Quilt pattern templates

June 13: Quilt pattern templates

I don’t even know how to quilt.

But I know how to make quilt pattern templates.

There are so many intricate patterns out there that look, at first glance, to be really difficult. It’s usually because it requires a complex technique of sewing, then cutting, then re-arranging, then sewing, etc. Without a lifetime’s worth of knowledge and experience, some of these patterns seem impossible. Maybe there’s an easier way to make a hexagonal pattern that doesn’t involve cutting a bunch of tiny hexagons, but you don’t learn that unless you’ve got a really tight network of grandmas showing you the way. If you don’t know the trick to making that perfect arc or odd angle, you need a template. Sometimes that template doesn’t exist.

Unless you have a CNC router or know someone who does. :)

With this router and a few minutes in AutoCAD, I can lay out a block pattern, offset the pattern for seam allowances, and either print it out on paper for one-off blocks or cut it out of heavy plastic for multiple uses.

I cut all these blocks out of a 12”x12” sheet of 3/16” thick polycarbonate that I bought from McMaster-Carr. A few minutes on the CNC and the templates are ready to go. The edges were a little rough, but tIt sure beats the frustration that comes with making a little mistake on a calculation and ending up with a piece of fabric that’s the wrong size.

This was a proof of concept more than anything. Now that I know I can make these, I plan to get a really tiny engraving bit so I can etch the measurement grid on the plastic and all the extra seam allowance lines that go into a proper template. Look for that as a later project.