quilt templates

[agnes_day]

ok..how can i make my own?
i finally got another rotary cutter and i want to use it but..i cant afford 15-20 dollars for several different templates!
surely you can trace the pattern onto cardboard or plastic..or something. i have only made little baby quilts but i would like to make something better!

 

[calicokat]

You could use about anything that is a little stiff and will hold it's shape - cereal boxes are nice because they are firm, but not quite as bulky as cardboard from say a shipping box. They also give you a nice size, so you could draw up a nice size motif and not run out of room.

Scissors might be better than a rotary cutter though, you'll have a little more control of the start and stop of the cut.

If you want more of a continuous line or longer pattern, a roll of heavy craft paper is good, but it won't be as stable as the cardboard.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I use a quilting ruler with my rotary cutter to make squares, rectangles and triangles. Do you have a quilting ruler?

Do you want to make simple shapes like that or something more complicated? I think templates are handy for certain shapes. Some people just like templates, which is fine, too. For simple shapes, using the ruler with the cutter is pretty darn fast, so I like it a lot.

 

[speckledhen]

I used to use freezer paper. You can cut out all the shapes, iron it onto the fabric and cut around it. That's for piecing, not the actual quilt design. I only do strip piecing nowadays. No templates required, just a good ruler.

 

[verthandi]

Cereal boxes are what I use if I need to make a template or heavy sandpaper as it will grip the fabric and not slip around.

 

[agnes_day]

Quote:
that is a really good idea.