I seem to be making these giant templates with freezer paper at least twice a week lately, and while I had been using double stick tape to keep the long edges together, I have gone through a roll of that and a roll or two of freezer paper. I need to get the current project started ASAP, and it’s gross out so I didn’t want to journey out for double stick tape. Glue makes the freezer paper stiff and ripply, so what’s a lady to do? Besides swearing in an unladylike fashion.
Turns out I have some of Superior’s fusible thread called Charlotte’s Web from an earlier “Technique of the Week”. I dislike having a one-trick pony in my workshop, and so the fact I can use this for *even more* makes me happy. I lay out one long strip of freezer paper, and then make sure there’s about a 1/2″ overlap with the next piece. Working from one end, I lay out a line of thread in between the two layers, and I have to be careful of a few things:
1) don’t get this thread on my iron
2) don’t get this thread on my ironing board
3) heat it long enough so it melts in
It’s pretty simple, but it makes a really nice and strong join, one which also doesn’t have the extra bulk of double-stick tape.
I hope you’re feeling encouraged to try out something larger with this technique for making larger templates! Let me know if something comes to you!
Try Ricky Tims’ wonderful solution by making freezer paper “tape”. Cut a strip (or strips) of freezer paper about 1″ wide. But the two sheets of freezer paper together and “tape” them together with the fp strip, using a hot iron. The tape strip will adhere to the other pieces and will still work just like freezer paper without gluey stuff of regular tape. Excellent solution!
oh, hadn’t heard that one before! There’s going to be a ton of manipulation with this, though, and I have found that sometimes ironing the papers together doesn’t always hold up with all the back and forth. I’ll have to try this on the next one! And there’s *always* a next one….