Back in the day before the rotary cutter , I figure lots of quilts got started but never got past the boring cutting with templates , a pencil, and sissors.
My first quilt seemed to take forever just to cut out.
How many here quilted before the rotary cutter? What quilts did you make using the old templates and sissors ?

Lori, I did- it seems that it wasn't long before I got a rotary cutter though. It was in the late 80's.
With templates I made a sampler quilt (my first quilt class- learned a lot) and some miniatures- bow-tie quilt, basket quilt and a couple more.
I still love to hand quilt but have absolutely no desire to use templates and scissors lol

I tried. I really tried. But I was the mother of two infants at the time and simply couldn't make the time to cut templates and fabric with scizzors and sew everything by hand. I never completed more than a few patches.

30+ years later, now that what became a flock of 4 children have left the nest, the rotary cutter has been adapted for quilters, and designers have moved us far beyond their use in making log cabin-style quilt tops, I've come back to quilt-making. It's so much more fun now!

I quilted pre-rotary cutter and can't think of a thing that I made. jb

I actually did a GFG in polyester, and cut each piece by hand with a template, drawn around by pen. It was an adventure. Will post a picture someday when my sewing room gets finished, and I can find the quilt.

I did. Since I suck at cutting with scissors, my quilting has improved ALOT.

In 1996, I lost the use of my right leg and spent about 6 month in a body cast in a hospital bed. (almost a year in the cast, but after surgery- I could be up a bit.)

I hand pieced and entire bed-sized quilt, and got half of it hand quilted. then I recovered and it is still have quilted. LOL

I have been quilting for some 40 years. My first quilts were all 9 patches or other "square" type quilts. I also did many applique baby quilts for my many, many nieces and nephews. Than I did a churn dash and an on point diamond quilt that is still one of my favorite quilts. Those were done with paper templates. The first quilt I remember making with a rotary cutter and ruler was a trip around the world. That was also my first time strip piecing!

I quilted for many years pre-rotary cutter. And even now, most of what I cut for art quilts and all of what I cut for cards is done with scissors. I find it relaxing actually, and more personal.

I have been quilting over 30 years and still don't have a rotary cutter. DH does most of the cutting.

ah, one must remember, quilt maker's of the day did not have time to waste sitting at the computer, or in front of the TV..their quiet time was spent doing what most now consider meaningless, boring, time consuming work...I can remember when I learned how to quilt I used card board templates and pencil. I was taught to starch the fabric then trace templates and then cut out..sometimes "cutting bees" were held just for this purpose!
It was just as fun then as a sewing bee is now!

So do I enjoy cutting my pieces w/scissors. I have a alto II that changed my way of cutting a lot of strips & squares. But still get my pen & scissors out on most of my quilts.

Pre-rotary cutter Was before my time. You mean you used scissors and templates. Yuck!

I've done it but was happy when the cutter came along :)

My first quilt was a grandma's fan. It was hand pieced and hand quilted. Unfortunately the quilting is still not finished. Anyone out there willing to finish it up for me? I made it in the late 1980's so it has been waiting a long time.

When my daughter was born in 1983 I had made her a cheery little quilt - rail fence with 1" strips, all red, yellow, blue calicoes.
Never heard of a rotary cutter. Made second quilt in 2011, still hadn't heard of it. Now I can't live without it.

I also pre-date the ball-point pen, pantyhose, TV...

The first quilt I made was a Double Irish Chain. I cut it out with a template and scissors. It's smaller than a full size but bigger than twin.

