So yesterday, I wrote about what felting is, and promised to go on to what you really are doing when using the “felting” needles to push fibers thru some other material.

Needle Punching, or as it is currently probably better know, Miniature Punch Needle Embroidery, for a long time. Not, perhaps as long as felting, but “pretty close”.

Since you already know that Clover is one of my favorite Needle Crafts Tool makers, so here is the obligatory “tool picture” – As with all their products, The Clover Punch Embroidery tool works well for 95% of what I want to do and is reasonably priced.

Needle punching is pushing something from one side of a ground cloth to another. On a larger scale, you may be familiar with the Rug making techniques such as Hooking (PULLING the fabric or yarn or other material from the front/right side facing you or PRODDING, which is PUSHING from back – right side away from you.

When you try to “Needle Felt” with fabric, yarns or threads that do not have the necessary follicles to twist, tangle, mesh and compact, you can’t felt. So you are PUNCHING.

Punching is a WONDERFUL way to embellish, you just need to understand that for a wearable or other object that will be “used” – you will need to use some of the many techniques which exist to “stabilize” the loops/threads/bits of everything from Angelina to Zoo sheddings of needle punching, such as iron-on fusibles or special glues even sometimes for punch needle embroidery, just packing the threads tightly. Without these measures, if you pull on the yarn, thread or even fibers, unless they are able to be felted, they will pull out and frankly “rather easily”.

Part III will be about the tools I use “most of the time”

HTH

Wheat