now that's funny! My best friend is a nurse in the ER, so I bet I can get her to dig some up for me!

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I'll see what I can find to try and figure out what works best for me.

I have bought plexi-glass at home depot. I have not gotten around to cutting it yet so I can't tell you how easy or difficult that may be. Unless you are handy or know a handy man :D It maybe more of a project than you want to take on. But they also sell a thinner type. If you go plexi, all hardware stores sell something, It comes in a wide variety of sizes, and most stores (The hardware store) will cut it for you. I guess the acuracy would vary, but you might get lucky and find someone who has a clue, to help you. If you bring some type of visual aid to the store with you it would help. Also you will need to sand it along the edges at least to knock of any plastic burs. This can be done with med. grit sand paper or even an emory board. I have left over piece of Plexi about two feet long and 6 to 8 inch wide I use as a straight edge. It works so much better than a ruler. except of course it has no measurement marked on it. But my cutting mats do, so it works. I plan to do some template, Just have not gotten around to working on it. Good luck ! I just got reminded that time is slipping away. and I have to go to work.

I, too, have used plexi-glass from the local hardware store. My husband used a utility knife to cut it then sanded the edges smooth. There are so many different templates or applique patterns out there, I just can't seem to have the agility to NOT cut into them if they aren't the heavier acrylic type. :oops:

When I took a beginning quilt class, the instructor recommended using freezer paper to make templates for cutting. The advantage is that you can temporarily iron the template on the the fabric so that it doesn't slip while you are cutting. The disadvantage is that, even with careful cutting, you will have to redraw the templates sooner rather than later.