Welcome to another Tooled Up column where we aim to give you reviews of fun products from all over the crafty world. Today we review punch needles from Milward.
The two offerings are quite different and will appeal to different people depending on how much hole punching you want to try I think.
The first is the beautiful wooden set made of maple and brass. It includes both the regular and fine size 10 punch needles made out of a beautiful wood which feels lovely in your grip.
The needles make 6mm (1/4 inch) loops. The regular one would hold a nice thick wool while the finer one could create a beautiful look using embroidery threads or similar.
The kit also came with two threaders which really make me giggle because they are so big in comparison to the ones I am more used to using for cross stitch. They are brilliant though as you use them to pull the thread through from the bottom of the handle to the tip, and through the eye hole.
The kit comes with a great set of instructions which I think are really detailed. You could pick it up with no knowledge at all and as long as you have some yarn and fabric, you’re off!
The second kit only includes one punch needle, but an adjustable one so it’s actually four different punch needles in one. Although it is plastic and not wood, it’s really ergonomic, feels lovely to work with.
The needle is 5mm and it adjusts easily to the four different sizes to provide the following:
- A is 53mm loops
- B is 43mm loops
- C is 34mm loops
- D is 24mm loops
It adjust really easily as you sew giving you the ability to do one section of your design with 53mm loops, then switching to 34mm loops for the next section, 24mm loops for the next section and so on.
You just stop sewing for a second and move the notch to the next size loop hole you want and boom, you’re making different size stitches without having to change needles or rethread anything! How fun is that!
This kit also comes with a needle threader and a nice clear set of instructions.
Punch needle embroidery is a great way to cover a larger area of fabric quite quickly. And it looks fab too. Some of the designs you see on Instagram are quite fabulous. And if you want some design inspiration don’t forget to go back and read the book review I did of The Art of Punch Needle Embroidery by Marie Suarez.
For more information on either of these products or to find your local stockist email Groves@stockistenquiries.co.uk And to see more of the products Groves has to offer visit them on Instagram here and on Facebook here.
Do you do punch needle embroidery? What size loop do you prefer to use and what tools do you use?
