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This limited-edition charm pack started with a stack of secondhand men’s shirts and ended with a bundle of hand-cut, purply magic. Along the way? A lot of soaking, snipping, pressing, pinking, and sorting.
Here’s exactly what went into making Gentlemen’s Blend Charm Pack #001.
TLDR: Want to skip straight to the sewing? Grab your charm pack here.
Step 1: The Hunt
I started by sourcing purple-hued men’s shirts from thrift stores, estate sales, and garage clean-outs. I brought home thirteen. Some were soft and faded, some crisp and textured. A mix of solids, plaids, and stripes. Each one with a little history stitched into it.
Step 2: De-thriftify
First, every shirt got an overnight soak in hot water and vinegar. It’s the best way I’ve found to pull out that unmistakable thrift store smell. After that, I ran them through the washer with Tide Free & Clear and half a cup of baking soda tossed right into the bottom. (Yes, it’s extra. But so worth it. The fabric smells like fresh laundry now, not like someone’s basement.)
Step 3: Rough cuts
Once clean and dry, I trimmed away the parts I couldn’t use. Collars, cuffs, sleeves, bulky seams. Gone. What’s left is the good stuff. Usable fabric in a range of purples, soft and ready for a second life.
Step 4: Press and prep
I pressed every piece before cutting. Always. Wrinkly fabric messes with accuracy. Then I grabbed my Olfa ergonomic rotary cutter, popped in a pinking blade, and sliced the shirts into 5-inch strips.
Step 5: Square it up
From strips to squares. I sub-cut everything into 5×5 pieces, each one with pinked edges to help prevent fraying. It’s a small detail, but one that makes a big difference, especially with reclaimed fabric that’s already seen some life.
Step 6: Sort and curate
Every charm pack got a little of each shirt, but no two are the same. I sorted by tone and texture, mixed solids with patterns, and made sure every bundle felt balanced. Every square was hand-placed. Nothing random here.
I ended up with nine final packs. Just nine. That’s all this batch gave me.
Cut, packed, and ready to quilt
Could you do this yourself? Sure. But if you’d rather skip straight to the fun part, this pack’s ready for you.
Wondering where the smaller scraps went? Stay tuned by signing up for the newsletter. I’ll be offering other precut sizes from the same shirts. And for the improv quilters, don’t worry. The crumb pack is coming.