Charm Smasher is designed to use five-inch squares, from precuts or your stash.
Materials:
Yardage is based on 42″ useable width
Assorted colored scraps, enough for 150 five-inch squares. You can also use any one of the following:
four charm packs, one layer cake, or 13 fat quarters
3 ¾ yd neutral background
¾ yd fabric for binding
4 ¾ yard for backing (or 2 ¼ yards 108″ wide backing fabric)
80″ x 88″ batting
Cutting:
Colored fabrics: If not using charm packs, you will need to cut 150 five-inch squares from your colored fabrics.
Background fabric: Cut 19 strips 5″ x width of fabric. Cut into 150 five-inch squares.
Cut nine strips, 4 ½” x width of fabric. Cut into 60 – 4 ½” squares.
Binding fabric: Cut eight strips 2 ½” x width of fabric.
Sewing:
- To make half-square triangles (HSTs) draw a diagonal line on the back of each 5″ background square. Pair background squares, right sides together, with colored 5″ squares. Sew a scant 1/4″ from each side of drawn line. Press to set seams, Cut along drawn line. Press open, pressing seams toward darker side. Square up and trim to 4 ½”.
- Sew HSTs and 4 ½” background squares into rows as shown, making 30 rows of each. Press seams open.
- Sew rows into 30 units as shown. Press seams open.
- Sew units into blocks a shown. Make 15 blocks. Do not press seams yet.
- Sew blocks into five horizontal rows of three blocks each. Press seams in rows 1,
3, and 5 to the left, Press seams in rows 2 and 4 to the right. - Sew rows together. Press seams in one direction.
- Layer, baste, and quilt as desired. Trim excess batting and backing.
- Sew binding strips with diagonal seams into one long strip. Press seams open; trim “dog ears”. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Attach binding using your favorite method.