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First popularized by American quilters in the late Victorian era, charm quilts were the rage around 1900.

Quilters loved making charm quilts for a variety of reasons. the primary attraction was the fun of collecting the many fabrics needed for a quilt. they organized "charm parties" not only to exchange fabrics but also because charm quilting became an excellent excuse for a social occasion. When a quilter had collected enough different fabrics for a quilt (often 1,000 or more), she chose a shape by which to cut her fabrics. this was her template. As she worked, planning and designing kept the quilter interested in the project and since the charm quilt used only a single shape in its construction, piecing the quilt top was not difficult work.

While today's quilters can choose to design their Charm Quilts in the traditional hit-and-miss style of antique charm quilts with random placement of color and light and dark, they also are drawn to optical illusion patterns that require careful planning. Using time saving tolls such as these templates, the rotary cutter, and the sewing machine, some very exciting charm quilts are being produced right now.

Beth Donaldson's book, Charm Quilts, may be used as a teaching text for these templates. She also shows more variations of the templates which make inspiring quilts.