CROCHET QUILTS – no guilt

I used to be a quilter. Occasionally, I still get the ‘itch’ to pull out my fabric, scissors, and needle and whip one up. Last time I did that, I spent the entire day at it and ended up with a small wall hanging that found a home with a friend. I just went out to my front yard, gathered leaves from several different trees to use as templates for appliques, cut my fabric and hand stitched the whole works together. It was so satisfying.

Now that I’m a dedicated, dyed in the wool crocheter, I have discovered that I can combine my l0ve of quilting with my love of crochet. All it takes is your crochet skills and some knowledge of geometry – or at least the ability to crochet squares, triangles, etc and join them. There are a number of free patterns for this technique, but this is one you can certainly try on your own with no pattern. Great for using up scraps too.

Here are a few ideas.

Nine Patch is one of the most basic and commonly made quilts. Here’s how you can crochet one:

http://happyyellowhouse.com/htm/baby9patch.html

Another ever-popular design, especially this time of year, is the Wedding Ring. Here it is in crochet:

http://www.coatsandclark.com/NR/rdonlyres/A645C5B1-1501-46EE-9B8A-3C65C6650015/71959/WT1648.pdf

And, here’s another classic, especially designed for those among us who actually ENJOY joining motifs!!

http://www.happyyellowhouse.com/htm/swmed.html

These are just some ideas. Of course, there are other resources online and in books and magazines. But, try one on your own. Find a quilt pattern you like, grab your yarn scraps, and make one for yourself or another.

We love to make crafts to decorate our homes for different holidays, and it’s always fun to add a handmade touch to the table if you can. I specifically went looking for Thanksgiving themed cross stitch napkins and other tableware, and while I didn’t find a lot I hope these ideas will inspire you to use these or other patterns to stitch for your Thanksgiving (or other holiday) table.

Cross Stitch Coricamo is a great source for cross stitch napkin and table runner patterns, though many of them are Christmas or winter related, or florals that feel more summer than fall. I did find this pretty napkin with wild vine pattern that would be nice for Thanksgiving, as well as a fall leaf table runner.

The napkin pattern calls for 10 colors and has a different design in two corners that are flipped for the other two. If you have a bunch of napkins to make you could just stitch in one corner if you like.

The table runner is meant to be about 15.7 by 39.4 inches, or 40 by 100 cm and it uses nine colors. You can adjust the sides as needed to fit your table, and you could also use individual leaves or leaf clusters to stitch on napkins if you want a set that matches your runner.

If you’re looking for a project that’s a little smaller, now seems like a nice time to remind you that you can also cross stitch napkin rings. They’re about the size of a bookmark, and while the one shown is in spring colors, you can use any little motif that will fit. My version is 2 inches/5 cm wide, so anything that can fit in that space would be great.

And if you want a more involved project, check out this post on how to cross stitch a tablecloth. It’s a bigger commitment but a project that you’re sure to love and use for years to come.

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