Ultimate Guide To Punch Needle Embroidery
One of the latest hobby trends that you’ve probably seen around the Internet is punch needle embroidery. This fiber art trend is similar to rug hooking, but has its own unique properties that make it fun for those new to crafts and more advanced crafters.
What is Punch Needle Embroidery?
Punch needle embroidery (sometimes referred to as needle punching) creates a rich texture by punching embroidery floss through a piece of fabric. The floss punches down through the fabric, creating a loop within the work. By punching in and out of the cloth in a repetitive motion, you will create the effect of painted texture onto your fabric.
- Juliette Michelet (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 96 Pages - 02/18/2020 (Publication Date) - Landauer Books (Publisher)
By varying the direction of your stitches, you’ll fill in the pattern of your choice to create a beautiful piece of artwork. The type of pattern you may want to choose will depend on what you want your finished project to be.
Some common things to make with needle punching include:
- Pillowcase
- Customized Canvas Bag
- Hair Barrette
- Artwork
- Stuffed Animal
- Wall Tapestry
- Custom Shirt
With such a versatile hobby, the only limit is your imagination!
What Do I Need To Begin Punch Needle Embroidery?
To get started, you use a lot of tools that are similar to any other type of embroidery or fabric craft. Scissors, a hoop, your embroidery floss or yarn, fabric with your pattern traced on it, and the punch needle itself.
The punch needle tool has a guide that will help you thread your material through the needle. You can use a wide variety of flosses or threads to start your project. Anything from embroidery floss to ribbon to yarn can work. You will need a different size of punch needle for the different weights of threads that you use.
- Complete Sewing Kit for Adults: This embroidery thread punch tool kit set is an unique and beautiful craft kit that can be used for various purposes. This thread sewing kit for beginners contains 137 accessories, so you will find everything you want in a sewing thread set.
- Different Sizes of Embroidery Kits for Adults: This small, medium and large three kinds of large-eye embroidery needle threader tool can be interchangeable by your needs. The embroidery pen punch needle is designed to make your work more efficient and provide you more convenience.
- Package Include Embroidery Thread Kit: In our punch needle kit we offer 100 pieces different colors embroidery floss needle and thread kit. These needle threaders for hand sewing are very vibrant and engaging rainbow colors to meet variety of needs so you can make many crafting projects for your love ones. Your fabric is the canvas for your artistic expression.
- Easy to Operate Knitting Tool: This punch embroidery kits provides appropriate user manual so you can comfortably hold these punch needle supplies. This hand embroidery kit is very easy to use and these embroidery accessories are perfect for beginners or adept to craft masterpieces, personalized gifts and beautiful home decor or DIY craft.
- Wide Application of Embroidery Starter Kit: With this punch needle embroidery kits you can done a beautiful piece of artwork. You can make charming patterns in front of the cloth, curtain, pillowcases, insoles, purses, towels and table cloths with our sewing needle kit with embroidery needles and other sewing supplies.
For instance a few strands of embroidery floss will take a much smaller needle than a bulky yarn would. If you purchase a punch needle embroidery kit, it will probably come with a fairly standard size. After testing your new hobby out, you can purchase new punch needles and try a variety of flosses.
One way to create extra interest and visual appeal to your punch needle project is to play around with different threads on one project. Imagine adding a heavy yarn in with a silky ribbon. The type of pattern you choose might help guide your decision with what thread to choose and where to put it on the pattern.
The type of fabric you want to work with will depend on your finished project. If you are looking to make some art for your wall some common choices include weavers cloth, monks cloth or linen. While you can use almost any type of cloth for this hobby a blend of 50-cotton/50-polyester is recommended to keep your stitches nicely in place.
- 100% cotton and made from 230g/m² high quality fabric, which can offer the best experience.
- Suit for Punch Needle, Rug-Punch,Machine Embroidery and DIY Cloth For Needlework.
- Package Includes: One 26.3''x19.6''( 67cm x 50cm) Monk's Cloth.
- Recommended fabric for punch needle designers.
- The side of the colth is sealed.
A good pair of fabric scissors will be handy when working on a punch needle project. Wooden or plastic embroidery hoops can be found online or in most hobby or fabric stores. Now you have almost everything on your list to begin punch needling.
The last thing you will want is your pattern. Some fiber artists prefer the front side of a punch needle project while others prefer the ‘back’ side depending on whether they like a more embroidery or a hooked rug. Test both out on a piece of fabric before committing to your project to decide on which you like best.
When you are ready, find a pattern. If you start with a beginner’s kit then it will probably come with a pattern. There are many patterns to be found both online and in stores. You can even create your own.
You’ll trace your pattern with a fabric pen or pencil. This can be accomplished with a light board or by taping your pattern and the fabric to a window during the daytime and tracing the pattern onto the fabric. Now you are ready to begin!
Needle Punching Embroidery Tips and Tricks
Now that you’ve gathered all your tools, it’s time to start having fun with your new hobby! As stated before you simply punch the needle in and out of the fabric, following the lines of your pattern. Different sizes of yarn or floss will give you different effects on your fabric.
A good tip is to start with a small project to get a feel for punch needling and to feel a sense of accomplishment as you get started. The best tips for starting are to try and make sure that your stitches are evenly sized. You also want the tension to be correct.
If your stitches aren’t staying in the fabric, you might try using a different size needle. Your thread might be too thick for the needle that you are working with and this can cause it to not stay in the fabric properly. Another problem might be the type of fabric that you are working with.
Generally you will want to start by outlining your pattern (or the part of the pattern that your first color will fill in). Put your cloth into an embroidery hoop, being sure to pull the fabric very tight to get the best end results.
Holding your punch tool like a pencil you will start by punching straight down into the fabric, leaving a small tail of thread. You don’t need to make a knot with the tail as the tension of the thread loops will keep everything tight and secure. Be sure your needle and thread go all the way through to the opposite side and then gently pull the needle out.
When you pull the needle out, move it slightly (about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch) to create a stitch, and then punch back down into the fabric. Be sure not to pull the yarn too far from the fabric. Keep everything nice and close. If you want to change the direction that you’re going in, leave the needle in the fabric and turn your project.
If you don’t like where your stitch was or if it’s pulling out, then carefully pull the thread out and try again. If you run out of thread or need to change to a different color simply re-thread the punch needle and start again, leaving a small tail at the start of a new piece of thread. If you punch through in a space you didn’t want, just rub the fabric a bit to disguise the mistaken hole in your fabric.
Because of the punching motion, be careful of your work surface. It is easy to punch into a table that you are working on and damage it. And of course be careful if you are working in your lap to avoid injuring yourself.
As you go on, remember to keep your stitches close together to avoid gaps that leave your background showing through. A good rule of thumb is to do approximately 6-8 stitches per inch when outlining your project and 4-6 stitches per inch when filling in the pattern. If you do have a gap, the great thing is that punch needling is very forgiving. You can go back to fill in the gap and nobody will be any the wiser!
If you find your stitches to be uneven be sure to check that your needle is going through the fabric with each individual stitch. If that’s not your solution then again, be sure your punch needle is the right size for your weight of thread or yarn.
Punch needle embroidery is such a fun and versatile hobby. It is a great way to stretch your creativity and to experiment with different patterns, fabrics and threads. Enjoy your new way to play!
