Punch Needle Projects

Dec 31

With how full life has been this November and December, and how messy my studio desk is at present (totally in need of a good cleaning session), I haven’t had much time or energy for my normal creative pursuits. This winter I started experimenting with punch needle and I am enjoying it so much. I can work on small projects while sitting and watching a movie (usually with my husband), giving me some much needed rest. Have you heard of punch needle before?

More than a decade ago, I purchased a book on rug making. While I never made a rug, the idea of it has always intrigued me. When we visited Halifax years ago, we had the opportunity to travel to Lunenburg to see the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. They have some incredible examples of rug hooking, which is similar to punch needle work - the two crafts are closely connected. Somewhere around that time, I discovered Amy Oxford’s work on Instagram. Amy developed a modern and comfortable punch needle design, called the Oxford Punch Needle, and has been a key figure in bringing punch needle craft back into the limelight in the crafting world with her products and online school. You can discover more about Amy by clicking here.

My first attempts at punch needle work were not very good - but that’s common for most beginners, right? Lol. I did not use a gripper frame at that time so that means that the cloth that I was punching on was not able to be tight enough on its frame. This craft works best when the cloth is TIGHT on whatever frame you use. Therefore, it is not a surprise that I found the process frustrating.

After our most recent trip to Halifax (Sept 2023) and seeing the Fisheries Museum rug hooking exhibits again, my desire to try punch needle was rekindled! I purchased Punch Needle: Master the art of punch needling accessories for you and your home by Arounna Khounnoraj, purchased a gripper frame (which helps the cloth to stay tight and taunt, making the process easier), indulged in some lovely yarn from Stash in Calgary and got to work. This time the process was easy!

Over the winter, I have worked on small projects to develop my skill with the punch needle and it has been so relaxing and fun. I love that I can watch a movie or chat with others at the same time, allowing me to be in the living room where the family action happens instead of requiring the solitude of the studio (a spare bedroom in our home).

I have also found an excellent local yarn shop that I recomend for those who live in the Saskatoon, Sask (Canada) area, called Prairie Lily Knitting and Needlework.

In the new year, I plan to take some of my simplified designs from the punch needle projects and create paintings and some collages. Wouldn’t that be fun?! I enjoy how I can be inspired by different creative pursuits and look forward to making more online courses in 2025.

In the meantime, here are a few photos from recent punch needle projects. My next step is to figure out how I want to finish the pieces so that they can be hung or used as decoration somehow. I still need to learn how to finish the pieces properly.