I used templates for my DWR and I can't imagine doing it anyother way.
But I am talking about the clear plastic templates - not sure if that's what you mean or not
I used my rotary cutter and yes I did stack the fabric. the most I could cut cleanly at a time was 4 or 6 layers - depending on how sharp my blade was ... maybe someone stronger could cut more if they could push down harder
that's a very cool quilt you are looking at there!