Why do people prefer templates over measuring and cutting? Is it for precision or is it speed, or something else?

Good question Joe. Hopefully some of the veterans will give us a zillion ideas. I prefer cutting my fabric strips and blocks on my rotary cutting mat with my rotary cutter and my trusty 'June Taylor' Shape cut ruler. I started learning to make the Cathedral Window quilt this weekend. It calls for a template so I can iron the outer edges of my base square over the edge of template. That is the best use I have had for a template.

I learned to piece 18 years ago :shock:

we drew our templates, cut them out, traced around them onto fabric, drew the seam allowance and cut our block pieces, hand sewed them together too.

didn't have rotary cutters to begin with

now I will use ANY fast cutting/piecing method to get my stuff done

...although I really like fussy cutting some things with an old fashioned window template and pencil

my time is somewhat limited with 8 kids at home though :thumbup:

Templates are typically used more for odd shapes that aren't necessarily easy to cut with a straight ruler. Think diamonds, tumblers, circular shapes. There are quite a few shapes where templates are much easier to use.

Templates are also easier to use for some scrap quilts, when you are trying to use odd-shaped leftovers that don't lend themselves to strip piecing. I combine techniques and tape the template to a ruler and still rotary cut the pieces.

Ditto!

Strip cutting and then using templates help me to be way more accurate, not to mention saving a lot of time.
Some of the templates/rulers allow you to cut the points off of pieces for more accurate piecing, and some templates also have places cut out to allow you to mark where to start and stop sewing for Y seams.
There are very many specialty templates out there now, many with other built in features like for squaring up blocks or windows in the center for fussy cutting. I check out new ones to see if I think I would ever use them, and the ones I have bought have more than payed for themselves IMHO :D:D:D

I love strip piecing and most often make quilts that I can cut strips with my rotary cutter and ruler. However, some quilts call for templates when there are odd shaped pieces. I've been known to cut out paper templates from sandpaper and trace around them and then cut them out, but use plastic templates when possible. Right now, I am making a double wedding ring quilt and I bought a plastic template set and it makes the cutting a little easier and faster.

I only recently started using templets and I have found it makes the whole process easier and faster.

I have only used templates for odd shapes (stars, ovals, apple core) and that was just for consistency. I make my own from plastic containers.