I learned to quilt using cardboard templates but hadn't used them in years. I'm doing the Farmers Wife Sampler quilt and I'm using templates for this. I print them out then glue them to old manilla folders (old patient charts actually) and trace around them and cut them out. I'd forgotten how accurate you can be with templates. I trace them on the fabric and cut them out with scissors -- tried using rotary cutter and cut the edges off and almost sliced my finger.