Punch needling is an embroidery technique that gives quick results and makes stunning textile art. I came across many interesting posts on the internet, mainly Pinterest, where you can find all sorts of inspiration and detailed manuals of how to make the most of it.

Punch needle looks usually as a pen with a needle attached to the end. You  thread the needle with yarn or thread, then punch the needle end through your fabric and pull up a loop of the fiber.

There are lots of pages dedicated to punch needling at this moment, so you can get better idea, how to start. I recommend this site, as it gives you the best idea, if you feel lost in all the possibilities – check Studio Koekoek for more inspiration and tutorials, this was the place I found some tricks and many inspiration.

punch needle tools

punch needle - you can find more detailed description of all the punch needles in our eshop in the next section

embroidery hoop – in our shop you can find simple hoops with multiple diameters. For those, who would like to use thinner punch needles we offer also hoops with fabric, ideal for beginners.

embroidery fabric – you can use linen or cotton embroidery fabrics for thinner needles. We recommend special punch needle fabrics for thicker needles (DMC or Kesi Art)

embroidery yarn - I worked with Anchor, DMC and must-have minis for thinner needles and with fabulous for thicker needles (both from Dutch company Yarn and Colors)

scissors 

fray check glue – great for finishing your emroidery or punch needle work. This adhesive should withstand several washes (preferably hand washe, or delicate cycle) and it is easy to re-apply. But you can also use other techniques how to pinish your work (frame it, etc. – again, you can find lot of inspiration on Pinterest)

punch needle test

Needles in our eshop can be divided into 2 basic categories: thinner and thicker. 

When working with thinner needles, you can use embroidery threads like DMC/ Anchor or, as in my case must-have minis from Yarn and Colors. The result is similar to conventional embroidery (to enhance your clothing, brooches, bags), while with a thicker punch needle you can work with medium to thick yarns and the result is more textured (for larger home decorations such as paintings, pillowcases, etc.). I have tested a few needles, out of which I have picked these… 

punch needles for thinner yarns 

interchangeable embroidery needle kesi´art

Easy to work with, it has three interchangeable needles so you can combine work with three thread thicknesses: 

• the thinnest needle is best for classic thread and 2 threads of DMC / Anchor embroidery threads·      
• the thicker - medium - serves for classic embroidery (eg DMC / Anchor) threads
• the thickest needle is suitable for thicker yarns such as must-have minis (classic cotton crochet yarn with hook thickness 2.5 mm) 

Since we have 100 colors of must-have minis in stock, I worked with the thickest needle. It was really fun, went all smoothly and you can see the result in the photo. 

You can adjust also the length of the loops. If you want to play with it, then you have many options how to combine smooth and structured parts of embroidery.

While working with the needle I came up with one problem with a fairly simple solution -> my cotton was pulling out of the fabric – I thought, that I don´t have the right fabric for the needle. But that was not the case, this problem was caused by the thread. If it is too thick, it is either stuck in the needle and so does not unwind from the ball or it does unwind, but it scrubs and therefore does not pass the needle smoothly, so just use a thinner yarn that passes the needle smoothly. 

French company Kesi´Art offers several nice products for embroidery and knitting. One of the biggest "gadgets" is the embroidery hoops with punch needle fabric. Ideal for all beginners who want to try this technique for the first time.  

We have decided to make a simple Kesi´Art punch needle kit where you can find:

Kesi´Art punch needle + embroidery hoop with fabric.

You can also buy black scissors or 4 must-have minis of your choice. 

embroidery stitching tool clover 

I really like the Japanese brand Clover, all of their products have simple design but high quality and this needle is no exception. It is easy to hold and work with. It is not possible to adjust the loop lengths, but you can regulate it yourself by the depth of puncture.

The needles are replaceable but are purchased separately. First, I tried the needle in the package for a 3ply thread, which are thinner threads like Anchor and DMC. Then I swapped the needle for a thicker Medium-Fine Yarn needle and embroidered with must-have minis. It went smoothly, and I have to admit that Clover is my favorite but may not suit everyone. I like the fact that it is small and practical, the design is not so impressive, but on the other hand the needle processing is great, and it can be seen at first glance.

punch needless for thicker yarns

kesi ´art needle for thicker yarn  

When you work with thicker yarns you can create more structured work. The embroidery hoop needs to be larger (15 cm and larger) and we recommend special fabrics for punch needles. You can use yarns for chunky/bulky yarns (suggested needle size 6 – 8.5 mm), I used fabulous from Yarns and Colors.

Working with this needle is quick and easy, and you can adjust the loop length. Here you can see the result, it took me about 50 minutes to do it and I used the thicker punch needle for the first time.

dmc punch needle 

Like the previous needle, it works with thicker yarns. It is suitable also for slightly thicker yarns than the KA needle, so you can use it for 6-9 mm yarn. The advantage of DMC over KA is that it is made of wood and metal. The disadvantage is that it does not have adjustable loop lengths. Otherwise they are identical and work well.

You will also find this needle in the kit for those who want to try looping with a thicker needle.  

The DMC punch needle set includes: DMC punch needle + punch needle fabric+ 18.5 cm diameter embroidery hoop

You can choose from 61 colors of fabulous yarn to work with both needles.

conclusion

If you like all sorts of handicrafts, the punch needle technique will not disappoint you. It is fast, easy and fun and you can learn it in just a few minutes.

All punch needles in our eshop are of a good quality and so it depends only on your personal preferencies which one you like the most.

Happy punch needling everyone!