Finished! (Sort of)

Posted on

Well, the punching for this project is complete. But I am not quite sure what to do with it yet to finish it off. I could use floss to make a cord and then sew it around the edges. And then it can be used as a hanging. But I don’t really have anywhere to hang it. So maybe a small frame would work better. I’m not in any hurry, because Halloween is coming up and I have an idea for my son’s costume that is going to take a lot of time. So the punch needle gets put away in the “finished projects” tote that most of my cross stitch creations end up in.

punch9

punch10

XXX
Carrie



Learning to Punch Needle

Posted on

Learning to Punch Needle was easier than I thought, thanks to this great video series on YouTube. I watched all of her videos through once, then went back to the important parts again (like how to thread the punch needle). Then I started punching… and am loving it! This project is working up so quickly compated to counted cross stitch, and you don’t need great light or eyesight. You just outline a motif and then fill it in. It actually reminds me of making all of the Wilton cakes I have created for my kids over the years!

punch1front

With punch needle, you work on the top of the hoop surface, right on the transfered design. But the back is actually the right side. The loops that you make don’t look like much to start, but as the design gets fuller the loops squash together to make a nice looking picture.

punch1back

These photos were from day one’s progress. On day two it looked like this:

punch2front       punch2back

See how the loops are starting to press together?

punch2loops

XXX
Carrie


Punch Needle

Posted on

messengerbagToday I got the urge to try out punch needle. I have never done it before, and don’t even own a punch needle tool. But I purchased a DMC messenger bag to store my WIPs in, and it came with free iron on transfers and fabric for punch needle embroidery. And nearly every issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework Magazine has a punch needle project. So I leafed through my back issues to find something I liked (I don’t really care for the designs that came with the messenger bag). Then I headed to JoAnn Fabrics to buy a punch needle tool. And I came home empty handed. Seems they don’t sell anything related to punch needle. So then I headed over to the website of one of my suppliers and… success! They not only offer several punch needle tools, but they are not all that expensive, either. So I will now be selling punch needle supplies in my store. Hopefully they will go over well, because if they don’t I will be doing punch needle for the rest of my life. I will order the supplies on Monday and they should come in later in the week. Until then I can figure out what colors of floss I need, transfer the design to my fabric, and watch YouTube videos for information on how to actually do punch needle. Because that’s kind of important. I remember when I tried to make a quilt for the first time. I didn’t read any instructions, just dove right in. I attached the top piece to a side, then another side, then the bottom. Then I had no clue how to get the middle part of the block in there. Needless to say, that project went in the trash and I bought The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Quilting. And then I made dozens of quilts after that. Punch needle seems easy enough, but I’m not taking any chances.

XXX
Carrie