Needle Punch or Punch Needle

I've always called this needle punch but everyone I've met recently calls it punch needle. One friend suggested that you use a punch needle to do needle punch. But whatever you call it, it sure is fun and amazing.

The needle is a hollow tube that you put the thread through. The stitch is made by pushing through the wrong side of the fabric, then pulling back, leaving a loop on the front. As the loops form, they pinch together and hold each other up. So the more stitches you do, the more solid the design becomes. It takes some practice to get the knack of dragging the needle point along the fabric from stitch to stitch. If you lift the needle up, it will pull your stitches out that are near the needle. So go slow, keep your tip on the fabric, and before you know it your stitches will start behaving right.

To complete your project, you can pin it to foam core like I did. Or you can sew it into a little pillow or sachet, or do something fancy like insert it into a wooden box lid.Or you can make holiday ornaments. It's a portable craft. Just keep an eye on where the needle and threaders are so you don't sit on them by accident. I keep everything in a shoebox sized bin so I can take it on trips.

Even though I learned to do needle punch in the '80's when my children were small, I've only recently gotten back into it.  I've been obsessed with it lately and come up with new designs faster then I can stitch up the earlier designs. 

In needle punch you work from the back side to the front.  So you draw or transfer your initial design on the back, where it won't show once the piece is finished and framed or turned into another item like a sachet.

The first cheapo needle punch I got had only one length of stitches. But since it looked like it was more than just a passing fancy, I bought a better kit with needles in 3 sizes and a twisting mechanism like a mechanical pencil so I could vary the length of the stitches.  The new one is so much easier and is a joy to use. So the old adage holds true. Always buy the best tools you can afford.

I mostly use embroidery floss with mine but recently I've ordered some hand dyed thread from the Internet. I have used up to 6 strands at a time, but now I'm mostly using 3. You can get finer detail if you stick to 3 strands and it still works up pretty quickly.

When I show friends they often say it reminds them of a tiny rug. And indeed, you can make punch needle rugs with a heftier needle.  But the ones I make can also be used as dollhouse rugs.

I treat mine like a folk art painting. I like to hand draw them because they have more meaning to me than a pattern I've bought from a shop.

I have found it's problematic to make tiny things like eyes or nostrils, so now I'm going to do that with beads.

For fabric the first kit said to use weavers cloth, which isn't all that easy to find. But I got a book at one point that named many kinds of fabric that will work, even denim.  So I use tightly woven 50/50 poly cotton mostly.

Needle punch has an addictive quality, so if you have been bitten by the bug, take frequent breaks so you don't wear out your hands or get a blister.