When I started quilting it was cardboard templates - that's what I had and those were traced from magazines and books. Then it was traced onto freezer paper - and iron that onto fabric and cut those out. Then the plastic/acrylic templates came out - and I bought those. Then the metal ones and I had to have them..... Then one day I went to the Road to CA Quilt Show by myself and I watched the Accuquilt demonstration - must have stood there for 20 minutes talking to the lady as she showed me how well it cut, and the various dies. I always wanted to do a clamshell (even had the template) but here it was and all I had to do is put the fabric on it and roll it thru. And I could cut six at a time! I walked away - but it was stuck in my head. And it came home with me along with 4 dies - the 2 tumblers, clam shell, and the 2.5 inch strip die. I haven't used my templates since. (That's been about 10 years now.) Today I went away my templates to someone that will use them - so that makes me happy.