Quilt math · Calculator
Charm pack quilts: sizes and how many you need
How big a quilt a charm pack makes, and how many packs a crib, throw or bed quilt takes.
The short answer
One charm pack of 42 squares, 5″ each, makes a 27″ × 31½″ top sewn as they come. A 36″ × 48″ crib quilt takes 3 packs, a 60″ × 72″ throw 6 and a queen 11, before borders.
Work out yours
Free · no account1 charm pack: 42 squares cut 5″
Each sews to 4½″
6 across × 7 down: 42 squares, before a border.
Every square is used.
A 4″ border all around, cut from yardage.
Quarter Inch’s “From a precut you have” shows real designs your pack makes, with the background and border worked out.
See what it makesSame sums as the app: @quarterinch/cutting PRECUTS · ½″ of seams in every square · the biggest grid a row or two longer than wide
What’s in a charm pack
A charm pack is a stack of 5″ squares, usually one of each print in a collection. Most have about 42; some have 40. Count yours and type the count in the calculator. Each square is 5″ to the points of its pinked edge and sews to 4½″.
What one charm pack makes
| Charm packs | Squares | Sewn as they come, 4½″ each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 charm pack | 42 | 27″ × 31½″ (6 × 7) |
| 2 charm packs | 84 | 36″ × 45″ (8 × 10) |
| 3 charm packs | 126 | 45″ × 54″ (10 × 12) |
| 4 charm packs | 168 | 54″ × 63″ (12 × 14) |
| 6 charm packs | 252 | 67½″ × 72″ (15 × 16) |
One pack makes a 27″ × 31½″ top: a doll quilt, a table topper, or a baby quilt once it has a border. Two make 36″ × 45″. A charm pack goes further as the center of a quilt with a wide border, or with a background fabric between the squares.
- Half-square triangle
- Pinwheel
- Four-patch
- Nine-patch
How it’s worked out
| Squares in the pack | 42 × 5″ |
|---|---|
| Each sews to (½″ of seams) | 4½″ |
| The biggest grid, a row or two longer than wide | 6 × 7 |
| 6 × 4½″ by 7 × 4½″ | 27″ × 31½″ |
Cut each square in four and you have 168 squares of 2½″, the size of a mini charm: a 24″ × 28″ top of 2″ squares.
How many charm packs for a quilt
For a top of plain squares, no border:
| Quilt | Squares | Charm packs | Spare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crib, 36″ × 48″ | 8 × 11: 88 | 3 | 38 |
| Throw, 60″ × 72″ | 14 × 16: 224 | 6 | 28 |
| Twin, 66″ × 90″ | 15 × 20: 300 | 8 | 36 |
| Queen, 90″ × 96″ | 20 × 22: 440 | 11 | 22 |
| King, 108″ × 108″ | 24 × 24: 576 | 14 | 12 |
Big quilt? Look at layer cakes. A throw of plain charm squares takes 6 packs. The same throw from 10″ squares takes 2 layer cakes. See layer cake quilts.
Charm packs in Quarter Inch
On New quilt, open More ways to start and choose From a precut you have. Pick a charm pack, say how many you have, and What it makes shows designs such as Charm Triangles, Pinwheels, Four-patch, Ohio Star and Nine-patch, how many squares each uses, and the background and border to buy.
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
How many squares are in a charm pack?
Usually 42 squares of 5″. Some have 40: the label says.
What size quilt does one charm pack make?
27″ × 31½″ as plain squares, 6 across and 7 down. Add a border for a baby quilt.
How many charm packs for a baby quilt?
3 for a 36″ × 48″ crib quilt of plain squares. One or two make a smaller center for a quilt with a border.
How many charm packs for a throw?
6 for a 60″ × 72″ throw: 224 squares. A layer cake covers it with fewer packs.
Sources
We checked every fact above against these pages on , and we update this guide when they change. Spotted something out of date? Write to hello@quarterinch.app.
- Moda pre-cut fabric: a complete guide The Sewing Studio
- Want to learn more about precuts? Nancy’s Notions