I have asked myself the same question many times. There was something so true about those older quilts, so sweet and humble....I've considered whether minimizing my gadgets and quilting devices would pass that same "feel" onto my quilts. My impatient need to finish a quilt (or shamefully abandon it unfinished) and move onto the next "engenius and creative" idea keeps me from ever actually reverting back to those old tender ways. Searching for a quicker easier way for just about everything is what this era thrives on and I'm a product of my environment and my generation. Sadly true.