Charm School – 18 Quilts from 5″ Squares
I still remember the day I first came across Moda charm packs. It was almost exactly seven years ago; I remember it well because I had just found out that the sweet little bun-in-my-oven was, in fact, a “she.” To celebrate, I drove straight from the doctor’s office to the quilt shop to pick out fat quarters for my baby girl’s quilt. As I was getting ready to check out, I stumbled upon those beautiful little precut stacks of 5” squares. I had no idea what I would do with them but I could not resist buying a few, just to see what I could make.
I found that playing with 5” squares was such fun–and that there were endless possibilities with what I could do with them. I used them like building blocks and discovered a whole new world of creativity. I’m happy I finally get to share my love of these 5” squares with you in my new book Charm School–18 Quilts From 5” Squares. (It’s due in shops March 1 2017 but I’ve heard people have already been able to get copies from Amazon.com.)
Even though the precut charm squares were inspiration for my book, it is easy to make other fabric substitutions 🙂 All 18 projects include instructions to use not only precut charm squares, but also fat quarters, scraps, and more!
The Charm School book is intended to be more than just a collection of patterns–each chapter contains a schoolhouse “lesson” or technique to apply to the 5” squares. Start with the 5” squares as they are, and gradually learn how to make simple alterations.
The thing I love about simple quilts is the opportunity to let beautiful fabric do the talking. Of course, it doesn’t get any simpler than a basic block quilt–my Modern Basic quilt is a project anyone can tackle. By keeping those 5” squares as is, there is an opportunity to really play around with fabric choice, fabric placement, and the finishing touches to make a bold statement. (Check out that crazy-fabulous custom quilting by Natalia Bonner!)
It was a fun challenge to see what sort of things I could dream up with the most basic of shapes. My Snowfall quilt below was made with just squares and rectangles! Fabric is Evergreen by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics. Quilted by Abby Latimer.
Gradually, we add triangle shapes to our designs. In Scrap Happy (below) triangles are incorporated to form charming little sawtooth stars in the sashing. Fabric is Farmhouse by Joanna Figueroa. Quilting by Abby Latimer.
Using the same easy corner triangle method, we see a whole new world of possibilities opens up with quilter basics like snowball blocks and flying geese!
Eventually, this easy corner triangle technique can help us build up to some pretty impressive block designs–Madame Butterfly being a prime example. (I’ve adapted my Social Butterfly Mini quilt into a full quilt pattern and made it charm-friendly 🙂 Woohoo!)
In another chapter, we examine how to make individual triangle units called half-square triangles. I share my favorite two methods to get them from 5” squares, as well as my secret to getting them flawless every time.
And of course, half-square triangles lead to quarter-square triangles…
And finally, we delve into some wonky cuts to mix things up a bit.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek. Of course, these are just a few of the quilts–the book contains 18 design totals–I hope you’ll pick up a copy to see the rest. You can see all of the Charm School quilts in the product listing here.
As you may imagine, a book is a huge undertaking. I could not have done it without the amazing team at C&T Publishing, my amazing quilters (thank you Abby and Natalia!), or Susan Vaughan who was my second pair of eyes in the editing phase. Thank you for listening to my ideas and giving them wings. And of course, a big thanks to my mom for being an invaluable sounding board and wrangler of children amidst crazy deadlines.
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21 Comments
Unknown
February 15, 2017 at 10:48 amI love the book! I received my copy from Amazon Saturday. I had preordered it a few months ago.
I am now waiting for a few fabrics so I can get started.
Judy
February 15, 2017 at 11:55 amWhat a great book! Love Rock Star!
Unknown
February 15, 2017 at 1:19 pmThank you – I will check it out – I have just been trying to figure out what to make with a moda charm pack (Wing and Leaf) so this would be perfect…..!
Pam L
February 15, 2017 at 8:02 pmI'm going to buy a couple extra books to give friends just starting to quilt! Cannot wait to get my hands on this. Congratulations 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Becky S.
February 15, 2017 at 8:32 pmYour Charm School quilts are gorgeous! I can't wait to get a copy of the book.
Little Quiltsong
February 16, 2017 at 5:29 amThis book sounds wonderful – I definitely have to check it out. Love the sneak peek quilts you have shown :)!
Mary Ann
February 16, 2017 at 9:30 amI will most definitely have to check out your book as I have been buying charm squares since Moda first brought them out in these tins. I love,love my charm packs. survivor972002@midco.net
Mary Ann
February 16, 2017 at 9:30 amI will most definitely have to check out your book as I have been buying charm squares since Moda first brought them out in these tins. I love,love my charm packs. survivor972002@midco.net
Mary Ann
February 16, 2017 at 9:31 amI will most definitely have to check out your book as I have been buying charm squares since Moda first brought them out in these tins. I love,love my charm packs. survivor972002@midco.net
Anne D
February 16, 2017 at 11:48 amI love charm squares and your book looks gorgeous. I will definitely have to buy it!
Helen L
February 16, 2017 at 1:36 pmLooks like an amazing book: so many fun looking quilts in it! And your portrait on your blog: that's you just as you finished the book, and you're thinking, "Whew! I'm exhausted, but it's done!!" (Happy Smile) Hugs, H
Janan Doster
February 18, 2017 at 6:16 pmCongratulations on your new book. Looks like you have added a sweet new touch to basic squares! I have been in love with charm packs ever since the beginning when Moda introduced them in "tins" with cute little patterns. Charms are so much fun plus they allow you to get a bit of the entire fabrics in a collection without breaking your checkbook! I will be looking forward to your book.
Julie Cefalu
February 27, 2017 at 3:19 pmThis book just arrived at my local quilt shop and now I own it! I love 5" charm squares and I was so happy to see the beautiful patterns you've made for them. Congratulations!
susane
March 2, 2017 at 6:13 amMy best congratulations for your superb site! Perfect !!!
voyance gratuite
Karen @dixielandcrafts
March 27, 2017 at 1:04 amCongrats on the new book. I love it and yes already own it. I'm so excited to make the chandelier quilt and just trying to decide which of my lovely charm packs to use. I also absolutely love your fabric lines; especially Little Miss Sunshine. It's my all time favorite. Keep up the excellent work.
Cynthie M
October 9, 2017 at 2:07 pmI saw the Rock Star quilt on Pinerest, so I was able to get the book to make one for my grandson. The other quilts in the book are great, too. My disappointment with the Rock Star quilt is in the instructions for construction. They're confusing and seem to produce "Y" seams if done as described (at least my interpretation). It will be a little challenging to put together, but I have enough sewing experience to pull it off myself. For the novice, however, it is not a good quilt to start with.
astrologer
February 5, 2019 at 12:43 amThanks for sharing this amazing post. Keep it up!!
Love problem solution astrologer
Get your love back
Vanessa Goertzen
April 3, 2019 at 12:07 pmYou are so right. I don't know if you ever saw that a correction was added to clarify how it ought to be assembled–it just requires sewing a few other things together before you can sew the rows together. Here is the link:
https://lellaboutique.bigcartel.com/charm-school-corrections
Connie
March 1, 2021 at 11:56 amVanessa- I bought your Charm School book and am making the chandelier quilt. But there’s no info on how big to cut the triangles for the edges. I’m a newbie and I don’t wanna waste fabric. Can you tell me that info?
Ann Hawkes
August 14, 2021 at 5:35 amI’m so glad you brought this up! It’s an important part of the instructions that were left out??? Guess I won’t buy the book!
Thank you!
Christine Chamberlain
November 16, 2021 at 5:41 amThank you for the Chandelier quilt pattern! I plan on making this one soon!