Charm Quilts

I'm packing up to go to Muskegon and teach Charm Quilts for the Lighthouse Quilt Guild. To celebrate I'm posting two new quilt patterns. For the uninitiated, Charm quilts are quilts that use one template, but every fabric is different. They were first popular in the 1880s. They were revived in the 1930s, and had a huge surge in the 1980s. Since then retailers have been packaging fabrics in bundles of 5" squares and designers have been finding new uses for the bundles. In the spirit of new uses for 5" squares, I've written two patterns.

Charm Baby

 Charm Baby uses the 5" squares to make 9 Patch units that are then cut up. Click here for the pattern.

Charming Hours

Charming Hours takes one light and one dark charm, layered right sides together, cut and sewn to make a 4" Hour Glass block. Click here for the pattern.

I still favor a traditional charm, where one template is used and every fabric is unique.

Clams Incognito from Charm Quilts by Beth Donaldson, 1997.

I'll be seeing some of you tomorrow, until next time......Happy Quilting!

Hazel Ridge Path finished

Hazel Ridge Path, 87" x 58"

Owl quilting

It's finally done! I'm really pleased with the machine quilting. I traced the owls (from a Hari Walner pattern) onto tissue paper, pinned the tissue to the border and free motion quilted. Then I attached the border to the quilt. I lot of work, but worth it for the result.

Now time to get ready to teach Charm Quilts to the Patchers at the Lakeshore in Muskegon, MI. Also doing a Detroit in the 1930s lecture. I'll be there next Monday.