Crochet

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Can you crochet at a quilt shop?

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Yes!  If that quilt shop is Country Home Quilters in the tiny burg of Leadington, Missouri.  Leadington is near Farmington, about 40 minutes south of St. Louis.  It’s a hidden treasure that I would not have known about except for my friend Sheila of Crochet With Sheila.  She formerly lived not far from this ‘quilt’ shop and told me to be sure to visit it.  I’m so glad I took Sheila’s advice!

When you find this little shop, it looks like it’s a little shop.  But, looks are deceiving! Upon entering the shop, one is greeted by Christine, daughter of the owner who seldom staffs the shop these days.  Christine is well informed, helpful, and friendly.  It’s clear right away that this very tidy shop is jammed full of all sorts of crafting treasures.  There is a room full of cross stitch supplies (not my cup of tea), two rooms full of lovely quilting fabrics (formerly my cup of tea as I’m still the owner of a sizable stash of fabrics), and supplies for sewing, needle felting,embroidery, buttons, batting, and other needle work.  There is one room devoted to yarn – the kinds of yarn most of us want to buy on a daily basis – Bernat Satin (I never saw so many of their beautiful colors before), Lion Brand, Moda Dea, TLC, and Sugar and Creme.  There is also a large selection of different threads in all sizes, useful for crocheting and tatting.

My long-suffering husband was with me and found balls of thread I’d never seen before.  I ended up buying a couple of those size 3 balls and a copy of the Spring, 2012 Scrap Crochet! magazine put out by Crochet World.  Had I spent more time in the shop, I would have added numerous other skeins of yarn and some incredibly sweet iron on Fairy appliques (for what purpose I do not know!).

This shop is open six days a week – but is closed Saturdays – so take note.  If you are in the neighborhood, please stop in and tell Christine you read about her shop here.  I plan to make my way there again when I get another day to play hooky from work.

Country Home Quilters

120 Union Street

Leadington, MO

573.518.1981

www.countryhomequilters.com

 

Comments

  1. Oh, JD, you’ve brought back such fond memories with this post! I’m so thrilled that you got to visit this incredible place! Somewhere, still packed from the move here, are most of the treasures I collected there. I recall some very beautiful buttons, lots of iron-on embroidery transfers, fabrics… and undoubtedly a lot I’ve forgotten! I really must unearth all of that!

    I will have to return someday, and I’ll be taking you along when I do!

Have you read?

Free Christmas Worry Worm Crochet Pattern With a Printable Gift Card

There’s something rather lovely about a handmade gift that says, “I was thinking of you,” without needing a large box, expensive supplies or three weeks of frantic crocheting.

Our Christmas worry worm is a sweet little example. It has a curly body, a smiling embroidered face and a pointed Santa hat, plus a decorative printable gift card that turns a small crochet project into a thoughtful festive present.

And yes, those little leftover balls of Christmas yarn finally have a job. Apparently, keeping them all was entirely reasonable.

A Christmas Twist on the Crochet Worry Worm

If you’ve enjoyed our original crochet worry worm project, this Christmas version offers a different construction and a festive finish.

The body is a narrow crochet corkscrew, while the head is a separate, lightly stuffed ball worked in continuous rounds. A small hat with a contrasting brim completes the character.

What I particularly like about this design is that the Christmas detail comes from the colours and that tiny hat. There are no fiddly fingers, miniature boots or elaborate accessories to sew together. The curly body gives it plenty of personality all by itself.

What Skills Will You Need?

This free Christmas worry worm crochet pattern uses chains, single crochet, increases, decreases and slip stitches. You’ll also need to work a magic ring, embroider a simple face and sew the three components together.

I’d describe it as an easy project for someone comfortable with basic crochet stitches and ready to try small amigurumi pieces. The tiny hat rounds may require a little patience, especially if you usually make blankets with a lovely big hook.

The materials are straightforward: DK or 8-ply yarn, a 3 mm hook, a little stuffing, black embroidery thread and a yarn needle.

Choose smooth yarn so you can see your stitches clearly. Fluffy yarn might look festive in the ball, but finding four tiny stitches in a magic ring is quite enough excitement without hiding them under eyelash fibres.

Make Santa, Elf or Snowy Christmas Versions

The same construction works in several Christmas colour combinations:

  • Traditional Santa: A red curly body, cream head and red hat with a white brim.
  • Christmas elf: A green body and green hat with a contrasting red brim.
  • Snowy Christmas friend: A white body and head, finished with a red-and-white Santa hat.

The faces are embroidered, and the hat tip has a few white stitches rather than a separate pompom. Keep those details simple and let the colour combinations do the decorating.

If seasonal variations are your weakness, our Easter bunny worry worm pattern is another idea to save for your next round of small handmade gifts.

The Printable Christmas Gift Card Makes It Feel Special

The accompanying printable card is the detail that brings this project together.

Watercolour-style poinsettias, holly, red bows and gold accents frame a short verse, with To and From lines for your message. A pale green space on the right holds