Preparing the Templates

For some quilts you will have to cut the same piece many times. To ensure precision in sewing, the individual pieces must be identical. The secret lies in the templates.

A template is a pattern made out of some durable material, to be able to trace around it time after time without wearing out the edges. I personally recommend plastic sheets. For smaller projects, you could also use thin cardboard (recycle those cereal boxes!) or sand paper. The advantage to the latter is that it will not slide on the fabric.

To make a template, place your plastic sheet over the printed pattern. Trace the pattern onto the plastic, using a permanent marker and a ruler. For hand piecing, prepare your templates the same size as the finished pieces, without seam alloances. If you are using a commercial pattern that includes seam allowances, only trace the sewing line. (For machine piecing, trace the cutting line, that is, including the seam allowance.)
Regardless of the method chosen (hand or machine piecing), I recommend you sew a first block to verify the accuracy of your templates and seam allowance. You will thus avoid wasting fabric unnecessarily.

Preparing the Templates for the Greek Cross block

We will be sewing a 12 x 12 inch block (finished, without seam allowances). In the following illustration you will see the templates (shaded) we will need. Since this design is a variation of the traditional 9-patch block, this means we will be working with a 3 x 3 grid. Each sub-unit, therefore, will measure 4 inches (finished, without seam allowances).

Using the illustration above as a guide, trace and cut out the following templates: one 4" triangle (half of a 4" square), one 4" square, and one 2 x 4" rectangle.

(For machine piecing, first add the 1/4" seam allowances around all edges before cutting the template out.)