Being a newbie also...thank you for all the great tips. I did find 1 tip on my own for stencil making...I found some cheap plastic report covers at the Dollar Store..they come in many different colors and hold up great for stencils while being easy to cut with scissors or an exacto knife.
I have used tracing paper with lots of good results and recently tried Glad Press and Seal. The GPS works great..however you have to be diligent about cleaning up your machine often...it will gum it up.
I think I'll try the tulle idea..it sounds easy.