How to Cut English Paper Piecing Templates

Now, there is a couple of options for you to get english paper piecing templates and today I am sharing with you, one of the most accessible ways to prep them is to cut them by yourself.

I designed the templates on the computer so that it is rotary cut friendly, print them out and cut them using the rotary cutter.

You can choose a couple of different size hexagon templates in TLMC resource library. Sign up here if you haven’t yet.

I find that this is the easiest way for me to get quick templates and easy for me to keep adding more if I need them.

However, there are other ways to cut these templates yourself and you might find yourself loving one method more than the other. Of course, each technique will have its own advantages and disadvantages. Let me walk you through some of them.

There are affiliate links in this post for your convenience. Please find my full disclosure here.

Ways to cut English Paper Piecing Templates:

Using a pair of scissors

Obviously. The first thing that comes to mind would be to cut them using a pair of scissors.

In fact, this it the way how it is traditionally made.

No need for a tutorial right? Just cut along the lines around the shape and voila – one epp template is ready.

One at a time.

Some people might enjoy this slow process, so please, do it this way if you find that it is nice to have a slow project in our fast-pace life. We need one I tell you. Wind it down and have this process as part of slowing down your busy days.

Sharp small scissors like this one HERE are great for cutting with accuracy.

Pros : It can be therapeutic, a part of you slow time in a fast living life, portable anywhere, anytime. Just be safe with the scissors. Any shape is possible.

Cons: Too slow for production. Wonkier Straight edges

Related Post:

Using a rotary cutter

Since we are quilters of the modern world, rotary cutting will be the second thing that comes to mind when we think about cutting, right?

I love the easeness of rotary cutting and hence, this method will probably be my favourite.

so… I may be a little biased in giving these descriptions.

I love my ergonomic rotary cutter HERE but a small rotary cutter like this one HERE is also perfect for cutting paper templates.

Anyway, you can easily slice through a couple of layers of thin cardstock or papers and cut away more EPP pieces than you would with scissors.

So that means, it’s faster, and you can make larger EPP projects in a BLAST.

Really ? I wish so. Just kidding – EPP projects are meant to be slow and enjoyable.

The method of cutting really just depends on one’s preferences. I personally love the idea of cutting straight edges using a rotary cutter, so why not an EPP template too?

Pros : Faster than scissors, Lots of EPP shapes possible.

Cons: May still need scissors for small corners , otherwise it would be troublesome to use rulers an all and also for rounded areas.

Using a puncher

These days we have we have all kind of punchers, not limited to just that of a round small ones you use to bing your papers together in a file.

If you have seen scrapbooking – you know what I’m talking about.

Punchers like these are super easy to use to create shapes for your english paper piecing templates.

These are like mini die-cutting machine that are easy to use and I find it great to have one or two for a quick add up to your stash. They are not that expensive as compared to the large die cutter. But if you need lots of shape, they may not be worth it and they take up space!

Pros : Quick and easy. Perfect cut.

Cons: Only cut one at a time or a couple if you stack few papers. Limited shapes and sizes depending on available puncher.

Using a die cutter

This method is probably one of the best and closest to laser-cut templates available from the store.

However, you will need a die-cutter. Unless if you already have one, then why not.

But wait, even if you have a die cutter, you will still need the correct dies.

So, you will need a die cutter, and the right die.

And not many dies are available yet on the market.

Hexagons are, though. So it is still worth it even for the hexies if you make lots of them. Check out these Accuquilt hexagons dies if you are looking for one.

You can stack papers or fabrics and get perfect shapes once you rolled them under the die cutter machine.

I love Accuquilt as they have these hexagons dies that has both the size for paper and a slighly larger one for fabrics in one die. Run through your Accuquilt and you get both ready to use papers and fabrics. How awesome is that?

Pros : Quick and easy. Perfect cut. Also cut fabrics!

Cons: Need dies. Expensive but you can use it for other things too, so justify it yourself. Limited shapes and sizes depending on available dies

Using an electronic cutter

This method is another one method to get perfect templates. I also like the idea of having various shapes.

Check out CRICUT MAKER which can cut all kinds of materials including FABRICS! Perfect for EPP, cutting the templates and the fabric.

Check CRICUT MAKER HERE>

There are couple more electronic cutters out there, and I have been hearing good things about the Brother Scan’n’Cut. This machine allows you to cut out printables and cut out any shapes that you can simply scan. This will be very useful especially when you need to cut a specific shape from a templates in books or magazines. Plus, there is a lot of room for method combination to provide the best way to cut out templates,

Pros: Quick and easy. Perfect cut. Easy on the hand,

Cons: Expensive but you can use it for other things too, so justify it yourself.

Anyway, before you decide into buying one of those awesome cutters, why don’t you try cutting your own templates using what you have at home first…

In this post, I will be sharing with you the cutting process of my printable templates.

If you are a subscriber to TLMC, you already have access to these templates in TLMC resource library.

If you are not yet a subscriber, simply subscribe and you’ll get instant access to these FREE printable templates

Rotary cutting English Paper Piecing Templates Tutorial:

How to Cut English Paper Piecing Templates (Hexagons):

Print the templates on standard A4 paper or 200gsm cardstock like this HERE if you like a bit of body to your template. You can choose a couple of different size hexagon templates in TLMC resource library. Sign up here if you haven’t yet.
You can choose to cut a single layer at a time or stack them and slice through a couple of layers at the same time to produce more templates in one go.
If you decide to cut couple of layers, I suggest you to spend time getting the layers perfectly aligned on top of one another. Glue them together at the sides (where there is no shapes) to ensure that the layers does not shift while cutting through them.
Using a rotary cutter, slice through the vertical lines but not all the way through. Leave the top side uncut.
Slice through the horizontal lines and now you’ll have squares with hexagons in them.
Using a small pair of scissors like this one HERE>, snip off the corners. (this one is great to do while watching some TV or movies – or listening to audibles)
And Voila. You have yourself a stock of EPP templates ready to use.

How to Cut English Paper Piecing Templates (Diamonds):

Cutting other shapes is similar to the hexagons, I would first slice through using the rotary cutter. For a diamond shape – you may not even need the tiny scissors.

Print the templates on standard or .

You will not need to print out all the layers. just print out the first layer. And no need for perfect alignment.

Here is a video of me cutting Diamond EPP templates available from TLMC resource library.

Conclusion

In this conclusion. I’d like to put a disclaimer: the final product of your own rotary cutting is not going to be as perfect as the laser-cut ready-made templates, but I find them still work.

Yup, back in the olden days, I bet you they don’t have laser-cut templates either right, but yet we still have amazing antique quilts that we are able to enjoy up to this day!

So why not, give it a try, maybe you’ll enjoy it as I do.

Otherwise, you can go ahead and buy pre-made laser-cut templates (I love Paper Pieces, they have lots of variation available) or use the other methods I have mentioned above.

Either way, have fun cause that’s what matters most.

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