Tips & Techniques

Roving Won’t Stay in the Fabric

Traditional needle felting is done wool to wool. The relatively rough nature of wool allows the fibers to cling together easily when the needle is used. Other substrates (fabrics or felts) that are of a different fiber such as polyester or cotton may respond a little differently because of the variation of roughness in the fabric or felt. In any event, it can take a lot of “jabs” to firmly attach the roving; you need to go over the entire area with the felting needle.  Keep your needle jabs close together to ensure that the roving fibers are fully interlocked with the felt or fabric surface.  If you are still having trouble, look at the tip of the needle under a magnifying glass to make sure that the barbs on the needle have not worn away. The barbs are what help to interlock the fibers. If the needle looks smooth, it will not work.

Sometimes we might feel tempted to pull on the felting we’ve done, either absent-mindedly or to test how well it holds. Like we learned with Grandma’s chenille bedspreads, if you pull hard enough, it will come out!

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Using the Felting Needle

Felting needles are fragile, so you need to use them carefully. Here are some important things to know to help prevent breakage:

• You must use a foam block under the item to be felted. The needle tip will break if you try to felt on a hard surface (and it may damage the surface).
• Make sure you hold the needle straight up and down while you work; if it is angled, it may break.
• You don’t need to be forceful with your jabs; your needle should just enter the foam block, not penetrate too deeply into it.
  

Correct	Incorrect

 

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How Much Roving Should Be Used for Needle Felting?

Start with a small amount of roving—a clump about 1" in diameter is easy to work with, and you will find that a little roving goes a long way. If it’s not enough to fill the area, simply take another small clump and continue. If you try working with too large an amount, it can be difficult to see the outlines of the area as you apply the roving.

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Always Start at the Outlines

Start at the outline or edge of an area and work toward the middle. Be sure to cover any printed outlines. Lots of jabs at the edges will help you achieve sharper lines. If you finish filling an area and have extra roving, simply trim the excess with scissors and poke in any stray fibers.

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Punch Needle: Easy Techniques Get Great Results!

First, make sure your fabric is placed in a plastic hoop to keep it taut. This is essential. If the fabric is too loose, you will have difficulty with the needle. Second, understand that the printed side of the fabric is the BACK. Punch Needle is stitched from the BACK to create loops on the FRONT. Each loop is created with a simple push/pull motion. Easy! Top

Filling an Area in Punch Needle

When filling an area, work just inside the printed outline on the fabric. This ensures that areas of color are clearly defined on the front of your design. There is no need to cover the line as you would in traditional embroidery since the lines are on the back of the fabric and won’t show on the front of the finished design.

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Punch Needle Stitch Spacing

Don’t be overly concerned about making sure your rows of stitches are perfectly spaced or worked over every fabric thread. Relax and have fun with it! This craft is very forgiving, so if the stitches are a little irregular on the back of if there is some white space between rows of stitches, it will still be ok. The important thing is how it looks on the front, so check it periodically. Notice in the pictures that even though the stitches are not perfectly spaced on the back of the fabric, the front looks just fine.

Front	Back

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Punch Needle: Trimming Stray Loops

After you fill an area with color, check your loops on the front. If you see one or two loops of thread poking up above the others, simply trim them with a small, sharp scissors. The thread ends will blend in with the rest of the loops.

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Understanding the Punch Needle Tool

Look at the tip of the punch needle tool. One side is open and cut at an angle. This is the front side of the needle. The other side is pointed and has a small eye in it. This is the back side of the needle. Top

How to Hold Your Punch Needle Tool

When punching, you must lead with the front side of the needle, not the back side. The direction you work doesn’t really matter (example, left to right or right to left), as long as you lead with the front side. Work in a direction that is most comfortable for you. Top

Punch Needle 101 in Detail

1. Push (“punch”) the needle tip all the way down into the fabric until the plastic handle touches the fabric.
2. Lift just until the tip of the needle reappears.
3. Slide the tip a short distance (about 1/16") along the surface of the fabric, then “punch” again. As you work, loops form on the front of your fabric while a short running-type stitch appears on the back. After you work a few stitches, trim the thread tail about 1/8" away from the fabric.
4. Repeat to fill in the area with color. It’s that easy! We suggest that you outline the area first (staying just inside the printed line). Each area of color will be more clearly defined if you follow this method.
5. To fill the center of the area, you can either follow in the direction of your original outline (A) or work in rows (B). Depending on the shape of the area, you may use a combination of both methods.
   

   Step 1	Step 2
   Step 3	Step 4
   Step 5

   
   

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Getting the Needle to Pierce the Fabric

Are you having trouble getting the needle to pierce the fabric?Your fabric might be a little loose (see diagram).Although the needle tip is very sharp, the fabric has to be very taut so that the needle can pierce it easily. Be sure you are placing your fabric in the hoop correctly. You may have to re-tighten your fabric several times while working on a project. Always check the fabric before starting a new thread and re-tighten it if needed. Top

My Thread Is Tangling in the Tip of My Punch Needle

Make sure the needle tip is facing the proper way when punching. You must lead with the front (beveled) side of the tip. Don’t lead with the back side. Leading with the back side could be the cause of the thread tangling. If you wish, you can make a small mark with a permanent marker on the needle shaft just above the front side of the needle tip. That way it’s easier to see that the needle is facing the proper direction. Top

Keep Your Loops in the Fabric

Are your loops pulling out as fast as you’re stitching? Relax, this is an easy fix. Check the feeder thread (that’s the thread that’s coming out the top of the hollow tube). Chances are it may be caught on something, such as the edge of your fabric or hoop or maybe even your shirt sleeve! The feeder thread must be behind your hand and there should be NO tension on it. Top

My Punch Needle is Catching My Previous Stitching

This is more than likely a matter of form. Check to see how you are holding the needle. Remember, it should be straight up and down (perpendicular to the fabric) when punching. If you angle the needle, the tip may catch on previously worked loops or your loops may look uneven. Top

Threading the Punch Needle Tool

1.  Insert the threader into the needle shaft until the folded end of the wire appears at the other end. Place thread inside the wire loop.
   
2. Pull the threader back through the needle eye.
   
   
3. Insert the threader through the eye from back (rounded) side to front (beveled) side. Place thread inside the wire loop.
   
   
4. Pull the threader back through the needle shaft until thread emerges from the needle tip.
   
   
5. Remove the thread from the threader.
   
   
6. Remove the thread from the threader. Leave a 2" tail of thread out the back of the needle eye.
   

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Using a Hoop

Fabric must be kept taut while working Punch Needle.  A plastic hoop that has a lip on the inner ring works best for keeping your fabric taut.  Use a loop that is large enough to show the entire design.  Here are the steps for using a hoop:

1. Lay the inner ring on your work surface with the lip facing up. Center your design over the inner ring.
   
   
2. Place the outer ring around the fabric and over the lip on the inner ring. Tighten the screw at the top.
   
   
3. Gently pull on the sides of the fabric to be sure it is as tight as possible.
   
   
4. Retighten the screw if needed.
   

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