Stencil cutters
 

Does anyone have a recommendation for cutting one's own quilting stencil? Has anyone tried the Clover hot tip knife?

I haven't heard of anybody cutting stencils. I bought a double Xacto knife but the results came out not usable.

I've used a hot tip knife. It's a real skill that takes practice to acquire! If you hesitate, you get a glob of plastic & a larger hole than you really wanted. Never got the hang of it, but maybe didn't want to put in the time. Personally, it would be less expensive to purchase a stencil, or, if you want your own design, draw it on tissue & quilt thru that.

I've used a hot tip, although not the Clover brand. I did not like the results. It was difficult (impossible) to get a smooth line and the plastic melted into a ridge along the sides. One of the template plastics gave off a chemical odor; another brand was okay, but do it in a well-ventilated area. Maybe you'll have better luck with it than I have.

i have always made my own quilting templates and pattern templates. i learned from books years ago. i used the double bladed exacto knife because of the even spacing between the two edges od the opening. sometimes i goof and don't get my bridges right, but i have figured out a fix for when that happens. to use the exacto knif i "drag" the points of the blades slowly & firmly w the straight edge of the blade almost touching the template material (usually the new heavy multibag cereal boxes like found in costco). i have never used hot knife to cut plastic, didn't seem a good thing to stink up the house w melting plastic. but whatever technique you try, it takes patience & practice.

I had the same unsatisfactory results with a hot tip tool. I prefer cutting stencils with the exacto double-bladed knife. DBK plastic is far easier to cut than rigid template material, IMO, and can be rolled up for storage. This is a stencil I made for quilting a border:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]499618[/ATTACH]

Daphne, where did you get the DBK plastic?

quiltsRfun, I've had it so long I don't remember! But if you search for DBK stencil plastic, you can find some sources. For instance, at this shop a 4 foot roll is $8.50, which is not so bad when you consider it's 16 inches wide.
http://columbiariverquilting.com/dbk...l_plastic.html

Daffy

I have several pieces of thick plastic my husband gave me from the hospital where he worked. I trace the shape I want, and just use regular scissors to cut it. It's good and stiff, thicker than what I can buy. I do not make continuous lines but individual shapes. I recently finished one with dolphins on it, and have one ready for the clamshell stitching I want to do soon.

I use the Silhouette cameo. Just adjust the line with dashes.