MATERIALS
40x40cm piece of monk’s cloth
25cm diameter wooden hoop
textile pen
punch needle with threader
25g of yarn for each colour
embroidery scissors
sewing needle
cotton thread
A NOTE BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Punch needle is a type of embroideryinspiredbytraditionalrug-
hooking – it’s sometimes called ‘paintingwiththread’.Essentially,
you’re using a ‘punching’ motiontocreateacontinuousseriesof
loops through a fabric backing – thepressureofthetightlypacked
loops holds your design in place.It’simportantyoudon'tpullonthe
thread as you go, or you may accidentallytugoutaloopedstitch.
Let the yarn run as freely as possiblethroughthepunchneedle,
checking for knots and making sureitdoesn’tgetstuckunder
your hands or feet.
HOW TO
PREPARING THE FABRIC
Stretch the piece of monk’s clothontothewoodenhoop,thenscrew
the hoop nice and tight. You can drawyourpatterndirectlyontothe
cloth with a textile pen if you fancy,orsketchitonacircularpiece
of paper cut to the size of the hoop,thenplaceitunderthecloth
and trace the drawing.
Note: before you begin punching,checkthefabricisastightas
possible on the hoop. Stretch it againifneeded;you’llhaveto
check the tension regularly whileyouwork.
THREADINGTHENEEDLE
Someneedles,liketheOxfordpunchneedle, are super-easy to
thread,butifyouhaveonewithnoslot along the length of the handle,
you’llneedtofollowthesesteps.Insert your threader into the punch
needleattheneedlepoint,pushingitcompletely through the barrel
ofthehandleuntilitcomesouttheopposite end. Insert your yarn into
thethreaderloopandpullthethreader back out the top of the needle.
Releasetheyarnfromthethreader,then pass it through the eye of
theneedlefromtheinsideout.Leaveabout 5cm hanging.
LET’SGETPUNCHING
Positiontheneedleonalineofthepattern and push it into the cloth
untilyoureachthehandle.Gentlypullit out without taking the tip off
thefabric.Then,dragitabout1cmacross and push it in again.
Continueon,makingregularstitchesabout 5mm apart. The slot of
theneedleshouldalwaysbefacingforward as you go. Play with the
sizeofyourstitches–biggerstitcheswill leave some empty spaces
ontheloopysideofyourartwork,whereas small stitches will keep
theloopsfullandtight.Fillinthepattern colour by colour, working
fromtheoutsideofashapetotheinside. Fill the smaller shapes first;
punchthebackgroundlast.
Fortheoutlines,alwayspunchtwolines very close together – almost
asifyou’repushingthepreviousstitches inside. When you’re finished
withathread,gentlypulltheneedleout towards the loopy side and
cutthethreadto1cm(ithelpstopinch the thread while you do this so
youdon’taccidentallypulloutalltheloops!). The dangly threads can
laterbepushedtothebackofthecloth with the tip of your scissors.
FINISHINGUP
Whenyourpatternistotallyfilledandyou’re happy with the outcome,
flipthehoopoveronitsback.Rollanyexcess fabric from the outside
in,creatingahemandsewingitinplace with large stitches, using
asewingneedleandcottonthread.
Bravo!Younowhaveacolourful,fuzzy artwork to decorate
yourwall.a little
bit punchy
give punch needle embroidery a whirl
for a fuzzy explosion of colour.
WORDS AND PROJECT AGNÈS PIRONON, AKA CHAUMIÈRE OISEAUcrafty