Before you can create a gingerbread pattern, you need to have an idea of what you want your project to look like. If I’m creating a gingerbread house to look like an existing building, I take pictures of all 4 sides of the house. Google Maps (Satellite view) helps me with roofs. Google Maps (Street view) has also helped me when I didn’t have pictures of a property. Once I have a pretty good idea of what all 4 sides of the building will look like, then I either sketch all 4 sides of the building on graph paper or import pictures into Microsoft PowerPoint and trace over the picture. It’s really important to note, if you trace your pictures, be aware that you’ll have to tweak your drawings just a bit unless you have absolutely perfect pictures that show your building straight on and centered.
No matter what method you use, tracing or free-hand drawing, it’s important to keep all of the walls square and the windows even, unless you are going for a crooked look! If you are making a tall piece, I suggest you break the building up by floors, actually putting a floor in on each level. All of my largest pieces are literally a series of gingerbread boxes, stacked on top of one another. This stacking method helps carry the weight of the piece. If I would have just made one large open shell, my piece would have crumbled with the weight.
Once I have a paper pattern of the four sides of my building and the roof, I cut out the pattern and trace it onto foam board, making sure that all of the walls are square. I use a Xacto knife to cut the foam board. Make sure to label each piece as you cut it so you’ll know what it is. Once you have all of the pieces in foam board, use stick pins to assemble the foam board. Tracing the pattern in foam board may seem like an additional step, but it’s well worth it. By assembling the pattern in foam board, not only will you have strong pattern pieces that you can use more than once, you are also able to determine if you’ve missed pieces or if need to revise your pattern. It’s like having a project “trial run”.
After you have your pattern the way you want it, start baking! I deconstruct my foam board pattern a few pieces at a time and place them face down onto my rolled gingerbread, then carefully cut around the pieces in short strokes. Make sure to label the gingerbread pieces with edible marker. Once I’m finished with the foam board piece, I put it in a box and I do not discard until the gingerbread house is up and ready for decoration. You never know when you’ll need to re-bake a piece.