Charm quilts have been popular since at least the 1800s, so you’ll find many examples when you view displays of vintage quilts. Try these techniques to put your leftover scraps of fabric to good use by making a gorgeous charm quilt.
One Patch Charm Quilts
Charm quilts are usually one patch quilts, designs that repeat a single shape over and over. One patch designs often used for charm quilts are Thousand Pyramids made with equilateral triangles, Tumbling Blocks made with diamonds, and Grandmother’s Flower Garden made with hexagons. Hexagon charm quilts are typically sewn together using English paper piecing.
Postage Stamp Charm Quilts
Quilts sewn from small squares of fabric are often called postage stamp quilts. Some are charm quilts made with thousands of squares that typically measure 1.5-inches-by-1.5-inches (each finishes at 1-inch square). Squares can be as small or large as you wish—choose a size that’s comfortable to work with and suits your leftover scraps of fabric. Charm quilts made from squares are a good choice for beginning quilters and are easy to sew by machine. Other shapes can be machine sewn, too, but often require set-in seams or offset angled edges when sewing.
Beginner Charm Quilt
The Sixteen Patch quilt block pattern could be used to assemble individual blocks with 16 different 2-inch-by-2-inch squares. Keep track of the fabrics used and do not repeat a fabric. Ignore the color guidelines in the pattern—just follow the sewing instructions. When you have enough blocks for a quilt, sew them into rows and then join the rows.
Sew a Charm Quilt With Rectangles and Squares
Rectangles are another easy shape that can be machine sewn. Try offsetting the rectangles by beginning and ending alternate rows with squares that are half the width of the rectangles. For example:
Accumulating Scraps for a Charm Quilt
It can take a while to accumulate enough scraps of fabric to make a charm quilt. Many quilters swap fabrics to help speed up the process. 5-inch-by-5-inch squares are a nice size, and a good size to swap with other quilters. You might prefer to select a specific shape and start a scrap bin, especially for a charm quilt. Each time you have leftover fabrics, cut one piece from each and place it in the bin. When you’ve accumulated enough for a quilt, arrange the patches on a design wall to establish a layout.
Charm Squares
Packets of fabric are often sold in bundles that are labeled charm squares. Don’t confuse the name of a product with an actual charm quilt.
