I did not get into this for the gear, I got into it for results

August 18, 2019 4:29 PM

How did people in the olden days cut precise quilt pieces without Olfa rulers and rotary cutters? I’d like to cut reasonably precise pieces without tools beyond scissors and a regular ruler. Is there a book about this? Any kind of detailed instruction? I’d prefer pictures to video but I’ll take either.

I’ve managed so far with simple shapes from pre-cut charm packs, paper piecing, and eyeballing it (least successful) and I was wondering if there was a better way. It’s OK if it’s wobbly and off center so long as the blocks are recognizable.

posted by blnkfrnk to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (12 answers total)

According to Wikipedia, rotary cutters were only introduced in 1979(!), so it shouldn't be too hard to find quilting books from before then. I found this one on Google Books. Directions for cutting start on page 14.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:47 PM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

Templates are shapes cut from a firm material and drawn around to transfer the shape to fabric. You can use cardboard but it may wear out and the shape can become inaccurate. They are sometimes made of acrylic and I had one made from sheet metal for a simple rectangle.
posted by Botanizer at 4:53 PM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

You can create any template shape you want (straight, curve, triangle) with some dollar store plastic school binders like these .

Trace your line/shape, cut as accurately as possible with scissors. I will say that if you’re using only scissors and no rotary cutter, get the best scissors you can afford. Have fun quilting!
posted by killy willy at 6:35 PM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

Are you using very sharp scissors? I was introduced to Gingher scissors at FIT, and they are essential for any fine cutting work, like trimming seam allowances for French seams, or cutting out button holes, or creating quilt shapes. They do need to be sharpened regularly, though.
posted by Lycaste at 6:39 PM on August 18, 2019

Chalk pencil writes on fabric and washes out.
posted by rikschell at 6:45 PM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

I do not like using a rotary cutter so I rip a lot of my fabric. Otherwise, it's so hard to get a straight edge on a long cut with scissors. You just cut a small bit of fabric and then rip it down the whole length of fabric. This will produce a straight line (you have to rip it in the right direction - with the selvedge or perpendicular to it - and I never remember it until I try it - when you get it right, it will rip without much effort.) I usually rip everything to the width I want, then iron the strips and cut them to the shapes I need.

This tutorial on strip quilting shows how you can do a lot by sewing long strips together and then cutting them and rearranging them before sewing those blocks together again. If you were to do a quilt like the one in the tutorial, just rip the strips instead of cutting them with the rotary cutter.
posted by dawkins_7 at 7:01 PM on August 18, 2019 [4 favorites]

A bit like asking how they heated coffee before microwaves...

Check out this old quilt book (public domain, because old) for some insight on how they did things in the late 19th and early 20th century.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:12 PM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

My mother would be 96 if she was still around. She had dozens of cardboard templates. She traced shapes from quilting magazines onto the inside of cereal boxes to make them.
She made at least a hundred quilts and wall hangings.
You may be able to find old quilting magazines on ebay. The thing is, the instructions leave a lot to be desired. They assume a fair amount of knowledge and experience that may of us do not have and often consist of a pattern, picture of how the block is made, templates, and that's it. No procedure or steps to take, just go to it.

You may be interested in looking at English Paper Piecing as it's all done by hand, using paper templates, small pieces of fabric, and scissors. Check YouTube and hit the library for books on the subject.
The best scissors I've found for this are fiskars I like these because they have good sized grips, but there are others that are also highly recommended.
posted by Enid Lareg at 7:46 PM on August 18, 2019 [9 favorites]

Anyone who sewed a lot would long for or treasure their dressmakers' shears, which are designed to leave the material nearly on the table and sharpened often enough to whisper through it. There's a particular gliding cut you learn for edges without little jaggies in them. Threads has the occasional article on it (some paywalled, some not).

Also: practice, practice, practice. My mother has been sewing and quilting for sixty years or more now and she can throw a piece of yardage onto a table and it settles on grain and unwrinkled. Much easier to cut accurately when there's no strain in the fabric.
posted by clew at 9:24 PM on August 18, 2019 [3 favorites]

I've seen a couple of mentions in older novels of people going to the hardware store and getting templates cut to order from thin sheet metal, although the only example I can come up with off the top of my head is of British.
posted by Fuchsoid at 9:47 PM on August 18, 2019

Buy some vintage quiltmaking books off Amazon or Ebay! I have an old sewing book that has been very helpful in figuring out how to do stuff without fancy equipment beyond a basic sewing machine.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:09 AM on August 19, 2019

Templates, templates, templates.

You will likely enjoy Jinny Beyer’s book Quiltmaking by Hand. Sally Collins’ instructions for making templates are the ones that I use (when I use templates). I believe her book is called Precision Piecing, or something similar.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:35 PM on August 19, 2019