I grew up listening to and reading fairy tales. My favorite stories came from The Grim Brothers and Hans Christen Andersen, with Mr. Andersen being my very favorite. I loved The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina and The Ugly Duckling. I remember seeing the movie Hans Christian Andersen with Danny Kaye, and fell in love with the song about The Inchworm. It wasn’t until later, when I couldn’t find the story,The Inchworm, in any books, that I discovered that not everything you see in movies is true! As an adult, I saw the movie again, and the narration began with “Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales.” So, there you have it!

Despite the fact that The Inchworm is not a Hans Christine Andersen story, I still associate it with him, because, truly, it is the kind of story that he would have written. In the song, the inchworm is too busy measuring the marigolds to pay attention to how lovely they are. To this day, every time I see an inchworm, I have this urge to encourage him to take time to smell the roses, in the case of the song, the marigolds!

As always, this applique was designed to fit on a 6″ x 6″ block but it can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs.

The pattern for the Inchworm Applique Block can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Enlarge and Reduce can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Cut Out Felt can be found HERE.

The Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.
 

DIRECTIONS – Refer to pattern and photo for applique placements and cutting instructions.

Make a copy of the pattern.

Cut out felt using material list above and pattern. Transfer any embroidery markings.

Using a blanket stitch, sew flower to block using 3 strands floss. (Note: use running stitch at outer edge)

Using a blanket stitch, sew flower center to flower using 3 strands floss.

Using a stem stitch,  add petal detail using 6 strands floss.

Using a running stitch, sew stem to block using 2 strands floss.

Using a blanket stitch, sew leaf to block using 3 strands floss.

Using a stem stitch, add leaf detail using 6 strands of floss.

Using a blanket stitch, sew grass blade to block using 3 strands floss. (Note: use running stitch at outer edges)

Using a stem stitch, add grass blade detail using 6 strands floss.

Using a blanket stitch, sew inchworm to grass blade using 3 strands floss.

Using a stem stitch, add body segment detail and legs using 6 strands floss.

French knot an eye using 6 strands floss.