Punch Needle and Hoop
with instructor Steve Butler
Class 154
What is it? – Punch needle embroidery, it’s all the rage. Everyone wants to do it. Punch needle is a hand application process that uses a hollow needle to create loops of yarn, floss or even ribbon on fabric giving us a textured pile surface. The result is nothing short of a stunning textile art form. For those of us who have a special sense for fibers and the beautiful textures they can create, we have found a new home. The creative potential is limitless. There’s truly an endless number of ways we can mix or match different colors, fibers, textures, weights and stitch heights to create everything from the most simple to the most complex designs that fulfill our creative vision. And if all of that isn’t enough creative license, it’s also a tufting technique so we get both a “flat” side and a “loopy” side. We get to choose. And what do we make with it? What do you want? Home décor accessories like cushions, table runners, wall hangings or hoop art. Fashion accessories for upcycled clothing, bags or embellishments. We’re limited only by our imagination. It’s essential, however, that all of these hand applied stitches be precisely where we want them. Otherwise it becomes creative confusion with attending frustration and no one wants that. Clover’s Punch Needle and Punch Needle Hoop provide us with the exact tools we need to support our creative intent.
What does it do? – Punch embroidery with a punch needle is a fiber art technique that involves looping yarn, floss or ribbon in the format of a pattern through fabric. The Clover Punch Needle and Punch Needle Hoop enables us to apply our desired fiber precisely and smoothly as desired.
Punch Needle – The punch embroidery technique requires a special needle that is strong, hollow and attached to a comfortable handle for easy manipulation. Our selected embroidery fiber flows through the handle and down through the needle exiting through the eye at the point. As the needle is punched through the fabric and retracted it leaves a loop on the opposite side of the fabric. Succeeding loops fill in our pattern. The handle of the Punch Needle is comfortable and strong which enables the precise placement of stitches. The handle comes complete with three spacer rings. By adjusting their position on the handle, we can set the needle length at 1 inch for small loops, 1 3/8 inch for medium loops, 1 ¾ inch for large loops and 2 3/16 inch for extra-large loops.
Needle Threader Kit – Included with the Punch Needle is a threading kit comprised of a darning needle and string which, when connected with the fiber being used for our embroidery project, allows us to quicky and easily thread our Punch Needle.
Punch Needle Hoop – When doing punch needle embroidery it is absolutely essential that our fabric be stable throughout the process to ensure that all of our stitches are smooth and even and exactly where we want them. If our fabric moves so will our stitches. Using the heavier fabrics and the heavier fibers associated with punch embroidery makes this stabilizing function more difficult, often beyond the capability of ordinary embroidery hoops. Clover’s Punch Needle Hoop is designed specifically for punch needle embroidery. The strengthened inner and outer hoop rings have a unique interlocking design feature that locks our fabric securely in place ensuring perfect stitch placement. Another unique feature of the Punch Needle Hoop is the addition of legs. Depending on the length of the punch needle we are using we can add a set of legs to prevent the needle point from contacting any working subsurface. These legs can suspend our hooped fabric surface either 1 ¾ inch or 3 ½ inch above a supporting working surface.
How do I share it? – Three dimensional embroidery accomplished with the Clover Punch Needle is truly impressive. Put up some great samples. That will get everyone’s attention. Classes from beginning to advanced skill levels will result in infectious enthusiasm. Once your friends become skilled in the basics of punch embroidery they’ll be creating on their own. The best part is it’s fun, fast and just very cool to be able to create with this unique needle art form.
Try it out!