Introduction to Punch Needle Embroidery

Did you know that it is possible to create illustrations and beautiful 3D effects with just an embroidery technique? The possibilities are endless, especially if you consider working with other types of needles, such as the punch needle. The Argentinian embroiderer Laura Ameba—who has exhibited her work in Paris, Barcelona, and Tokyo—will be your guide in the punch needle embroidery universe.

In this course, Laura teaches you the step-by-step on how to use the punch needle and shows you different types of stitches, starting with the most basic ones until the most advanced techniques. Learn the secrets to improve your technique and apply what you have learned in a fun project.

To start the course, get to know more about Laura, her beginnings in this discipline, and her adventures around the world with the punch needle. She will show you her main influences and artistic references.

Discover the punch needle and learn its origins, the type of punch needles available, and all their functions. Learn how to thread a needle, create your own threaders, and review all the materials needed such as threads, fabrics, and an embroidery frame.

It is time to knit! Learn the process step by step. First, by transferring the design to the fabric, a different procedure from traditional embroidery, and then, Laura teaches you how to do different stitching techniques such as the original stitch—in its flat and 3D versions—and tricks to get the most out of it.

Making the Pom Pom stitch comes next, and for this, you need a lot of threads. And finally, learn the sophisticated Velvet stitch, for which you need more precision, patience, and perseverance; this stitch allows your embroidery to stand out even more.

See how to mix all the stitches and define which stitches work better together. Right away, several exercises will be waiting for you to practice, one of them designed to help you give more volume to your embroideries.

Laura provides you with a series of creative considerations to do your own project with the punch needle. See how to draw a pattern and why you have to begin with the stitches that give more volume. Finally, Laura gives you some final tips for the care, washing, as well as possible uses of your embroidery.

Create a composition with a geometric illustration, playing with color combinations, and choosing the textures you like the most. In the end, you will know how to work with any type of illustration using the punch needle.

Anyone who wants to have fun and learn different embroidery techniques with the punch needle. If you are a fashion design, illustration, or graphic design student, this technique will give you more creative ideas for your work.

You don’t need to have experience in embroidery but you do need to have patience and motivation to learn embroidery with the punch needle.

Regarding materials, you’ll need cotton fabric, an embroidery frame, different threads, and your favorite pair of scissors. And don’t forget the most important tool: the punch needle!