My experiment while away was successful. I am attaching how it came out in shiva paintstik. A couple of lessons I learned:
(1) you REALLY need the appropriate stencil brush. Without it, you won't have the correct degree of stiffness to be able to lay the paint on properly;
(2) You need an iron that has NO holes in the back for pressing the freezer paper - I initially tried using a traditional steam iron (because that was what was available while I was away) - when I got home to MY dry iron (no holes) the freezer paper pressing went so much better and the paper adhered much better.
The stencil was cut on the gaz as it was more transportable for away from home. But when I ready to cut for project (mass cutting of stencils), I will use my big mat for the cat. The mat is a bit gouged from prior work, but it should be OK for freezer paper -- especially if I add that long desired 5th wheel (I currently have 4 on my 18" cat). I have a big roll of freezer paper - 18" wide (this is NOT commonly found in the grocery store - an online item), so the plan is to fill the mat with the big roll, and just add as many stencils that will fit that size and cut away. The time away was really great so I could grapple with this new method, and design the stencil itself.
If you don't have a sewing machine that does has modern stitches for applique (i.e. blanket stitch and the like), but you have plotter (a cat, bullet, or whatever else), you do not need to invest further to get modern stitches for applique. All you need is freezer paper, your plotter, paint and brushes and whatever designs are in your head. By stenciling on fabric, you can achieve designs without the need for applique. It is NOT an easier technique, just different.
When I have the full quilt done, I will post again. I will be quite some time as I am only half-done with the assembly of the blocks.
Pat