DIY: Fussy cutting templates tutorial

Since starting this La Passacaglia madness as my 2015 Project of the Year, I have realized the great necessity of reusable clear templates to use for fussy cutting. I see lots of people buying acrylic ones online specifically for this project, but I figured there must be a homemade way around spending $38 (plus shipping) on five pieces of plastic. And guess what? There is! 

Step one: Gather supplies

You will need:

- a sturdy plastic report cover (mine is from the dollar bin at Walmart)

-a ruler

-scissors (but not your fabric ones!)

-a sharpie pen

-a razor blade

-the paper pieces you need templates for

Step two: Trace 

Trace your paper pieces onto the smooth side of the report cover

Step three: Add seam allowance 

Use your ruler to measure and draw a 1/4" seam allowance (or whatever size is your preference) all the way around the tracing. 

Step four: Cut them
Cut out the piece on the outer line of the template. 

Step five: Etch them

Use the razor blade to etch over the inner line. Don't press too hard, you don't want to cut all the way through. 

Step six: Clean them 

Using a damp tissue, wipe clean the marker lines from your templates. 

Step seven: use with confidence! 

To use these templates for very precise serial fussy cutting, place the template over the fabric and centre the area you want to feature. Then use your sharpie pen to trace a couple features of the fabric onto the smooth side of the template. Use this tracing to line up the next piece and cut around it. This way, you can have all of your fussy cut pieces look exactly the same! 

I am so happy I figured out a DIY homemade solution for these templates.  Especially with the Canadian dollar dropping so much right now, I just couldn't justify spending the money on importing the acrylic version.  If you use this tutorial to make a set for yourself, I would love to hear how it goes!