Oh, Dear, I think I'm dating myself. Templates? Were they anything besides something you cut out of paper yourself if you wanted a special design? That's how my Great Grandmother and Mother taught me how to do it. We had some old (very old) pattern books, but there were no quilting magazines. Maybe there was more available in the "big cities", but I was a country girl. I did have a "One Stitch" Singer electric, sometimes used my Great Grandmother's Singer treadle. Mostly pieced by hand. Used old ---- I guess you would call them "fabric templates"--- that had been passed down through the generations, for the block designs so we'd be able to get the sizes right. What the "fabric templates" represented had been written on them in ink. I'd pin the fabric piece or the cut out paper to the fabric, draw around the "template", remove the template, and cut the piece out with scissors. The quilts were made from old clothes, old bedsheets, feed sacks, things like that. I made a couple of "scrappy quilts" without knowing that's what they were. Just kept sewing scraps together until I had a top. We never used batting, unless we had a worn out quilt that was no good for anything else. We didn't have batting like we have today anyway. Using the alternatives, like flannel, was too expensive, and we wouldn't dream of using perfectly good cloth between "tops". Yes, that's right. The backings were made from the same stuff the tops were made from, but with less concern for pattern, unless you wanted a two-sided quilt. And they were either "tied", which was fairly quick, or hand quilted, which was really boring as far as I was concerned. I do remember my Mother putting an old, worn, wool blanket between two tops, and was that quilt warm! And hard to hand quilt. She was very fussy about it, and I pulled out a lot of stitching to suit her. I also remember her cutting up my Father's Navy uniforms to make coats for us. Funny the thoughts. . . I was in my 20's before I ever bought fabric for a quilt. Unheard of! Bought fabric was for clothing you wore! I guess you can see why I wasn't so excited about making quilts when I was young. They were necessary, so I did it. I preferred making clothing, like formal wear, prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, Mother of the Bride or Groom dresses, and even a few Wedding Dresses, that I could sell for real money. And I was a good seamstress (me and my One Stitch Singer and hand made button holes).

Now here it is, decades later, and I'm back to making quilts, but this time I'm loving it! I have a good sewing machine, and am about to get a terrific one. I have a rotary cutter, although sometimes I long for my scissors. I'm still working on being a good rotary cutter. I have a ton of rulers and gadgets you wouldn't believe! All deemed necessary! And the incoming flow of information on quilting is quite overwhelming! I was teased when I went to Good Will for "practice fabrics" and came home with a haul for $20. Who would spend good money on fabric I'm going to throw away when I'm done? My husband was hysterical. I don't understand. But you should see my stash of "bought fabrics"! It makes me blush. I just adore this new way of quilting. I can be so creative! It's so much more fun than sewing clothes!

And that's the whole story!

I quilted for a long time before rotary cutters came along. I made the same kind of quilts then that I do now, traditional blocks and hand-applique. Rotary cutters definitely have made the process faster!

Oh, let's not go there...microwave, cell phone, computer (and I'm talking UNIVAC)...! :shock: :lol:

I made one, a simple Trip Around the World in that old reliable combo of cranberry red and navy blue. My father is still using that quilt on his bed, over thirty years later.

Then I took a quilting hiatus. Not because I got tired of using a template and scissors but because life just got in the way.

I've been making most of my own clothes since then and use a rotary cutter. But now that I've started quilting again, I'm back to the templates and scissors again!

In the late 70s I made my first quilt, king size, pattern-Clay's Choice. It took me two years to complete, but I did finish it as it was a wedding present. After that experience, it is a wonder I ever thought of trying another quilt. I send my undying gratitude to whoever it was who invented the rotary cutter!

I started quilting in 1996, when I was seventeen. The first thing I made was a little pillow, then a baby quilt- both with scissors, pencil, and little cardboard templates.

Then I took a watercolor class- hand-pieced together a large wall-hanging top (which is still sitting in a UFO box, waiting for me to figure out how to finish it off.) All those little bitty squares were pre-cut for me, thank goodness, but I still had to mark them.

I remember taking a class on "precision piecing" at a quilt show when I was 18, my first time using a rotary cutter. I am such a perfectionist, I kept ripping out everything I sewed together. I think I got a couple of little strips of flying geese sewn together, everyone else had most of a wall-hanging finished by the end of the class, lol!

I still have another old UFO from way back then, as well. It will never get finished because I barely started it- just a string of handpieced little blocks sewn together- but I have them all together in a little memento box along with the cardboard templates I'd made to cut them out.

I'm only thirty-two, but even since I've started quilting there are sooo many new shortcuts!

I'd be interested! You can PM me if you'd like. :)

I did pre rotary cutter and even used electric scissors at one time. I do not entiely cut with rotary even now. I learned with scissors and I still use them along with rotary cutter.

Let see...PRC I made a king size log cabin, finished some dresden plate blocks (found at antique shop) with sashing, borders and hand quilted, finished a sunbonnet sue (found at same antique shop) with sashing, borders and hand quilted, and made my own sunbonnet sue for DD2. Then DD1 began working at a fabric store and learned about rotary cutters and the 'modern' way of quilting. Been using it ever since, except for a DWR and some applique and a GFG.

i cut my first templates out of milk jug plastic and cereal box cardboard. and cut the fabric with [no so sharp] scissors. it was difficult to keep the lines straight. i made a sampler baby quilt

I did and since it was time consuming, quilting the top afterward seemed less of a chore. I there were still unfinished tops but they didn't accumulate as quickly as now.

