punch needle moth — Homebody DIY

hello and welcome to your punch needle moth kit! i am so happy you are here! get excited to learn how to use all the materials in the box and make your one rainbow creation. you will learn how to thread your needle, how to stretch the fabric into your hoop and how to start punching.

+tracing your design

01. find a window in your home that has good light coming through. tape your design to the window. you can also use the computer screen in a dark room as a light source

02. place the monks cloth up to the window and trace your design with a sharpie. make sure you are tracing in the middle of the fabric.

+stretching the fabric

01.take apart your embroidery hoop. if you have never seen these type of hoops before, they are no slip. take the part that looks like wood off the piece of white plastic. use some force and roll it off the plastic.

02. center your design drawn on monks cloth fabric and lay it over the white plastic hoop.

03. with the wooden top, roll it back into place over the fabric.

04. once the fabric is in place, pull the fabric tight while holding the hoop. you will be able to see the fabric starting to move. continue pulling until your monks cloth is as tight as a drum.

+threading the needle

01. using threading wire to thread the needle. insert the threader into the top of the needle (pointy end). starting with the eye of the needle and then through the center of the needle.

02. place 2 inched of yarn through the threaders loop end.

03. pull the threader slowly and carefully back through the needle.

04. the needle will be attached to your ball of yarn. make sure there is enough slack in the yarn to help move the needle.

pro tip: place the ball of yarn on the floor while you punch!

+time to punch

this design has smaller areas and then some larger areas. it is important to start with the smaller areas and work your way to the larger areas. you will be punching on both the inside of the hoop and the outside of the hoop. the side that you are punching on will look like a flat embroidery and the other side will be full of loops!

01. This design is going to be punched on the outside of the hoop, making the loops to be on the inside of the hoop. start on the outside of the hoop, in the middle of your piece using one of the colors for one of the smaller sections. i like to complete all my colors in group so I will start with the blue. The reason it start in the center, is because if you start at the edge, the tail will stick out and possibly come undone over time.

02. insert the needle until the wooden handle touches the canvas. pull the needle out ad move over 2 holes. the needle should always pointing the way you are moving, so be sure the open slot of the needle is pointing in the direction you are working.

03. to ensure a clear outline, use a short stitch length for your first row around the outline of your shape. a short stitch is about every hole or every 2 holes of your monks cloth.

04. when you come to a corner, it is easiest to turn the frame in your hands. leave your needle in the fabric, turn the piece, turn the needle so it is moving in the direction you are punching and continue

05. after the initial outline all the way around, begin to open up the stitch for the remaining filler rows. a larger stitch will be every 3 or 4 holes in the monks cloth. check your work as you go by flipping over the hoop. if there are bare spots, punch closer together.

pro tip: if this is your first time punching, don’t let all these details scare you. it is much easier than it sounds! the smaller stitch outline and larger stitch center is something that i have learned overtime. it helps make the design pretty and even but it is NOT necessary. just start, have a good time and punch your way through the rainbow.

06. to finish each color, no knots needed! punch the needle into the long loop side (the inside of the hoop). pull a small loop out and trim. pull the punch needle tool out of the fabric leaving a short (2”) tail on your loop side.

07. repeat steps 1-6 for each color in the moth and the background. continue to complete the smaller sections and then move to the largest sections. Your last section to complete should be the gold color before completing the background.

+background

01. using your purple color, being to punch an outline of the circle shape of your hoop as well as the shape of the moth using a small stitch. (every 2 loops).

02. continue to go around the circle and fill it in using the small stitch, until you complete the circle.

pro tip: it might be easier to work in 2 halves with the rainbow in between. completing the top of the background first and the the bottom half.

+finishing

01. after the punch needle piece is finished, there will be multiple short little tails throughout. simply trim these tails so they will hid within the other loops. if you have any straggling yarn bits trim those as well. the fabric will do the job of holding the yarn.