It is an economy thing but I (a very newbie) was wondering if it is possible to make my own plastic templates? Someone said they come in kits but I would like to know if it is possible to make my own. Would those plastic/vynil sheet protectors work or do I need to go to the harware store and see if they can cut plexiglass for me? Remember: I am frugal to a fault. TIA.

You can make your own templates. There are sheets of mylar for sale at quilt shops. You can even use cardboard - like cereal boxes - as my grandmother did.

Great! Thanks so much....

Found this on JoAnn's website. I don't know if it's in their stores. My sister used to purchase this stuff for me. You can make quite a few templates from the 6 sheets in the package. If they have it at JoAnns, you can use their coupons to purchase it cheaper.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...RODID=prd59594

This is getting better and better. What a great group of (dare I say) FRIENDS.

Yes, you can make your own, and come up with some pretty patterns.

I have lots of non-commercial templates in my stash. I have jar lids, a thick plastic star given as a gift, bottle caps, a clean round piece of cardboard the size of a pizza, smaller rounds down to a small bottle cap for cherries on an ice cream sundae, a couple of neat plastic rounds that came from a hamburger press (Tupperware?) and lots that I'd have to search through to remember what they were to start with.

Like someone else said, our Grandmothers used every thing their clever minds could find, and they made lovely stuff that is still with is.

Just keep in mind that template plastic is really not thick enough to use a rotary cutter safely. Scissor? No problem. If you have a printer you might want to check out http://lindafranz.com/section/inklingo-home/1
Have fun! and welcome. I'm also quite madly frugal. Here's a super thriftly little project: http://replayground.blogspot.com/201...ff-wallet.html
I'm always chopping up shirts for quilts, so this one really got my brain working!

Novelty cookie cutters make nice quilting templates too.

Also check out the $$ stores for the kitchen cutting mats. I found them in a 3-pack for $1.29, put your pattern under and then draw with permanent pen. They can be cut with utility scissors into any shape needed. They are not heat proof and not for rotary cutters. You can put down the mat pattern and use your ruler and cutter to follow the straight line pieces.

Have bought a number of them just for my quilting and for purse patterns I make often.
Jan

I made them from acrylic sheets. I do the design and one of my sons cuts them for me.
The acrylic sheet cost only $1.99 at Home Depot, and I could make several different templates out of one sheet.
try it.