Applique Templates: Printable Stars, Hearts, Leaves and Circles

Applique template generator

Turn on JavaScript to draw the templates. The shape rules are in the table further down this page.

Print at 100% (“actual size” in most print dialogs; turn off “fit to page”) and measure the 1-inch square before you cut anything. With an allowance, the solid line is the finished edge and the dashed line is where you cut. The Download SVG link saves the same sheet at its real size for a cutting machine program, or for shapes too big for Letter paper.

What the size means for each shape

Each shape is measured its own way, so check this table before you plan a layout. A “3-inch star” here fits a 3-inch circle, so it is a little under 3 inches wide.

Shape	The size you enter is	Width × height for a 3-in size
5-point star	The circle through the five points	2.85 × 2.71 in
6-point star	The circle through the six points	2.60 × 3 in
Heart	The widest part	3 × 2.74 in
Slim leaf	Tip to tip	3 × 1 in
Wide leaf	Tip to tip	3 × 1½ in
Circle	The diameter	3 × 3 in
5-petal flower	The circle the petal tips touch	2.92 × 2.84 in, with a center circle about ⅞ in across
Bird	Beak to tail	3 × 1.52 in, with a separate wing

Which settings to use

Method	Allowance	Reverse?	How the template is used
Fusible web, raw edge	None	Yes, for shapes that aren't symmetric	Trace on the paper side of the web, fuse to the back of the fabric, cut on the line
Freezer paper (turned edge)	None on the paper	Yes, if you iron the paper to the wrong side	Cut the paper on the line, iron it to the fabric, then cut the fabric about ³⁄₁₆ in outside it
Needle-turn	³⁄₁₆ in (⅛ in for small pieces)	No	Mark the solid line on the right side of the fabric, cut on the dashed line, turn under to the mark
Back-basting	None	Yes	Trace the solid line on the back of the background fabric
Turned edge with a gathered circle	¼ in	No	Cut the fabric circle on the dashed line, gather it over a card circle cut on the solid line

Stars, hearts, circles, leaves and the flowers are the same on both sides, so reversing changes nothing; the generator says so. The bird is the only shape here that faces one way. Reverse it when tracing onto fusible web, or the bird ends up looking the opposite direction from your plan. The applique methods guide walks through each method step by step.

How the shapes are drawn

All of the shapes are our own drawings, built from simple geometry so they scale cleanly to any size. Here are the rules, in case you want to draft one by hand:

Shape	Construction
5-point star	Points on a circle of radius R, every 72°; inner corners on a circle of radius 0.382R, halfway between. (0.382 is cos 72° ÷ cos 36°, which keeps each point's edges on one straight line, as on the flag.)
6-point star	Two overlapping triangles: points every 60°, inner corners at 0.577R (1 ÷ √3)
Heart	A square turned on point with a half circle on each upper side. For a heart W wide, the square's half-diagonal is W ÷ 2.414 and the heart is 0.914W tall
Leaves	Two circular arcs meeting in a point at each end: half-width one sixth of the length (slim) or one quarter (wide)
Flower	Round petals of radius 0.45R, centered 0.55R from the middle; the center circle is 0.6R across
Allowance	Every edge pushed out by the allowance. At points sharper than 60° the cutting line is squared off one allowance past the point instead of running out to a long spike.

That last rule matters for stars. If you pushed a star point's edges straight out by ³⁄₁₆ inch and let them meet, the cutting line would end more than half an inch past the point, and all of it would have to be folded under. Squared off, the extra at the tip is trimmed already, and what's left folds into a crisp point.

The patriotic star set

The set prints nine five-point stars on one Letter page: one each at 4 and 2½ inches, two at 3 inches, three at 2 inches and one each at 1½ and 1 inch, each labeled with its size. With an allowance added, the set runs onto a second page. Use it to audition sizes on a block or a canton before cutting dozens. The stars in our American flag quilt pattern each fit a 3-inch circle, so the 3-inch star here matches them; a Quilts of Valor top or a Fourth of July runner can use any of the others. For a whole field of one size, choose the 5-point star and leave “Fill the page” ticked.

Tips for clean shapes

Print once, check the square, then trace your working template onto template plastic or card. Paper templates fray at the points after a dozen tracings.
For fusible web, leave about ¼ inch between traced shapes and cut them apart roughly before fusing. Cut on the line only after the web is fused to the fabric.
Cut stars and leaves with small sharp scissors and turn the fabric, not the scissors, at each point.
Stack two or three layers of freezer paper and staple them inside the shape to cut several at once.
For tiny shapes (1 inch and under), choose the ⅛-inch allowance. A wider one won't fold under at the inner corners.

Common mistakes

Printing at “fit to page” is the usual one. It shrinks the sheet by a few percent, and the shapes no longer match a pattern's placement marks. Measure the square every time.

Next is forgetting to reverse. Trace the bird face-up onto fusible web and it flies the wrong way once fused. Symmetric shapes don't care.

With needle-turn, people cut on the solid line. Don't: that's where the edge folds, and the dashed line is the one to cut. If you're working from a printed pattern at a different size, the template resize calculator gives the copier percentage. For pieced curves instead of applique, see the curved template generator.

Applique templates