How to Make Freezer Paper Templates

I have received a couple of emails since my previous post asking about the use of template plastic and benefits of that over freezer paper for drawing the templates.

I wish I had kept those templates just so I could show you how small and insane they were. 

I had never heard of using freezer paper for templates when I began this quilt and it was only after talking with Margaret McCaughey that I learnt of it.  It made my task so much easier ... and for you it is easier still if you print your templates onto the freezer paper, rather than draw them.

Yes you can reuse the template plastic templates...if you can find them and so many are almost identical that it is hard to tell them apart. It was only after I had done about 100 blocks that I could usually tell the difference between two very similar templates. 

The next disadvantage was trying to cut the plastic accurately with such small pieces.

Freezer paper is so much easier as you are able to iron it to the fabric and then trace around the pieces without the fear that either one will slip.

If you have never tried printing on freezer paper it is a top technique if you follow a few simple steps.

1. Cut the freezer paper just a smidgin smaller than an A4 sheet of paper.
2. Iron the freezer paper to a blank piece of paper just along the top and the bottom edges.
3. You need to find out if your printer prints on the top side of paper in the tray or on the lower side. Write top/upper side on one side of a piece of paper and lower side on the other side. Place this sheet of paper into your printer tray with the 'top/upper side' facing upwards. Print something on the paper.
   you now know which side your printer prints on. 
4. Place the freezer paper+blank paper into your printer laying the correct way so that it will be printed on.
5. Print as normal.
6. Give it a go.. it will be a lot quicker than drawing.

One thing to take care of however is that you don't transfer ink from the freezer paper to your iron or fabric. Always place a piece of scrap fabric between the printed freezer paper and your iron.