I tried my test cake this last weekend using a cake stencil and royal icing. Fancy Fleur de Lis was the pattern. Cake to be iced in buttercream. It's really tricky to get a "clean" stencil on a round cake (tier was 10"). Anyone with experience care to share any tips on how to get a nearly perfect pattern using a stencil on buttercream?
Thanks

To add to this: my problem is pulling the stencil off the cake and trying not to smudge the royall icing.

I have heard you're supposed to use buttercream on the stencil if the cake is iced in buttercream, and royal icing when the cake is covered in fondant. Maybe that's the issue?

the only stenciling I have done is on buttercream. I had my cake in the fridg so the buttercream would set up (I use some butter in mine) and then I had no problem at all. Before I would have problems with the stencil sticking. I used buttercream on buttercream..