Over 25 Quilt + Project Ideas using Precut 5" squares (aka Charm Packs)

Hi friends! Thanks so much for checking in! I've got some fun things to share with you this week.

First of all, any guesses of what is my favorite invention of the quilting universe in the past 20+ years? I know it's pretty gutsy to make a statement that bold, but I still stand by this opinion.

My favorite invention is the creation of pre-cut and pre-coordinated fabric squares. I still remember the first time I encountered pre-packaged precuts when I worked in my local quilt shop 20ish years ago.

The original precuts were "Charm Packs". They are a collection of pre-cut 5" x 5" squares (usually in packs of 42 squares.)

These handy packages of pre-cut fabric are great time savers. And there are SO many great projects designed with them in mind.

I've updated my list of lots of project inspiration for using these handy squares + a little bit of charming background of where the name "Charm" squares comes from.

April Wrap Up of What's New On My Sewing Table

This is my monthly accountability post where I pull back the curtain and share a behind the scenes look at what I'm currently working on as well as my creative process.

Here's a peek at the some of the chaos that's happening right now. At least it's a pretty chaos. 😉

Click below for all of the inside scoop.

One of the projects I'm working on is my Fly the Flag quilt and it's not too late to join the Fly The Flag Quilt Along! We're going to finish a Fly the Flag quilt before Flag Day (June 14) so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it before the 4th of July.

I've broken up the steps into manageable chunks and each Tuesday for the next 5 weeks I'll send you an assignment to complete that week. We kicked off this past Tuesday and this week's assignment was to gather your fabric - so you've still got plenty of time to jump in and make one with us!

​Register HERE and you'll be on the list. It's free to join!

Quilt Batting: Comparing 100% Cotton with 100% Bamboo batting

This week I’m taking a closer look at quilt batting -- specifically Missouri Star’s Nature’s Best 100% Cotton and Bamboo batting options.

Batting can make such a big difference in the finished feel of a quilt, so I’m sharing a simple comparison of how these two natural fibers differ in softness, drape, weight, and overall quilt finish.

Do you have Machine Embroidery functionality on your machine?

I totally forgot to share this last week 🙃, but Quilter's Paradise is hosting a Machine Embroidery Summit this weekend and it's not too late to join! I'm always trying to learn more about how to use the Machine Embroidery options on my sewing machine and I'm so excited to learn from these talented teachers! It's free to watch this weekend.

Fun Finds on the Web - A few more Handmade Gifts for Mom

If you missed it or you're still looking for last minute gift ideas, I shared a 2026 list of Gifts to Make or Buy for Mom (Or anyone who loves to sew. 😉) Here are a few more:

These Fabric-Covered Needle Books (tutorial by Sedef Imer) would be a great little gift for friends who sew.

Amy from Ameroonie Designs has nifty tutorials for a fabric lanyard + mini wallet and a video version to walk you through all of the steps! (These would make great Graduation gifts too!)

Or a quick quilted fabric key chain with this tutorial from Alli at Woodbury Way.

A few other quick-buy Gift recommendations:

​Sarah Hearts has a darling shop full of sewing-themed gifts including stickers, accessories and woven-labels.

My daughter gave me this quilt shop puzzle for Christmas and I love it!

You can find a bunch of my favorite quilting supplies and pattern books listed in my Amazon Storefront.

Next week I'm headed to the H+H Americas Tradeshow in Chicago. It's an industry-only event where companies show off the latest products in knitting, sewing, quilting that will be available in shops in the next 6 months. This is my 4rd year attending H+H and I'm really looking forward to it. In addition to quilting, this show features lots of textile arts including yarn, embroidery, and other handmade crafts and I always come away so inspired. I've been itching to learn more about needlepoint in recent weeks and curious to see what else is new and trending. I'll be sharing all of the quilt-y, stitch-y inspiration on social media next weekend.

Finally, I just had to share this beautiful print painted by Amber Eldredge called The Quilters. I'm pretty sure you can guess why I love it.

​Prints are available in lots of different sizes in Amber's shop here. ​

Amber shared a poem to go with it:

“A woman’s work is never done”
But not in the way I thought
​
Rather, like a pebble dropped into a lake
with ripples that spread all the way across
​
The work of sitting with a friend, or a stranger on a bench.
Listening to a heart in need of minor mend, and pulling out our thread.
​
Stitching the past with softened hands, worn in with time and age.
An imperfect history held with honor, as a new present begins
​
The work of raising generations, villages of differences.
Reaching out across The Great Divide, and finding it was just around the bend
​
Walking new paths around new neighborhoods, connecting every one.
A woman’s footsteps mark the way ahead, just like the way they’d come
​
The work of new stitches on old pieces, will hold our future sons.
Our daughters will trace constellations across these patches that we spun.
​
Maybe this is what they really mean; A woman’s work forever carries on.
​

I love that twist on the phrase of "a woman's work is never done" - not referring to endless (and sometimes mindless tasks) that are often part of mothering or daily life, but the beauty of a woman's influence that love lives on and on in the lives of the people that we love.

Our quilts are definitely symbols of that love and the work of our hands outliving us.

Happy Spring. See you next week.

xo,

Amy

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