Vintage Boye Circular Needles Knitting Green #7350-15

Punchneedle is not new at all and in fact goes back to the Ancient Egyptians.  They developed the technique of threading fibers through the hollow bones of birds wings in order to “punch” the threads through cloth, creating a nubby, three-dimensional effect.  This method of embellishment continued through the Middle Ages and in the 20th century was brought to the United States by Russian immigrants.  Many have heard punchneedle called “Russian Punchneedle”.

Punchneedle uses a special needle, hoop, weaver’s cloth (or any tightly woven fabric, such as muslin), and embroidery floss to create designs that consist of tiny loops.  The designs are miniature so punchneedle is a perfect way to use up some of those stashes of floss we all have from other projects.  The needle is a hollow tube.  A special long threader is used to thread the needle.  There is no counting involved.  You are just filling in color areas.  The project is worked in a hoop from the back of the fabric.  The tiny loops are placed close together so the finished product has a textured, chenille look.