bookworm913

I know how to rotary cut and I've used (and still have and use) templates. After using both, I'm wondering who here likes using templates over rotary cutting? I know the templates take longer, but I like the connection to our quilting past they give me and it forces me to slow down when I use templates. Where are my template using peeps?

Tartan

Rotary cutting for straight lines but templates for curved or intricate pieces.

crafty pat

I love my templates and use them most of the time.

annievee

I like templates best !

SusieQOH

I don't like templates but I love to hand quilt. That makes me feel connected to our past.

Onebyone

I don't like either that much. I like my Go die cut machine for most quilting cuts. I think my great greats would had jumped at the chance to have anything easier to be able to create more. They didn't have a choice so that's why it's our sewing past.

QuiltE

Or combine the two ......... use one of the smaller sized rotary cutters
and zip around the templates!
Though, not so good, if you have paper or box board templates.
Can be done, but you need to be reeeeeeeeeally careful!

A glass cutting shop can cut plexiglass templates for you in most any shape.
I've done it several times. The first I did were apple cores.
Zipped around those curves in no time!!

pocoellie

Templates for me.

LogCabin82

I don't think I've ever used a template... just rotary cutter.

Iceblossom

I started quilting just before the rotary revolution. I have certainly used cardboard templates and/or paper patterns because that was really most of what we had back then was just the old newspaper patterns like Kansas City Star/Ruby McKim. Her 101 Patchwork Patterns was my first quilt book.
http://mckimstudios.com/

I figured out that I could buy desk size blotter paper with a 1/4' grid on them, they were basically the exact size as the folded in half fabric, so I would draw my lines on that and could cut 4-6 layers with my big heavy shears.

And then came rotary cutters and strip piecing techniques. Love them. Learned them. How to draw grids and sew mass amounts of HST at a time. Ways that you can do things on sewing machines, some patterns are easier done by hand. Some easier redrafted to eliminate unnecessary seams or add seams to make it easier to piece on machine.

I still feel a connection to previous quilters. I know some of them would have been all over the cool stuff we have!

edit/ps: Last year or the year before I bought a template set for a Grandmother's Fan project because I wanted that sturdy consistent fan blade and each piece I was using was unique and fussy cut. I did cut them with a small rotary blade so don't know if that counts as both or not!