Letter cutting hacks

When I made my first quiet book for Tahlia, as many people do I wrote her name on the front cover.

Tahlia's Quiet Book - Front Cover and First Page

I simply printed out a font with a computer, cut it up and pinned it on to use as a pattern to cut out my felt. Although cost effective, this method gets very tedious as you might imagine. So if you want to make things a little easier, then here are five methods to hack your way to perfectly cut felt:

1.  Scotch tape - 

Stick your pattern pieces down to stop them sliding all over the place while you cut them out. This method is brilliant for intricate details and wherever you don't want pin holes in special fabrics. 

I used the scotch tape method for my
Psalm 122 - Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Quiet Book Page

2.  Tracing - 

Use a marker (you can get air erasable ones) to draw on the felt so you can cut out your pieces without worrying about the pattern pieces at all.

I used the scotch tape method for my
Isaiah 53 - Messiah ben Joseph Quiet Book Page

3.  Freezer paper - 

Although this is expensive and difficult to find in Australia, this method may suit you. Find a tutorial on how to use this method by Oliver Rabbit here: How to Cut Perfect Shapes out of Wool Felt - The Freezer Paper Method.

4.  Die cutting -

This is a great method if you are doing a lot of lettering. Just put your die on top of your felt and put it through a cutting machine. All the edges are perfectly cut for you. I use the Lollipop Uppercase Alphabet Set with an Original Sizzix and it cuts well, even though thick felt. Because the font is so thin you only need to stitch once down the middle of the letters which is a great advantage compared to the original hand cut font on Tahlia's front cover.

I used the die cut method to make these number blocks

5.  Buying pre-cut felt letters - 

You can find packets of felt letter and numbers in dollar stores, craft stores and online - such as these (not an affiliate link). But be prepared to buy as many packets as you will need as you may only get a couple of each letter per pack.

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Which methods do you prefer? Do you have any other suggestions? Share them below in the comments.