Patchwork and Purl
Small Business Spotlight
Walk into Patchwork & Purl at 15 W. Franklin Street and you will find bolts of fabric, walls of yarn, and quilt kits waiting for someone to take them home. You will also find two owners who would rather talk about what you are making than what you are buying.
The quilt and yarn studio opened in June 2025, owned and operated by Rashell Harcourt and Erin Sinclair. The two share a passion for what they jokingly call the "Granny Hobbies": quilting, crocheting, knitting, sewing, and all the creative traditions that come with them. Both grew up around generations of family members who practiced these crafts. "Those traditions have always been a part of our lives, and we wanted to bring something to downtown Greencastle that didn’t already exist," they said.
From the beginning, the two wanted Patchwork & Purl to be more than a store. "We wanted it to be a place where people could find supplies, learn something new, meet other makers, and keep those traditions alive for another generation," they said. That vision has quickly taken shape. Customers come back weekly to show off what they made with materials from the shop.
Patchwork & Purl carries fabric, quilting supplies, yarn, quilt kits, and sewing machines, but the owners point to the experience as what sets the shop apart. "We don’t just want to sell someone fabric or yarn," they said. "We want to help them figure out what to make with it, teach them a new technique, and give them a place to connect with other makers." Classes, workshops, retreats, and open-sewing have become a central part of the business, and customers ask weekly what is coming next.
The atmosphere they are going for is fun, welcoming, creative, and inspiring, with room for everyone from a quilter with 50 years of experience to someone who has never touched a sewing machine. "There is no judgment here," they said. "We want people to come in, look around, ask questions, get excited about a project, and maybe leave with a new hobby or a new friend."
That philosophy needed space, which is where the shop’s biggest recent addition comes in. Patchwork & Purl built out a lower-level classroom and sewing studio with support from the Business Development Grant, administered by Main Street Greencastle and funded through Growing Green and Gold Together, a partnership between the City of Greencastle and DePauw University. The grant helped cover the development of the lower-level classroom and studio, including workstations, equipment for students, accessibility improvements, and upgrades needed to prepare the space for classes.
"This grant has expedited our ability to offer classes and services to our community in this wonderful space," Rashell and Erin said. "It has allowed us to create a place where people can come together, learn, create, and connect. We have had people travel from all over to take our classes, and we have received nothing but compliments. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to make this vision a reality."
Without the grant, they estimate the project would have taken another three to five years to fund on their own while the business grew. Instead, the classroom opened within months, and the response has been immediate. People are traveling from outside the area to attend classes and retreats.
The shop’s first Mini-Quilt Retreat is a good example. Jodi Murphy of “It’s Sew Jodi” is flying in from Washington State to teach, guests will stay at the Inn at DePauw, and meals will come from Almost Home and Don Julio’s. "We love being able to bring people into Greencastle for our events and then connect them with other local businesses while they are here," the owners said. It is this kind of collaboration that turns a weekend class into a weekend in Greencastle.
Both Rashell and Erin took part in the New Business Cohort and the Existing Business Cohort offered through Growing Green and Gold Together. They point to relationships as the biggest takeaway. "Running a small business can sometimes feel like you’re figuring everything out as you go," they said. "Having the opportunity to connect with other entrepreneurs, learn from their experiences, and build relationships within the local business community has been incredibly valuable."
Greencastle has returned the enthusiasm. Patchwork & Purl was named the 2025 Rookie Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce, an honor the owners said they were overjoyed to receive. "We believe small businesses are a huge part of what makes a community special, and we want to be part of that," they said. "We want people to come to downtown Greencastle not just because they need something, but because there is something exciting happening here."
Looking ahead, the two plan to keep expanding classes, workshops, retreats, and open-sewing opportunities, along with their fabric and yarn inventory and their online and live-shopping presence. The long-term goal is to make Patchwork & Purl a destination for quilters, sewists, knitters, crocheters, and makers not only from Greencastle and Putnam County but from across Indiana and beyond.
For a shop just over a year old, that is an ambitious target. But the traditions behind it have already lasted generations, and downtown Greencastle now has the space to pass them on.
To learn more about Patchwork & Purl, visit patchworkandpurl.com or follow the shop on Facebook at Patchwork & Purl - Quilt & Yarn Studio and on Instagram @patchworkpurl25.
This article is part of the "Small Business Spotlight" series, highlighting local businesses supported by the Growing Green and Gold Together initiative, a partnership between the City of Greencastle and DePauw University.
