FO: Punch Needle Owl

One day, I was at the Michaels just to browse around the store (as if I couldn't be tempted into buying something!) and came across a small selection of Punch Needle craft kits.  I had heard of punch needle through a couple of blogs or crafty podcasts in the past, so I decided to pick up a kit and give it a shot.

From the Michaels website:

Also known as Russian embroidery or Japanes bunka, punch needle has been around since the turn of the 20th century. Designs are stitched by ‘punching’ thread through a piece of woven fabric to create a surface of thread loops on the front of the fabric, similar to the appearance of carpet pile. Each loop is created with a simple push/pull motion using a hollow needle to create a raised ornamental design.

I found a kit at the store (made by Dimensions) that included the thread, fabric, and the hoop.  I had to buy the punch needle itself separately for a few extra dollars.   There were a few different designs available, but I thought the owl was the cutest one there.  I'm sure by searching around online, you will be able to find a wide variety of patterns and kits to order.

Punch needle is extremely easy to learn and the projects are very quick to make.  All you have to do is thread your punch needle and punch the needle through the fabric.  By punching the needle through the fabric, you are making a loop and all of the various loops together create a raised texture, similar to a carpet.

You can easily finish a punch needle project within an afternoon, or even a couple of hours.  As someone new to punch needle embroidery, it was very easy to learn the technique and the craft itself was very relaxing.  For anyone who has ever thought embroidery or cross-stitching was too complicated or complex, you should definitely pick up a punch needle kit!  Within a small amount of time, you will have a fun finished project to hang up on the wall!