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Old 11-04-2015, 12:05 PM
  #13  
RST
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 947
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I sometimes use a charm pack as a tool in stash reduction.

I put all the charms up on my design wall and look at them for a while (usually while I finish up another project).

Then I go through my scrap bins and pull everything I think could work well with the charms, and I add those scraps to the design wall. I often will delete a few pieces or even a colorway from the original charm pack at this point.

At this stage I start to get an idea of the pattern or style I want to make, which will further direct how many scraps I pull.

My finished quilt (full to queen sized) started with a charm pack, but then pulled in 2 or 3 times as many fabric choices from my stash of scraps. All the fabrics have some kind of cohesive element -- I end up with color schemes that are more sophisticated and daring than I might otherwise, and I achieve that great goal -- depleting some of the scraps.

It's a pretty economical way to make a quilt that feels modern without paying top dollar for all-new fabrics. Plus the quilt is truly unique -- nobody else has that particular combo of fabrics.

I love charm packs, but they don't get to sit around at my house. Any of those spares I pulled from my design end up in my scrap bins and find their way into the next scrappy project.
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