Getting Punchy

Somewhere in the 80s, my siblings and I were given hook rug kits that helped us make panels that helped us easily make strawberry, mushroom, smurf or unicorn pictures in the illustrious medium of shag rug. Lately, some of my relatives have been giving Punch Needle Kits to my cousin's children to decorate clothing or pillows with in lieu of carpeting the house with even more shag owls.

Instead of sinking a needle into fabric, you press or punch a pen-like wand into the fabric along the line you wish to decorate. A single line embroidery or a sculptured 3D effect can be chosen to fill in the entire design. For beginners, iron on a design to Quilting & Clothing Fabrics in order to have a guide, and then punch away. Pre-made kits are available in a variety of themes, or you can try your hand at freestyle. I would recommend at least using a fabric marker or a pencil to create a path for the punch needle, otherwise you might get carried away.

Have you tried punch needles? If so, what did you think?