I mentioned making templates out of posterboard for my Spicy Spiral Table Runner (I couldn't get the ruler locally at the time). I measured and drew a 10 degree angle on the posterboard and cut the templates from it. I used the pattern to decide how long to make each piece. Even though my template wasn't exactly what was called for in the pattern, it worked out fine.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-68251-1.htm
You can see the difference in using a 10 degree angle vs. a 9 degree angle in the post from raptureready(the 2nd reply down in the same thread).