A punchneedle project using Lana thread

I had great fun playing with a punchneedle embroidery and the Lana wool thread.

For my first project I used a patten out of a Homespun magazine, but I found having to trace the pattern quite tedious. 

Then I had a brainwave !  Why not use printed novelty fabrics, where the print shows on the wrong side of the fabric.

Using a novelty fabric for punchneedle embroidery

To work punchneedle embroidery you do require a special “punchneedle” gadget and a very firm hoop but the stitching itself  is very simple.

Needle & needle threader for punch needle

Punchneedle hoops have a ridged gripping surface to hold the fabric very firm

The design is worked from the back of the fabric by punching the needle up & down through the fabric to form loops on the front. The loops should be positioned evenly across the design. However, it is a very forgiving technique and you can go back and fill in more stitches where the loops are not sufficiently dense.

It is possible to stop and re-start the embroidery at any point without it affecting the tension. When you are ready to stop simply cut the thread, to remove it from the needle. To re-start, re-thread the needle and continue adding loops to the fabric at any point.