CCC - January Punch Needling
Hey babes! Welcome to the first EVER Crafty Cuntry Club. What is it? Well, it’s basically a book club but instead of chatting about books, we make shit. Every month we are going to work on a different craft and get our creativity on with our badass new friends. I shall be your curator, and I’ll be learning alongside you will some of these (don’t worry, I’ll test everything out beforehand so I don’t instruct you to like, stab yourself in the eye).
I picked this project to do first because I gave myself like 48 hours to set this entire thing up and punch needling is something I already know and adore. In fact, I already have a whole blog post about it here- which has a lot of the same information but more in detail! Almost like it's written by the same person (that'd be me).
Tools & Materials
I have provided links below to everything you’ll need for this project, and I tried to find everything dirt cheap. I want to make this club as accessible as possible! If you are having serious funding issues during any month, PLEASE send me a DM on IG - no one should go without creativity in their life and I for sure have extra of a lot of this stuff around the house. We will figure it out. Otherwise, feel free to use the links below or find your own, just stick with the general guidelines I laid out!
Yarn - feel free to choose what you want for your yarn colors, these are just some great brand options that match the color palette I chose.
Monkscloth (that's the fabric, guys)
8" Embroidery hoop
This one is pretty cheap too!
Q-Snap Frame (11" is a good size, it has to be at least a couple inches bigger than your hoop size)
Adjustable punch needle & threader
(this is a 2 pack but the other one has no reviews, which I find suspicious, and this is still pretty darn cheap)
Yarn shears/snips
If you have really sharp embroidery scissors, you can just use those.
Marker (a sharpie is great, or any old felt marker you have lying around. No one will be able to see the marks when you're done so don't worry about the color).
I really, really hope you can find your own marker!
Pattern (I think I’ve sized this to print out for an 8" frame but if it looks wonky, just play with the zoom settings on your printer).
*Optional: Lightbox app (if you don't have a printer but DO have a tablet or a phone, this is a great way to get your pattern on paper)
Trace Table on AppStore ($1.99) - Simply size your pattern correctly and trace onto a spare sheet of paper. It will auto-adjust your phone's brightness so you can use it as a mini-lightbox. Unlock the screen within the app to move it around until you finish tracing the entire pattern!
Glue Gun (for backing and finishing)
Tips & Tricks
Yarn sizing
Don't go above a size 5 yarn when you're starting out (anything that says "super bulky" or "super wow omg so chunky and thick JESUS CHRIST" in the yarn description just stay away. It'll be really hard to get through the fabric and the needle if it's too big.
Fabric sizing
For punch needle projects, you HAVE to use monkscloth and your monkscloth needs to be at least a 10 thread count, if not higher. A lot of the stuff you see in craft stores in the embroidery section is 7 count (that DMC stuff, for example), which is too low. The stitches are too far apart which means the loops will show gaps in between and you won't get a full picture.
Needle sizing
I know, you're sick of me talking about sizing already. But 99% of problems people have when they start punch needle crafts are caused by size issues so… Size…Matters. :D And by needle sizing, I mean adjusting the length of your needle. The longer that needle length, the longer your loops. I've added in which length to use on each part of the pattern. A is the longest, while D is the shortest.
Aligning fabric to frame
When you set up your fabric on your Q-Snap frame, try to align the edges of the snaps to one row of stitches on each side. This will make it easier to keep your design uncrooked-y (this is definitely a real, English word).
Color Contrast
It is extra important with punch needling to keep the design as contrasted with the background as possible. So, if you go for a different color palette than I did, be sure there is a stark difference between the foreground and background. When your medium is as fuzzy as this, things get muddled really easy, so the color has to work in your favor.
Other tips
Always keep your yarn loose, and have plenty of slack available.
When you're punching, always keep your needle right next to the fabric! Like, within a quarter of an inch. Pretend they really, actually like each other.
Getting Started
Start by printing out/tracing the pattern - sizing it for an 8" hoop. Take your Xacto knife and use it to cut out the lettering and accents. Be careful to not cut fully around any enclosed spaces - leave a little nub connecting it to the rest of the piece. Basically, you are creating a stencil. Keep that in mind and you'll do fine.
Lay your monkscloth over the plastic backing of the Q-Snap frame, and snap the latches in place on top, locking everything into place. Tighten the fabric by rotating the latches outwards. Tada! You could bounce a quarter off of it… if people still did weird shit like that. We use the Q-Snap frame instead of an embroidery hoop because monkscloth has a way of slowly crumbling at the edges as you work and the embroidery hoop will just let it happen. You'll end up tightening and tightening and driving yourself crazy. The Q-Snap frame keeps everything in place with no issues.
Using your marker, trace the inside edge of the embroidery hoop (RIGHT next to that wood, girl) to make a guideline to work within. Now, take your pretty lil pattern and here's the important part:
FLIP IT OVER.
That's right.
BACKWARDS.
Now trace the entire thing BACKWARDS. (once again BACKWARDS). All the lettering, the entire thing needs to be backwards on your fabric. You will work the entire thing backwards, and it will show up on the "front" side (the loops side) forwards once again.
You are now ready to start punching!
We are going to go over threading your needle in my live videos, but if you absolutely cannot wait, I've included some resources below to help you get a jump start. I would recommend grabbing a free corner of your frame and just practicing for a bit till you get the hang of it.
Schedule
(I will update with exact times here once I figure out what works for everyone!)
Jan 1 - 8: Order your stuff!
Jan 10: IG Live Sesh- Setting up and starting to punch it out
Jan 17: IG Live Sesh- Punching letters & troubleshooting
Jan 24: IG Live Sesh- Embellishments background work
Jan 31: IG Live Sesh- Finishing party!
Resources
More detailed blog post on allll of this
Shmoxd - How to Make a Patch with Punch Needle
Myra & Jean
Punch Needle DIY