For quilters today, rotary cutter, self-healing mats, and acrylic rulers are standard equipment. Before these tools, quilters cut individual pieces by hand often drawing the pieces onto fabric using a template. What used to take hours and risked inaccuracy when using scissors can now be done in a fraction of the time with much more precision. Tools like these allow quilters to focus more on the quilt design and construction process than on the preparation of pieces. Image used under Creative Commons license