I don't know if anyone else did this before, but when I started quilting, I was using the thin plastic templates and scissors and I learned how to maximize my yardage. When I made the move over to rotary cutting, I applied what I learned from the plastic templates, and will practically play Tetris on my yardage when I'm cutting. Most of the time, the only waste I have are the selvages and the extra pieces from the odds and ends are usually too small to save for anything else.