My mother always used a clothesline, we had a huge one outside that probably could have fit all the clothes and sheets we owned, with room to spare. And I have 6 brothers and sisters. She also did cloth diapers on the line. She actually still puts everything on the line, and it's just her and my dad now.
We did have a dryer, but it was really only used when my mom washed and dried the fabric before sewing something, so the fabric would shrink if it was going to. The driers we had were bought used.
I grew up in Idaho, where school was not cancelled unless it was 20 degrees below zero. For winter, my dad rigged clotheslines along the ceiling in the basement, which was where the wood stove was that heated the house, and where we kept toys and such. So clothes hung up there would dry relatively quickly.
I have one line outside, which doesn't get used now, since my darling husband spray painted a costume on it and got black paint all over the line.
I use a clothes horse type thing inside, I actually need to put the laundry on it away. I have a drier that is probably older than I am, but still works. I use the drier for unders, sheets, towels, jammies. Seriously, clothes last longer when you don't dry them in a drier. Plus shrinking is way less likely.
