Life was so different from today, even in the seventy's . By then most moms' were working out of the house but still found the time to take time. We weren't busy helicoptering our kids making sure every second of their day was jam packed full of the "learning" experience.

I don't think most of us realize how much rushing around we do to go nowhere and how much time it takes to do it. Even with all our modern conveniences we have less time than ever. We even have to rush to be faster finishing the quilts we love to make. Faster, faster, faster.

For the most part the art of "the doing" has been lost for the "get it done".

A sewing room with all the modern tools is useless if we don't take the time to use them.

peace

I absolutely love my GO, I did a lot of research before I purchased it and it won the research race. Sure makes it easier to make my own Jelly Rolls & Charm Packs in addition to all the shapes and assorted size strips for future use.
Jeri

I am like many of you here in this post; I can remember my grannie making quilts and showing me how to make one by handing me a piece of paper in the size or shape that she wanted and letting me cut it out with a pair of scissors (be assured they were not her "good" ones) then showing me how to piece them together; on the sewing machine. She had a Singer treadle and I knew how to use it by the time I was 10 years old. Such a memory trip here.

Then, sometime after the year 2000, one of my sisters urged me to take a quilting class with her. What a revelation (an expensive one though because of everything you had to buy to do all those wonderful things). We made a Winning Hand Quilt. I was amazed at the way those squares and strips could be moved around to make such a pretty picture. And, can you believe it, I cannot for the life of me, remember where that quilt is now. I am sure I gave it to someone I love, but I cannot remember at all. I have one quilt for myself that I have made and kept; it is on my bed and gets washed every other week or so because I have a cat who sleeps with me and the quilt has a lot of white in it.

My grandmother passed away in 1993. She pieced and quilted many, many quilts, having made quilts for all her grandchildren and great-granchildren. She never had a rotary cutter, and I've inherited many pattern pieces, fabric cuts, etc. for quilts she made. These things are precious to me because they were hers and because they are a part of history. My mother made quilts from scraps of fabric, sometimes wool scraps, and tied them, because our house burned with all our bedding, clothing, coats, etc. She tied them, because the need for them was immediate, and there wasn't time to quilt them! Wow! What changes have been wrought! We must never lose sight of our history, because it enables us to appreciate today and tomorrow! (sorry, I didn't mean to get sloppy) LOL!

Jeanette

I love my rotary cutter and lucite templates but back in the day I used scissors. I never traced around templates, just pinned a paper pattern onto the fabric and cut. I still do that sometime for odd shapes. Hey I made all my clothes using paper patterns so no different. I made lots of quilts that way, even made a lone star quilt cutting each diamond individually.I figured if I could set in sleeves and zippers, a quilt top would be a piece of cake, never even cringed at y seams.

We used templates for some things like dresden plate wedges, applecore pieces, etc. Yes we tore fabric back then. I was working in a SewFro store when the first rotary cutters and mats came out. The cutters were yellow Olfa....thin, hard plastic handle that came in one size to begin. The mats were hard, dark green with no markings. They were shiny smooth on one side and pebbly textured on the other. I still have the cutters and the mat is now 4 small pieces I cut up for my grandchildren to use under their craft projects about 15 years ago.

I don't remember what year it was when I first learned about rotary cutters. Maybe I saw them demonstrated on TV...but I was impressed and wanted to get one. Went to the local fabric store (I think it was called House of fabrics). I tried to describe the cutters but couldn't recall what they were called. So I told the sales lady it is like a pizza cutter, but made for cutting fabric. She was flabbergasted, never heard of such a thing!
It was quite a while before I could get one, but worth the wait!

I remember everything you have talked about here my grandmother tought me to sew doll cloths , I was around 7 yrs of age, man all the memories. I still have that Doll ,,

I used to get scraps from a lady with a quilting business back in the 80's. She farmed out work to several women in the area. She had an electric rotary cutter, if you can picture a small radial arm saw or chop saw, it was like that. She would cut through many layers of fabric at once. Very accurate. I believe this was before rotary cutters came out for home use.

When I look at the quilt top left for me in the 70's, by my DGM, I am so amazed by the accuracy. I don't think it is just the rotary cutter that makes such a difference. There are so many convenient tools that we use that Grandma didn't have. Accurate, easy read rulers, our wonderful machines and so many of the other tools I often wonder what she would say if she could come to play in my sewing room.