter O has nothing to hold it in place when you cut around it. These loose pieces are called islands. The maker highlights them and offers fixes that keep the sheet cuttable, including bridges, filled shapes and separate touch-up layers.

0:25 · English captions available

Try this in the makerBrowse all tutorials

Follow these steps

  1. In Check your layers, look for the loose-piece count beside each layer.
  2. Expand a layer to see its loose pieces highlighted in pink and review the available fixes.
  3. Choose Tidy up the loose bits to let the maker choose fixes across all layers.
  4. Review the result, including any new touch-up layers, before choosing Continue.

Keep learning

Short lesson

How to Draw Stencil Bridges by Hand

Place stencil bridges where they suit your artwork. Watch how to connect loose pieces to the sheet and use Undo to adjust the result.

Short lesson

How to Edit a Stencil with Brush and Eraser Tools

Clean up a stencil with brush, eraser, selection and bridge tools. Follow a short editor demo with practical steps for removing unwanted detail.

Short lesson

How to Preview Stencil Layers and Paint Order

See what each stencil sheet adds before you print. Preview the separate layers, check the base coat and plan the order of your paint passes.