Punchneedle

Punchneedle is a very old embroidery technique: it consists on working on the back of your piece and fill the drawing with loops.
You’ll practice on a thin fabric, polyester and cotton, a punchneedle, a hoop to make sure than your fabric will be well tightened. You can use any kind of threads, DMC floss, 2 and 6 threads. In this work I used Aurifil Wool threads which will make your punchneedle design more country style.

Supplies :
A punchneedle; polyester/cotton fabric, known in the USA under « Weavers cloth »; a hoop; threads; scissors. 

How to start:
Draw the design on the back of the fabric. The design must be reversed, in order to appear correctly on the right side of the fabric.

·         Push the threader into the NEEDLE SHAFT at the NEEDLEPOINT and completely THROUGH ITS HANDLE

·         Place the yarn into the THREADER and  pull the threader out of the needle.

·         Remove the yarn from the threader, leaving only a few cm of thread out.

·         Insert the threader through the NEEDLE EYE from the ROUNDED side of the needle. Place the end of the yarn into the threader and pull the threader back out of the needle eye.
Pull the yarn DOWNWARD out of the threader tip and remove the yarn from the threader.

·         Your tool is ready to punch. Choose the height of your loop and adjust it as you like.  Adjust your work in the center of your hoop.

·         Let the thread go out of 1,5cm at the beginning of the work. It has to remain free until your work is completed.

·         Set your needle on the fabric towards the LEFT,  the right, or towards yourself.

·         The needle will LEAD on the fabric.

·         Punch the needle through the fabric until the handle HITS the fabric.

·        When you want to change threads, maintain the last stitch and pull the thread up to 1.5cm and cut. Never trim fully.

Your work will be finished when the design is completely filled in. Cut the excess of  fabric around the design, leaving a  1cm margin. You can appliqué your work -  in that case I just put a few drops of glue on the back to maintain the loops; but you can also simply frame it frame. If you want a more country style look, just dye it with tea or coffee.