OMGosh...me too. Pre everything. No templates, no rotary cutters, no paper piecing, no nothing. Had to do it all. That's why I was slower in quilting full time. Still do some things the old way like hand quilting but love the new cutting methods. Whew. Now that was years ago....well...maybe not so many....well ok...I'm there with ya'll. :):)

I made my first quilt (baby) in 1965/1966 for my second child a Daughter. My Mom told and showed me what she knew how to do. She had made tops, never finished them into a quilts. I waited several years to get back into it. I bought some of the first quilter's Newsletters. When I started machine quilting about eight years ago I really picked up steam. Made lots of them hand quilting, lots,lots more machine quilting.

I've been quilting off and on since 1980. My very first quilt was a king size double irish chain quilt I made for my mom and dad for Christmas one year (before my husband and I had children of course). Back then, seems like I had all the patience in the world to sit and cut out all those 1 1/2" blocks and sew them all together to make this beautiful quilt. Now I'm getting ready to make another double irish chain and wonder how I did it w/o the rotary cutter. This one I'm making for my 25 year old son and his wife.

My father died 10 years ago at which time my mom gave the quilt back to me. Just last month, I gave it to my 28 year old daughter as a birthday gift. She loves it!

Didn't start quilting until I took my first quilt class in 1991or 92. So I have not used anything but a rotary cutter. Before quilting, I made clothes for myself and my children. I did make by hand about 100 yo-yos for a pillow front, then said never again and went out with my Joann's coupons and started buying the yo-yo makers!

I started in 89 and the rotary cutter I think was here!! I did use templates for my first quilt however. :lol: :D :lol:

Actually my rotory cutting years began 2007 and because my brand new cutting mat is as bad as the old one I am back to using, ruler, markers and shears. The one finished, a storm at sea queen, and a carpenter's star throw, have all been done sans rotory cutter.

One, log cabin then busy raising 4 little ones that got back in after RC

One, log cabin then busy raising 4 little ones that got back in after RC

not me i have only been quilting for about 4 yrs. but my mama made huge quilts. i never saw her cut, so i guess i was at school. she had the frames that hung from the ceiling and they rolled up so you could walk under them. i said huge but they were probably full size since what beds we had!!!

I must admit I look back to those days in amazement and wonder how I ever stuck with it... It's so much easier today! Thank goodness!

Yes, I learned to quilt "PRC" ... about 25 years ago ... I joined a quilt group while expecting our first kiddo. I remember tracing templates on a sand board, cutting out each shape. My 1st quilt was a Rail Fence. No strip quilting then, no quick triangle methods. UGH ... yes it WAS very tedious and slow ! I had sewn since Jr High, so was used to cutting out patterns, just not SO MANY (all HAND quilted too, machine quilting was still much frowned upon & criticized then) Thank heavens the rotary cutter came out a year or two later ... don't think I'd still be quilting if it hadn't ... BEST thing since sliced bread !! :roll: :)

I have a cutter but prefer to use a scissors. Different strokes for different folks.

I hand quilted a few baby blankets and made place mats. Still have a lot of my old templates (gathering dust). But since the rotary cutter I have made many quilts. Don't think I would ever have the patience to use templates anymoe.

My first quilt (in the 70's) was log cabin. I drew and cut all the pieces by hand and none of them fit. Then when I finished my squares none of them was the same size. I bought a light and a dark and went around all of the squares so nobody ever knew. Also made card tricks, drunkards path, a sampler, lonestar, Aunt sukies choice, another one that I think is called around the twist and various other single blocks. That is all I can think of. It has really been hard for me to learn to cut with the rotery cutter because I am really math challenged. It really takes me at least as long to cut something as it would cutting a piece at a time. Of course the sewing is faster.

Rotary cutters were just coming out when I learned to quilt. My first quilt was a queen sized trip around the world made from a cereal box cardboard template, traced with pencil onto fabric and cut out by hand.

just send it to me pretty soon I'm gunna be cramped in the house with nothing to do. I love to hand quilt.

I learned to hand piece and quilt when I was a little girl, back in the early 1970's...my grandma taught me. We started with a simple 9 patch. I also made 2 of Sunbonnet Sue, and a Grandmother's Flower Garden. Helped with a Lone Star...they are all finished except for the Lone Star.. I actually had forgotten about it, found it last year..the very center of it does not lay flat, and as it was made with cardboard templates, I am not sure it WILL get finished...lol...we'll see...I actually have some of the old pattern books, from Colonial patterns and Aunt Martha's...they are still in great condition with templates and applique patterns included in them.

I just got a rotary cutter at the beginning of this year.

Well I'm sure you'll really enjoy using it. Before I started with the rotary cutter, my son told me he had been watching some quilting shows, & he told me quilting had really changed, but he was sure I'd really enjoy it. Well , I sure did.

I also made a sampler before I really got into quilting. I am glad I stuck with it as it has helped me over the last year or so. Thanks to every one on this board who were there to help me in the middle of the night.