Julia - exactly how do you use the turkey lacer? Do you use it, in essence, as an extension/replacement of your fingers? I find I have to spread my fingers and hold both sides of a stencil with my non-dominant hand so it doesn't slip. Do you have a video snippet of your technique?
Do you, or anyone else, use the slightly adhesive stencils? Marlyn of Montreal Confections has demonstrated those before and I have the easiest time with those...but you better have really hard icing or they will rip the top layer right off the cookie when you remove it!
Yes, I press down on the stencil with the tip of the turkey lacer (usually in the middle of the stencil) to hold the stencil in place/flat while I spread. It's smaller and so fewer fingers get in the way! A toothpick could work for the same purpose too, though the lacers are taller so I get more hand clearance with them.
I have tried some of the Martha Stewart adhesive stencils, but I don't like the thought of some of the adhesive coming off on the cookie, which I'm sure it does; plus they can leave marks of their own. I find them harder to wash and reuse too. So I stick to culinary grade stencils - there are so many available from Designer Stencils, I find I rarely have to look further.
I have some stenciling tips here on my site: https://www.juliausher.com/kitc...iling_technique_tips
One of the lessons in my video series is completely devoted to stenciling and shows me using the turkey lacer. The series is available for sale here: https://www.juliausher.com/store/video/videos_on_dvd
Thanks for asking!