Lorraine Morgan loves gingerbread trim, but can't afford it -- so she makes her own. Once she found the pattern book, she perfected a technique of blowing up the pattern in a photocopy machine, tracing it onto both sides of the board, and then cutting and sanding the trim. One nice thing about trim that goes high up on your house, is that you don't have to finish it to the same perfection that you would a piece of furniture. So she does it all with a simple jig saw and a few sanding tricks and she saves a bundle of money. Make it out of any wood or plywood you want but not pressboard or MDF, and protect it with a lot of paint on all surfaces before installing it outdoors, even if you will then repaint it to match the rest of the house.
Lorraine's pattern book:
Victorian Gingerbread: Patterns and Techniques. Patrick Spielman & James Reidle. Sterling Publishing
The gingerbread shown in the studio came from Victorian Balustrade & Wood Moulding Co. Ltd., Barrie, Ontario.