Templates
 

You're doing a new quilt. Then you see the patterns for the pieces!
Does anyone have some idea of how to make reuseable templates
for quilt pieces? so you can cut with your rolling blade.
Plexiglass???? How do you get the edges exact and
smooth when you cut it?
Is there any business that will make templates for a quilter?
(This sure would be a new business opportunity IF someone
could come up with a good idea!)
Thanks for the help, quilters. :)

I haven't done it,but have read you can get templates precision cut like that at a glass cutting shop. But why not just measure them, and cut the pieces from the same size strips with your ruler?

Some hardware stores will cut plexiglass for you.

I've made templates from Mylar plastic. It's a bit thicker and heat resistant. I don't use my rotary cutter with these though. they aren't as thick as purchased acrylic templates might be but work fine for tracing around and cutting with scissors, which I don't mind doing. oh, there are businesses out there that will do this for you. not sure what they use to make templates though but someone on this forum should know.

Thanks folks. The shapes I'm looking for are not available. I was given a beautiful
quilt kit for Xmas. Dereck Lockwood's "Stardust". As far as I can tell, if I can't figure out
some templates, it's going to be scissor cutting all the way!
The hardware store won't cut specific plexiglass shapes for you. At least mine won't. :(
I do have a scroll saw and I'm going to see what I can do with that and a piece of plexi.
But the edges have to be smooth and I think I'll run into trouble with that.
This is one beautiful quilt......but.....

A glass cutting shop...now there's a new idea. Will see if that might be an answer. Thanks!

this is one I was thinking of http://www.quilttemplates.com/customorders.html

Terri: Why don't you show us the shapes you need? I have recently learned why they tried to get us to learn about angles in geometry, amazing how many shapes just rely on the degrees of the angle.

Hi Emma
Geometry? OMgolly. You mean I finally found a reason for geometry? LOL
This is the pattern. I don't know how to show you the individual pieces.
http://www.keepsakequilting.com/prod...-QUILT-KIT.htm

They are mostly triangle shapes but have one curved edge...many of them.
Perhaps someone onsite has actually done this quilt?

Thanks Nativetexan, I just dropped them an email. Will let you know if they
think they can handle this one. I bet it isn't cheap! LOL

You could make regular templates with a colored template sheet, then use double-sided tape to stick your template to the fabric and use your ruler to cut the pieces out.

The quilt is gorgeous. Please post a picture when you get it done.

You could probably smooth the edges with a Dremel and the correct attachement but I haven't tried it yet.

I have used this business before:
http://www.deepbluetemplates.com/

I went to his sight and found stardust pattern. From description it is a log cabin......you really don't need templates for that...

I would buy the pattern.
Glue the pattern on template plastic.
Cut the pieces out. I would use the rotary cutter along with a quilters acrylic ruler to keep the edges straight.
Then use that for my templates. I would also put the sandpsper dots on the plastic to help minimize slipping.

I have rotary cut along the plastic successfully. I just needed to pay attention to cut beside the plasic and not tthrough it.

That is what I do. I buy the template plastic and trace, cut out, reuse the templates over and over. I don't worry about nipping the edges with the rotary cutter because I put my acrylic ruler over the template when cutting the fabric.

Have you checked if Dereck has a website?? Maybe he has them for sale. My opinion is to paper piece them. Definitely a challenge !!

I'm not sure how well this will work for such accurate pieces as you will need, but I have cut hexis and squares. I make my patterns pieces on paper and then cover the plexiglass piece with masking tape. I draw the pattern on the tape using the paper piece. then cut the plexiglass with my scroll saw. My blade cuts fairly accurately. I gently sand any rough edge, but plexiglass cuts rather smoothly any way.

I was going to say this looks like a paper piecing pattern to me as well. If the instructions have a printout of one of the stars, you can make copies and paper piece this it seems to me. Just make all your copies on the same copier at the same time as copiers sometimes have distortion. Use the same original for all copies.

