How To Needle Punch
Punch Needle embroidery, a member of the rug hooking family, is making a huge comeback! Unlike traditional embroidery where your needle and floss penetrate the fabric in a variety of shapes and stitches, with punch needle your tool and yarn pierces the fabric on one side and leaves a loop on the other. It is easy to learn and works up quickly. Perfect for creating wall hangings, rugs and cushions! You can also use it to decorate clothing or accessories.
You need very few supplies for this craft, a punch needle tool that feeds your yarn through your fabric, a hoop or frame to hold the fabric taut, and the fabric itself. If you are planning to use a yarn then you need a cloth that is flexible enough for the yarn to go through. Monks cloth, a type of evenweave, is often used for this purpose and it is very forgiving if you make a mistake and need to redo it! You generally work from the back of the piece but you can also go from front to back where your design requires a 'flat' effect rather than a loop. The punch needle tool used determines both the length of the loop and the weight of the yarn for your project. Some needles produce a 9mm loop while others will make a 6mm loop and some tools allow you to vary the length of the loop! Tools also vary in the weight of yarn they can hold, ranging from really fine yarns and threads to chunkys.
A really easy way to get started is by using a kit. We love them as they have everything needed to give it a try without investing too much time on investigation and too much money buying more than you need! The designs are really cool too and you can find our Punch Needle Kits online, but here is a selection of our most popular ones.
These kits have very good instructions but if you prefer to learn visually, the kit maker has also made an online tutorial available.
Whether you have bought a kit and wish to continue on your Punch Needle journey, or prefer to go your own way and just need some inspiration and handy tips, there are some fabulous books out there too, including these ones shown below.
To see the books and all our other Punch Needle related products, click here.
Keep Safe & Stay Creative!
The Crafty Fox Team