it kind of depends on 'your' quilting *habit*..do you tend to make the same kind of quilts over & over? such as storm at sea- if only making one once and do not plan to ever make another one=then It would be a waste to purchase the special rulers/templates---If you love that pattern & plan to make many variations of it then it is worth it to buy the specialty tools. I only buy the ones that I know I will use many times- and they do generally make the 'process' easier.