Wow! Love the quilt. Before I saw the quilt I pictured a lot more repeats of the same shape. I'm not sure there would be enough of the same shapes to make a template worth the cost. What about other options like looking through your ruler collection to see how close you can come to some of those shapes so that you can rotary cut. Just recently I made a paper pieced pattern by drafting the shapes without seam allowances on one piece of paper then I sewed, without thread, to mark the pattern on multiple pieces of paper. This would eliminate all of those bias edges. Some people on the Board have made Jenney Beyer quilts, which look a lot like this one, maybe they can give you some suggestions. I know I am all over the map on this one but I think there are a lot easier ways to do this then cutting out each individual shape. Back to the geometry thing (Who knew it was going to have real life relevance, I would have paid attention.), I would look at the degree lines on a large ruler just to see if any of the angles on your pattern pieces correspond. Hopefully you will get some more coherent suggestions. If you don't, I would start another thread, providing the link and asking for suggestions. Please let me know how it goes.

I made a quilt and all the squares were 5 inches trimmed, then 4.5 " finished. even had a speciality ruler that came with the quilt instructions. I liked the little 4.5 " sq ruller, that I took it, and told them to make me a 5.5 inch sq.

I took it to a car glass repair place. and the finished piece was heavy duty plexiglass.

I looked to see if Derek Lockwood has a website and he does. I thought you might want to know (if you don't already know) there were some corrections to that pattern posted on his site. here is the link-

http://www.lockwoodquilts.com/patter...rrections.html

Good luck. Look forward to seeing that beautiful quilt.

http://www.phillipsfiberart.com/

See if any of these templates will help.

My husband makes templates for me exactly like tesspug described.........works great.

I would check with keepsake Quilting to see what they suggest. Maybe they have a set of templates. The pattern looks almost like it could be paper pieced. It's beautiful!

Morning! I had a nice long post and lost it. Darn. I contacted the site that Nativetexan gave on page 1
and will be sending the pattern piece copies to her. She says they will let me know a cost so I can
decide whether the templates are affordable.
I will post and let everyone know when I hear.
Emma...thank you. I've been all over the place with this one too. But I'm determined that I want to do
it!
Really appreciated all the input here. As usual, this group of folks is A+. I'll get back to ya. :)

P.S. I did check for any possible corrections. There are none. :) However, if I have trouble
I won't hesitate to contact Derreck Lockwood. He has helped me in the past with a
bargello pattern of his. Very nice fellow quilter! Thanks for that link.

That's a gorgeous quilt! With all those long skinny points, I think you'd be wise to buy the pattern and paper piece it as much as possible. Good luck!

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but I make my own templates out of plexiglass. I use a sharp scribe to trace around the pattern piece onto the plexi and then I have a band saw that I cut out the pattern that I have scribed on the plexi. The template never wears out but then I have lots of scrapes of plexi. the thinner pieces are easier to use. I have heard that you can scribe on plexi and then break it like glass but that has never worked for me.
Lynda

If you have access to a ring saw (usually used for cutting glass or tile), the thin diamond-coated blade should give you a smooth edge on plexiglas. They are water cooled, so it has to be something that can get wet. I've cut several glass templates with mine, and it leaves no sharp edges. Easy to use and not dangerous, as the blade will not cut your fingers!

My local window repair . glass cutting store will make templates reasonably. Be sure to measure templates when you pick them up. Sometimes they need to be sanded down a tad. Diane C

I think Lowe's and Home Depot will cut plexiglass to your shape.

Hi, Ladies When ever I need a new template made for a pattern, I take a drawing to my closest glass place and ask them to make me a template out of a piece of used plexi. For a small fee they usually will do it and are very accurate.

I make my own for the simpler templates. The ones where they are just straight angles, which is almost everything I do. I simply etch the cut with a boxer cutter and then my husband breaks it on the counter edge. When there are barbs left (which isn't very often) he sands them off with emery cloth. A lot cheaper than buying them for all of the different shapes, sizes, etc.

I learned to work with plexiglass in school. Just carefully cut your shapes just slightly larger (1/32 of an inch or less) then use a sanding block to smooth the edges and 'trim' excess until the size is perfect. When you have the size perfected, use higher numbered grit sandpaper to make the edges smooth. A little work, but they will be perfect because you did it yourself.

I have a sheet of textured bathroom wall paneling. I think thats what its called. I'm guessing its 1/16th-1/8th thick. i use a box knife to cut a piece I need. And then draw the template on that piece of plastic, and then cut with my box knife. I can send you a sample piece, to get a ideal of what, Im trying to tell you. You can think about it, and then let me know.

Complicated pattern. I also think it might be easier to paper piece it. I might use a template for the curved part.

What a beautiful pattern! Guess that is why it is listed as "challenging". Happy cutting. Can Keepsake Q offer you help?