I made a pillow for my sister from old clothing (jeans and something bright red) - hideous is what I would call it today. She still has it - bless her heart.

I began with cardboard templates and scissors cutting each triangle separately. Then I discovered a wonderful book published in 1979 by Barbara Johannah called The Quick Quiltmaking Handbook. She was the first to introduce strip quilting and the fast triangle method that everyone uses now. Her strip quilting method made the lone star and around the world patterns so easy and that opened the quilt world for me. Then when the rotary cutter and mat came along what a joy. I have researched Barbara Johanna because I feel she deserves credit for really being the first to introduce the methods so many of us use now. I can't find any reference on her this past 30 years. I feel she should be in the quilter's hall of fame because so many teachers have used her original methods without credit. She also wrote a book on Continuous Curve Quilting published 1980 and she was gracious enough to acknowledge Robbie Fanning for the idea. The two books are my cherished possessions now and when I depart my children can sell them on e-bay!
Happy quilting
Severna
Happy Quilting

I made an Indian Star quilt top all cut out with sissors and a 12 inch school ruler and chalk pencil...made all the blocks and then it was put away for 30 years or more and last month i sewed the blocks together, they were kinda wonky but i went ahead with the borders (they were cut and in the box also) and yesterday i finished quilting it.... i do not know why i ever picked these colors LOL but it will be nice and warm this winter it is 80 x 100 and will bind it today....so i am progressing with the challenge to finish UFO....this one is the last of the pre rotary cutter projects so maybe i will finish all this year

oh, and i used cardboard from the backs of sketch books and watercolor pads.....my cereal boxes were round

I do hand quilting for other quilters. PM me if interested.


I still have a large mark on top of the piano where DH was making a template, gluing sandpaper to a piece of cardboard, putting a weight on it, and it leaked through and stuck to the piano. We still have a whole bunch of templates.

Let me put it this way, I attempted to learn how to do patchwork pre rotary cutter but was very unsuccessful. My hands were never steady at cutting and I had no one that could give me any advice. Reading instructions from a book made little sense to me. My oldest sister sent each of us younger girls a quilt top that she made. It was beautifully done and I wanted so badly to learn how she did it. Now I only wish I still had that top. Those were done pre rotary cutter.
I still have boxes of pieces that have been cut out and started for quilts that I have picked up along the way at a garage sale or estate sale.
I did make a couple "baby blankets" that some would call a quilt today but even back in the day I did not consider them to be 'quilts'. Right now I am grateful to the rotary cutter and acrylic rulers and self healing mats. They opened a new and fun world for me. Now I have a stash that will out live me and a sewing room that most would die for. Julia

I now marvel at the first quilt I made in the 70's. It was squares, cut from polyester clothing fabric that a friend gave me left from her sewing. How I cut squares straight by hand,or how the corners were able to meet I cannot remember to be able to tell you. Perhaps the textured fabric was not slippery. That was the end of quilt making until last year! The newer methods and beginner classes were a real aid to sky rocketing into the whole process. We had that quilt until this Fall when it went to our granddaughter for her fort building fun.

I tried to quilt PRC, but things got fun after I purchased the tools!

I did, not a lot though. I sewed all my life but decided to quilt which I did not have a clue about, didn't do too bad either but it was a lot slower without all those wonderful gadgets!!!!

Made a few PRC quilts, a log cabin for my son, a queen size Irish Chain, and a lot of Amish inspired wallhangings. They were all handquilted too of course...I always had trouble cutting accurately, love my rotary cutter and my Accuquilt!

i MADE ONE IN 1979AND THEN HAD TO STOP UNTIL KIDS STARTED SCHOOL IN 1989.

I started quilting in the sixties and actually I loved cutting by hand. It was relaxing and we didn't have computers,etc., to distract us--so quilting was our entertainment. Yup, I'm old.

The first two full size quilts I made were Elanor Burns Log Cabin. I couldn't find 100% cotton so I couldn't tear the fabric. I used a yardstick to measure the 2 1/2" strips on the floor and cut with sissors.