Template Making

This is a tedious yet necessary part of the dollmaking process: 
There are a number of ways of creating templates to make the job of cutting and sewing your doll pieces easier. The pattern template that you start with may go through several changes as you copy/trace, cut around, transfer and sew the image onto your fabric. Because you want your template and final sewn pieces to be as accurate as possible, the method you use to transfer the shapes is therefore important. 

Depending on your personal preference, you will need:

Freezer Paper Method (Freezer paper available here in 1 metre lengths).
This is by far my preferred method of pattern transfer. You will need to apply the same principles to this method as for the card and paper methods (see below). 
The difference is that you can trace your pattern directly onto the dull side of the freezer paper and iron it directly onto your fabric without the use of pins or fabric marker pens.

• Freezer paper has a dull side and a shiny side.
  

• It is transparent enough to trace your pattern templates through onto the dull side.
  

• You can then cut out the freezer paper shapes and iron them, shiny side down, onto your fabric using a warm/hot, dry iron.
  

• You may then cut out the fabric shapes aroubnd these templates and peel off the paper for re-use or sew around the shapes with an open appliqué foot, using the template as a guide or you can use them as a guide-line to draw around with a fabric marker, peel them off and sew around your drawn line.
  

• Freezer paper helps to keep the material stable as you cut and sew, reducing distortion.
  

• It also reduces the amount of pinning of fabric pieces to be cut out and it helps to eliminate inaccuracies which result from the many stages of transferring the pattern template from paper to card to fabric or the problem of trying to cut around ordinary ‘floppy’ paper templates. 
  

• There will be no stickiness on the fabric once you peel away the freezer paper.
  

Sewing the Pattern Pieces using the Freezer Template Method: With small or tricky pattern pieces it is usual to sew around the template first before cutting out the shapes, sometimes leaving a gap for turning and stuffing and sometimes cutting a slit in an area of the pattern piece for turning and stuffing. This slit will be hidden by another piece when the doll is sewn together. (See pattern basics.) Remember, it is the sewing line that determines the finished size and shape of your doll.   CLICK HERE to BUY freezer paper

Card and Paper Method
This is the more traditional method for transferring your templates onto fabric. 
NB: If you draw directly onto the WS of the fabric around the template sewing line with a pencil, the stitches will look grey and dirty when you turn the sewn piece RSO.

• Either trace the pattern pieces onto layout paper or tracing paper, cut out carefully, taking care to cut away the bold pencil lines (that would otherwise slightly alter the size of your pattern depending on the thickness of your pen/pencil) and glue these onto thin cardboard. 
  1b.Or photocopy the pattern templates and glue onto thin card.

• You can then cut these out and use them to draw around to apply the shapes directly onto the wrong side of your chosen fabric. Use a pencil, chalk or dissolvable fabric marker pen. 

Remember that the thickness of the pen/pencil  you use for your templates will affect the size and accuracy of your pattern pieces. If the line is thick, the pieces will be cut less evenly.  Using finer tipped pens results in a cleaner, crisper and more accurate line with better detail for your pattern shapes.
As you draw around the cardboard shapes, certain areas of the pattern will inevitably be distorted or less precise.  You must go back over these lines and correct the problem areas before cutting out / sewing around the shape.

*Pinning paper onto the fabric and cutting out the pieces makes for a sloppy, floppy edge along which to cut and is not recommended*