Punch needle blog - news, tips and tricks

As the nights begin to draw in and autumn makes itself known, I always find myself reaching for slow, grounding projects. There’s something comforting about cosy evenings, a cup of tea, and yarn in your hands. Punch needle is a wonderful craft to begin at this time of year—it’s rhythmic, creative, and leaves you with pieces that feel right at home in the colder months.

One of the things I love most about punch needle is that you can make a range of things that are both beautiful and practical. Coasters, cushions, rugs – our house is full of punch needle items that I’ve made at different stages of my life. They still look great and are full of memories.

Over the next few blog posts I’ll be answering some of my most frequently asked questions about punch needle, starting with this one; is punch needle easy? It might seem like a strange question as it’s fairly subjective, but it’s a question I get asked a lot!

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions but one new thing that I have decided to engage with is a picking a word of the year for 2025. I’m sure I could have created a fancy Pinterest vision board or gone old school with some paper and pens in order to brainstorm, but I’ve decided not to overthink it.

Superior to their carpet tack and canvas stretcher bar counterparts, the punch needle gripper strip frames make stretching your fabric and moving projects a breeze. Find out more about what is a gripper strip frame and why are they popular frame choice for punch needle.

I’m pleased (and a little surprised!) at all of the wonderful things I feel I have accomplished this year. None of these would have been possible without my own support system of incredible family and friends who have all gone above and beyond. And of course, my wonderful customers.

Lavor are one of the most popular producers of punch needle tools. Their punch needles are easy to use, great for beginners, affordable and come in a range of different sizes.

We’re moving into the colder months here in the UK, which is the perfect moment to think about starting a rug. While your first rug will most likely take you the longest, there is still plenty of time to overcome challenges and get it finished before winter properly sets in!

One of the core components needed for punch needle is a suitable frame or hoop on which to make your project. What project you are making will impact the frame...

In the last five years the range of punch needle tools available to buy has broadened hugely and I decided it was time for an update. The rise in popularity of punch needle has meant that there is now a much wider variety of tools to choose from, but with increased choice it can sometimes be harder to pick the right one. Here I discuss the benefits of each tool and I’ll also give you some ideas of what materials are best to be used with them.

Punch needle is a fantastic, accessible craft that is suitable for anyone, from the experienced maker to someone getting started with crafting for the first time. You don’t need too much kit to get going – there are just four key components required to start your first project.

Monks cloth and aida are both two types of fabric used for crafting. Traditionally monks cloth is used for rug making crafts such as punch needle and rug hooking whereas aida is used for cross-stitch embroidery.