Create Your Own Charm-Friendly Cutting Charts with EQ8

Last week I shared how to design a quilt in EQ8 that can be made almost entirely from 5" charm squares—with the only exception being the binding.

If you missed that tutorial, be sure to read it first and watch the accompanying video. You'll see exactly how I designed this patriotic quilt using charm-friendly dimensions.

Previous in Series - Link to Celebrate 250 Post

Charm Friendly Block 14 x 14

Charm Friendly 14 x 2 Sashing

Celebrate 250 Charm Friendly Quilt (51" x 51")

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Designing the Quilt Is Only the Beginning

Once the design is complete, there's another question to answer:

How can I cut this quilt as efficiently as possible from charm squares?

Electric Quilt 8 creates excellent rotary cutting charts, but I rarely use them exactly as printed. Before I cut fabric, I always study the cutting charts and ask myself:

• Can I make the cutting easier?
• Can I reduce fabric waste?
• Can I better accommodate pre-cuts?
• Can I simplify the piecing process?

​Making a few thoughtful adjustments at this stage often saves both time and fabric.

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Reviewing the EQ8 Rotary Cutting Charts

For this quilt, the sashing and cornerstones didn't require any changes.

The main block, however, benefited from several small modifications that made construction easier while allowing me to take full advantage of charm squares.

​These are the revisions I discuss in the video.

Main Block Modified Rotary Cutting Chart - Page 1

Main Block Modified Rotary Cutting Chart - Page 2

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Turning Rotary Cutting Charts into Charm-Friendly Cutting Charts

Once I finalized my cutting plan, I created custom cutting diagrams for every unique patch in the quilt.

Instead of simply knowing what to cut, I now know exactly how many pieces to cut from every charm square.

​For this quilt I created six custom cutting charts.

Charm Cutting Chart #1

2½" × 4" Rectangles

Cut two rectangles from each charm square.

These are used in the sashing blocks.

Each sashing block requires four different background rectangles.

​For the entire quilt you'll need:

• 48 background charm squares

Charm Cutting Chart #1

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Charm Cutting Chart #2

​2½" Squares

Cut four squares from each charm square.

These become the cornerstones.

For the quilt you'll need:

• 4 red charm squares

Charm Cutting Chart 2

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Charm Cutting Chart #3
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​2¼" × 4" Rectangles
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Cut two rectangles from each charm square.

These serve two purposes:

• Outside edge units of the block
• Flying geese units in the center star

For the quilt you'll need:

• 54 background charm squares

Charm Cutting Chart 3

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Charm Cutting Chart #4

2¼" Squares​

Cut four squares from each charm square.

Each block requires:

• 14 blue squares
• 2 red squares

For the quilt you'll need:

• 32 blue charm squares
• 5 red charm squares​

Charm Cutting Chart 4

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Flying Geese Construction Tip

​For the outside edge units, sew a red 2¼" square to one corner of a 2¼" × 4" background rectangle using the folded-corner (snowball) method. Half of the units will have the folded corner on the left and half on the right.

For the flying geese units, begin the same way using a blue square. After pressing, add the second blue square to the opposite corner.

The finished units measure 2¼" × 4" (with seam allowances).

Rectangle with Folded Corner on Right (without same allowances)

Rectangle with Folded Corner on Left (without same allowances)

Flying Geese Unit (without seam allowances)

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Charm Cutting Chart #5

Quarter-Square Triangle Pieces​

Cut four triangles from each charm square.

Each block uses:

• 8 blue triangles
• 8 background triangles

For the quilt you'll need:

• 18 blue charm squares
• 18 background charm squares

Charm Cutting Chart 5

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Construction Tip

After sewing the quarter-square triangle units, trim them to 4" × 4".

I like using the Tucker Trimmer because it makes trimming fast and accurate.

Quarter Square Triangle Unit

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Charm Cutting Chart #6

4" Squares​

Cut one square from each charm square.

Each block requires four background squares.

​For the quilt you'll need:

• 36 background charm squares

Charm Cutting Chart 6

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Watch the Complete Process

In this week's video I walk through the entire process of:

• Reviewing EQ8's rotary cutting charts
• Modifying the cutting plan
• Creating custom charm-friendly cutting diagrams

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Once you understand this process, you can use it with almost any quilt you design.

Next Step: Working with Pre-Cuts in EQ8 Class

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​Ready to Design Your Own Pre-Cut Quilts in EQ8?

If you enjoy working with charm packs, jelly rolls, layer cakes, fat quarters, and other pre-cuts, you'll love my upcoming Working with Pre-Cuts in EQ8 class.

In this hands-on, one-month class, you'll learn how to design quilts specifically for today's most popular pre-cut fabrics while using EQ8 as a true design tool—not just a pattern viewer.

You'll learn how to:

• Design quilts that maximize every fabric in your pre-cut collections
• Create customized cutting charts for your own designs
• Understand how pre-cut dimensions influence design decisions
• Develop original quilt blocks and layouts from simple units
• Create your own variations of favorite quilt styles
• Make better use of fabrics already waiting in your stash
• Build confidence designing original quilts in EQ8

We'll work with:

• Jelly Rolls
• Charm Packs
• Layer Cakes
• Fat Quarter Bundles
• Fat Eighth Bundles

Each lesson builds on the previous one, giving you practical design skills you can apply to virtually any pre-cut collection.

Enrollment is open through June 30, 2026.

Special Sale Price: $53 (Regularly $73)

​If you're ready to get more value from your pre-cuts and discover entirely new ways to design with EQ8, I'd love to have you join us.  Click on the image for all the details.

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Have you ever redesigned a cutting chart to better fit a charm pack or another pre-cut? I'd love to hear your favorite tips—or your biggest challenge—leave a comment below!

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