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| Super Luxo Punchneedle |
Needles
There are various brands of punchneedles on the market. I use the Super Luxo. When I started it was the one available in my
area. It is all metal (handle and
needle). It is heavy to hold (since it
is all metal) but I am used to the weight of it now. You need to get the brand that you like and
can afford. You will notice in my photo
I have a rubber band wrapped around the handle.
I found when I laid the needle on a table, it tended to roll off the
table and on to the floor, which dulled the needle point. So I use the rubber band to keep it from
rolling away.
Other fabrics tend to stretch when punched and do not have a
weave that allows punching. They also
don’t return to the original size when stretched in the hoop such as weavers
cloth. So weaver cloth is recommended
for beginners but as I will show in a future blog, there are ways to punch
other types of fabric.
What ever brand needle you use they are all the same. It’s a
hollow needle with an angled tip and the eye drilled above the point. You don’t have to pull the entire length of
thread through the fabric as you do with other embroidery or sewing so the
thread doesn’t fray.
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| Angled or beveled tip |
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| hole above the point |
The needles come in various sizes. Small using one strand of
embroidery floss medium using 2-3
strands or large using 6 strands(the size for the above pictures is for 6 strands.). There
are different types of needle available.
Some with each size needle sold separate or with one needle holder and
the needles themselves are interchangeable (Super Luxo is one where the needle tips are interchangeable).
The loop size is depending on the needle as well. Some needles have a dial which adjusts the
needle length while others use a little piece of plastic tubing placed on the
needle shaft to act as a stopper for the needle. (By the way the needle tip in the picture below is for 2 strands of floss)
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| Needle with tube |
Fabric
The fabric most often used is known as Weavers cloth. It is a cotton-polyester blend (45% cotton
and 55% polyester). This blend allows
the fabric to be resilient enough to punch but doesn’t tear the fabric
(unless your needle tip is dulled). The needle tip tends to push aside the
threads of the fabric when it punches through the fabric.
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| Weaver's Cloth |
Next week threads and hoops.
© 2018 – Cheryl Fillion
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