How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans

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A photo of Aunt Gail and Grams in How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans

1 General information
2 Synopsis
3 Book of Shadows
- 3.1 Enemies
- 3.2 Spells
4 Guest stars
5 Trivia
6 International titles

[edit] General information

Episode of the popular U.S. television series, Charmed
Episode Number: 17
Season: 2
Production Code: 4399038
Airdate: April 6th, 2000
Writer: Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Robert Masello
Director: Kevin Inch

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

When an old family friend, Aunt Gail, asks the Charmed Ones to help stop a demon named Cryto who steals the skin from corpses, Prue, Piper and Phoebe find that Gail has betrayed them and traded their powers for eternal youth and beauty. As the Charmed Ones plot to steal their powers back, Piper worries that she is missing out on her chance at true love and announces to her sisters that she no longer wants to be a witch.

[edit] Book of Shadows

[edit] Enemies

Cryto: In the sixteenth century, Cryto travelled from dukedom to dukedom, preying on people’s vanity, bestowing youth and beauty in exchange for their souls. Cryto was found out and skinned alive by a group of witches, who believed it would keep his spirit from ever being resurrected again. Cryto has the power to restore youth and health, but he can also age someone to the point of dusting them instantaneously, making him a very powerful demon.

[edit] Spells

Potion To Separate A Witch From Their Power: In a crucible of the blackest lead, combine gypsies blood with a mandrakes head. More of the nightshade will you boil. The henbane, datura, and from pox in oil. With hemlock root complete the drought. Foul and dark like night and craft. Of the creator of this new brew and her desire, to steal from another for vengeance, power, or ire.
To Call a Lost Witch/Powers: Powers of the witches rise. Course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here..
To Call Cryto: Must possess a form of a human made of flesh and the spell must be chanted by three witches: We call on the demon Cryto. Reach back throughout the ages. Humbled by his power, we invite him into our circle.
To Vanquish Cryto: What witch has done and then undone. Return this spirit back within, and separate him from his skin.
To Drive Away a Love: Put the unwanted lover’s name in a spiced velvet bag. As the bag burns, chant: I conjure thee, I conjure thee. I'm the queen, you're the bee. As I desire, so shall it be.

[edit] Trivia

The episode title is a play on words for the 1995 film How to Make an American Quilt.
This episode shows that Grams wasn't a solitary witch as previously thought. She actually had a coven of her own outside of her daughter Patty. This would later be explored in the Season 6 episode Witchstock, where Paige travels to the 1960s to meet a younger Grams and her grandfather Allen Halliwell.
We learn that Grams was apart of a sorority in her youth. Probably the beginning of her coven, which will grow in the 1960s.
Since Aunt Gail was apart of Grams' coven, why wasn't she mentioned or appeared in Witchstock? (It could have been an episode error, or Aunt Gail wasn't present at the time. She did move out of San Francisco, which probably happened after she graduated from college. Then came back, after Grams' became a demon/warlock slayer.
Piper breaks up with Dan in order to have a relationship with Leo in this episode.
The demon Cryto is unable to freeze Piper even though she was stripped of her powers. This is because "good witches don't freeze", yet when Piper and Phoebe attempt to switch their powers in Ordinary Witches and their powers are sent to mortals, both Piper and Phoebe are able to be frozen. This shouldn't have happened seeing as how they were still witches, they just didn't have their powers.
In the scene at the gas station, the wires are clearly visible on the actors.
Phoebe wears glasses in this episode.
If you notice, Alyssa Milano's hair color changed in this episode to dark brown.
Actors Alyssa Milano and Cameron Bancroft worked on a project together previous to the filming of this episode: To Brave Alaska in 1996.
SWA Properties is the building that the girls are outside of while strategizing.

[edit] International titles

French: Trois sorcières sans charme
German: Ewige Jugend
Spanish: Como hacer una funda con americanos

Preceded by: Murphy's Luck	Charmed episodes	Followed by: Chick Flick

Charmed
Main: Season summaries \| Episode guide \| Broadcasters and DVD releases \| Terms \| Trivia
Locations and Artifacts: San Francisco Bay Area \| Magic School \| The Nexus \| Book of Shadows
Good beings: Charmed Ones \| Close friends \| Family and friends \| Whitelighters \| Elders Evil beings: Darklighters \| Warlocks
Neutral: Avatars \| The Hollow \| Firestarters