I love punch needle, I'm not very good at it (yet). I am determined to improve! Several years ago, my LNS invited Charlotte Dudney to teach a class. Charlotte shared a brief history of punch needle. Ancient Egyptians were among the first to use punch needle. Their needles were hollow bones of birds wings. During the 15th century, punch needle was referred to as punch stitch. The technique was used throughout Europe during the Middle Ages to decorate ecclesiastical clothing and panels. Sailors on long voyages would pass the time punching miniature rugs. It is the look of a miniature rug which draws me to punch needle.
Charlotte was a great teacher and I learned how to thread an Igolochkoy needle, the importance of having the weavers cloth drum tight in the hook/frame and the amount of fiber used. Wowozers--punch needle uses copious amount of fibers/threads. When I learned to punch, the Igolochkoy needles were the only needles available. They are great for details. They are small and for myself can be tiring to use. When the Cameo needles were released I found them to be more to my liking because they are larger (like holding a thick pen or magic marker). and it was easier to select the needle depth (thread height).
One of my challenges with punch needle is getting the weavers cloth drum tight in the hoop/frame. The Morgan no slip hook with the locking lip is the hoop I have been using. Recently, I discovered Nistock Farms in Prattsburgh, New York. Their punch needle frame is made of solid cherry and features Howard Brush gripper strips. They recently added a turntable which allows the frame to rotate while punching details and curves.
YouTube has several instructional tutorials for punch needle embroidery. Two of my personal favorites are Brenda Gervais (With Thy Needle and Thread) and Lori Brechlin (Notforgotten Farms). What did we ever do before YouTube? When I am stuck on a technique be it punch needle, quilting, or rug hooking, there is a tutorial which guides me step by step.
When I visited Shepherd's Needle in Little Rock, AR in August, Shawn Williams had been at the shop teaching a punch needle class. Darn, I missed her by one week! She has some great designs and I am determined to learn to punch those miniature rugs like the sailors of old, my friend Anne and Shawn.
Almost forgot, Lori (Notforgotten Farm) shared a great tip for using Press and Seal on her blog June 15. She puts Press and Seal on the front (loop) side of her project to act as a layer between the weavers/loops and the gripper teeth. The Press and Seal prevents the loops from being pulled out. Thanks for tip Lori. Practice makes perfect so I am off to practice and improve my skills until my needle punch looks like one of those miniature rugs.
