English paper piecing - preparing templates

My preferred method for templates is to print the templates  from the computer onto A4 paper, then glue the printout onto freezer paper. This gives a strong accurate template that can be reused. Because it is glued to freezer paper, it can be ironed to fabric, which makes template placement easy.

The next step is to cut the pattern into templates. Because the pattern is coloured, it is easy to keep track of which piece goes where.

The freezer paper on the back means the template pieces can be ironed to the fabric, making sure adjacent pieces are half an inch apart (the width of your thumbnail is plenty).

The next step is to cut and prepare templates. I use a few methods depending on how I'm feeling and what is available: Tacking, gluing or starching.