cpfrog

In the late 70's I tried an Ohio Star pillow (not an entire quilt) and thought it would take me forever; set in triangles; trying to somehow match "corners"; never heard of 9-patches, DUH! It wasn't until the 90's that I "grew up". I will always appreciate all the work of those quilters before us with only scissors. God bless them and their souls.

mythreesuns

I remember when my grandma got her first cutter.. took her some practice to get it right..she many times when back to her old ways.

jeaninmaine

I took a quilting class way back in the 50's, we cut with scissors and were hand piecing a sampler quilt. The teacher quit after the third or fourth class so i never did finish it. The only thing I remember about it is trying to handstitch seams with 16 stitches per inch.

My next experience with quilts was in the 80's. I went to a few quilting weekends. The first quilt we did was Eleanor Burn's Trip around the World, and the second was her version of the Lone Star. Both were done with a rotary cutter.

I remember after I got home from that first weekend, I ran out and bought my first rotary cutter, I spent three days cutting 2" squares, I must have made three or 4 full sized tops with them and there's still more floating around. I still find some of them every so often.

Jackie Spencer

I remember those days. Been quilting since 1975. One of the first quilts I made was a star sampler quilt. One of the 12 inch blocks had 64 pieces. My daughters wedding quilt has over 3000 pieces. I think I did more intricate work then, and they were all sewn by hand. I didn't start using a rotary cutter and sewing them on a machine, till about 9 years ago, when I realized I would never live to make all the quilts I want to make, especiaaly doing it by hand, so I better get busy!!

learner

I did a double wedding ring. My first quilt. Took forever.

GloBug

Count me in I started quilting in the mid 60s.

grammagayle

It was either 1979 or 1980 when I got my first Olfa rotary cutter and small mat (and I still have and use them both). Before that, I always said that if my house caught on fire, be sure and rescue my young son's paintings that he had done. Once the rotary cutter and mat came out I added them to my list as 'must saves'!!!! LOL 30 years....hard to believe.

neece

I started in early 80's with scissors and still do mostly scissors. I am a klutz and have had stitches in both hands, the last when I cut off the tip of my finger with a knife. I have a rotary ruler I carefully use but haven't tried a cutter. I am trying to keep my fingers attached.

KS quilter

Count me in...yeah I was there with the sissors, pencils and cardboard templates. I used them about 10 years after
the rotary cutters come out. I would have to get my book down for a list...but it was a lot. I remember a 4" hand
pieced little basket and there were 6 or 7 triangles making
up the handle..still one of my favorites. There was a Kansas Troubles, fan quilt, dresden plate, and many more. I
don't do it anymore, except for pieces for applique but I
do use plastic now to make my templates instead of cardboard. I never minded it at all and have been tempted
at times to do it again. But the rotary is much more exact
as well as faster.

ckcowl

i still use templates and scissors when the project can be easier cut out than with a rotory cutter- i never ever cut out a whole quilt at once though- so it's not so bad.
i cut one block- or a few blocks at a time---for me even with a rotory cutter-if a pattern says start with cutting 800 2" squares---i'm putting that pattern back and not going near it---but if i can look at that same pattern and cut out 20 2" squares and get started i can do that---
i enjoy alot of hand projects-and cut out with scissors- traced templates often....sometimes it is faster, and definitly safer than using a rotory cutter.
i did start sewing/quilting over 40 years ago- so learned to do everything without a rotory cutter- but am very attached to mine now--for the past 7-8 years; but i would never give up my shears.