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by Terry Crawford,
 March 2005
Charms are small squares of fabric cut to a pre-determined size, the size being dependent on the collector/user. My favorite charm size is 5". It's a size that's easy to cut and large enough to work with, yet small enough not to be bulky. There are also other sizes, too... 1", 2", 2.5", 3", 4", 6", 7", 8", 9", and 10". You rarely find anyone who collects charms over 10" square. And I'm sure you can probably find someone who collects sizes not mentioned here.
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Collecting charms is not only fun, but it's also very addictive! There are clubs
that are completely devoted to doing nothing but exchanging charms. You choose the size you want, contact another member to exchange information, and
then start sending your little squishy packets in the snail mail to another
participant (Delivery Confirmation is always a good idea!). Charms are usually exchanged in lots of
10, but can be in any other amount.
Many times, collectors specify things about their charms they want to collect. Some people request that their charms be pre-washed; some don't. Some may want all blues, some may want all florals, some may want all calico fabrics,
some steer clear of novelty fabrics, etc. It's up to you and your swapping
friends!
Reasons for collecting charms vary. Charm quilts are everywhere! Charms are great for:
- Appliqué projects. Collecting these small squares of fabric can really give your fabric stash a big boost.
- "Nickle" quilts, which merely refers to using 5" squares in
the quilt. There are quite a few quilting books with nickle quilt
patterns.
- Yo-Yo quilts. These little, round, gathered "blocks" are
used in a wide variety of things, including (but not limited to): A
quilt, bookmarkers, doilies, tablerunners, embellishments (such as flowers),
etc. Here is an example of a few yo-yos (approximately 2.5" in
diameter), which were made from 5" charms:
Yo-yo quilts are, in my opinion, easy and gorgeous. And, unlike many
people think, there is much versatility in the pattern layout that you
choose to use. The most common yo-yo quilt is to simply use up charms
or scraps of fabrics, with many quilters choosing not to repeat any one
fabric in the quilt. Yo-yo quilts have no backing or batting,
therefore have a "lacey" appearance. As I collect charms
over the years, I make them into yo-yos and have developed a unique pattern,
shown below.
As more of these diamonds are attached, the quilt becomes more
difficult! Someday I'll update the photo with my progress, which is
currently at about 30 diamonds. This pattern is supposed to represent
"flowers", with each diamond having a yellow center and two green
leaves, one at the top and one at the bottom.
My mother has made several of these quilts over the years, and my sister
finished one last year that I designed for her. Of course, I can't
find a single photo of any of these right now, but will continue looking!
So, how do you make a yo-yo? Cut circles from fabrics (about 2.5 times
the size you want your finished yo-yo to be; you can also cut multiple at
once), then fold the edge over to the wrong side and use a running stitch to
sew around the entire circumference (In the quilt pictured above, I did not
fold the edges over, but chose to leave them raw. It is hardly
noticeable!). Leave a thread long enough to tug on, then gather the
circle up into a yo-yo. Yo-yos are attached to one another by an
invisible whip stitch. Typically, these types of quilting projects
cannot be laundered.
Right now, I'm not collecting charms, but there are several swaps (fabric and block) on the
Quilting Passion Forum (membership is free).
You can also refer to The Charming One-Patch article for more information regarding Charm Quilts.
Let the charm square addiction be contagious to all who read this! ;)
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