PlanetJune Craft Blog

Latest news and updates from June

punchneedles

Looking for more punchneedle information?
See my Punchneedle info page.

I don’t sell punchneedle equipment in my store because I wouldn’t be able to offer competitive pricing. Instead, I’ll give you some information about where you can buy punchneedles and some of the commonly-available options.

As far as I know, all the big craft stores sell at least one type of punchneedle – I have verified that Michaels, JoAnn & AC Moore all sell punchneedles. I suggest you look for punchneedles in craft or embroidery supply shops (either locally to you, or online).

To give you an idea of what’s available, here are some of the types of punchneedle you may see, with my comments about them:

punchneedle comparison
L-R: Dimensions, Clover, Ultra Punch

Punchneedles come in several styles and sizes. The basic needle (size medium) accommodates 3 strands of embroidery floss, but fine 1-strand needles and coarse 6-strand needles are also available. (UPDATE: See the bottom of this post for more size information.) Some punchneedles have adjustable depth (which determines the length of the loops you punch); the most basic needles have a fixed loop length. The more expensive punchneedles may have a more comfortable grip for long periods of use, but they all work in exactly the same manner, so a basic punchneedle is all you need.

The Dimensions punchneedle is inexpensive and not adjustable, but you don’t need an adjustable needle for miniature punchneedle, so this needle is really all you need to get started. You should find it near the cross stitch section in almost any craft stores.

The Clover Embroidery Stitching Tool is more expensive and you can buy various-sized needle tips (you will need a MEDIUM needle for it), but it is quite short and some people may prefer a longer pen-shaped barrel (I know I do!)

The Ultra-Punch Needle (previously sold as Cameo Ultra Punch) is the most expensive and has an adjustable loop length. I own this needle – it is very comfortable to use, but I always leave it on the shortest loop length. You can buy it in three needle tip sizes or in a set of all 3 needle tip sizes. You only need the MEDIUM sized needle. (I’m not sure if you can buy this needle in stores; you can buy it from amazon, or it’s available online from JoAnn.com and probably elsewhere too.)

buy The Punchneedle Handbook by June Gilbank

There are other brands of punchneedle too – basically, any punchneedle with a medium-sized tip is suitable for the Miniature Punchneedle Embroidery taught in The Punchneedle Handbook.

I hope you find this information useful!

UPDATE: Punchneedle Tool Sizes

Punchneedle sizing information is very unclear, and the packaging rarely tells you exactly which sizes you’re buying! I’ve researched it and here’s what I found. The punchneedle sizes are as follows:

EXTRA SMALL (1 strand of floss)
SMALL (2 strands of floss) = 1.2mm
MEDIUM (3 strands of floss) = 1.6mm
LARGE (6 strands of floss) = 2.2mm
EXTRA LARGE (used with rug yarn or ribbon)

In general:

  • If a punchneedle comes with only one needle tip, it will be MEDIUM unless otherwise marked.
  • Three needle tips will be SMALL, MEDIUM and LARGE.
  • Four needle tips will also include the EXTRA SMALL (the rug punch is a separate tool and will never be included in a set with the other sizes)

Mystery solved!

12 Comments »

  1. Vickie Grover said

    Thank-you for all the info. I am looking forward to crafting again. I had to stop because of swelling in my fingers. Thank-you and the other people who had questions. Ya”ll have given me the courage to try stitching again !!!

  2. Shirley. Gorham said

    Love to needle punch goes so fast.

  3. SLW said

    I used to hand stitch on canvas, but after many, many bruised fingertips and a case of carpel tunnel syndrome, I had to stop. You’ve just shown me how I can get back to doing it again! Thanks so much for this information!

  4. AFAY said

    My sister-in-law use to send me gifts made with this art; she has had a stroke and unable to do these any longer. With all you information, It appears that I may be able to try my hand at this craft and perhaps make her day by sending her some gifts made this way. Thank you for making punch look so inviting!

  5. sharon said

    my dearest june atlast i found what i was looking for
    for almost 5 years i absolulety love embroidering
    but i recently suffered a stroke and are un able to work so i cant buy any products
    i saw this punching method on a flea market years ago not nowing ill need something like that today i am from south africa and wish to ask for your assistance in helping me out just to keep me busy during the day
    i know i will be able to do it because i still have my right side to work with
    please concider helping a board once doing what ever possible regards sharon

  6. Amanda said

    Oh June, what have you done. LOL I’m getting my punchneedle in the mail tomorrow. Oh no. Now I have to buy your book!

  7. melissa said

    hi june!
    oh thank you for this great post! i have the ultra punch needle too and really like it. i purchased it on joanns.com.
    i love your handbook and all of your patterns. they are amazing!
    thank you for creating them all!
    🙂 melissa

  8. Jana said

    Mine is ordered! Should be waiting in my PO box when I get to Atlanta! Along with a bunch of other stuff 😀 I’m looking forward to getting started!
    Hope you had a better day today than yesterday.

  9. becky said

    I read teh entire handbook and am now going to order a punchneedle and start as soon as it gets here 🙂 thank you for introducing a new craft 🙂

  10. Reba said

    Sorry I didn’t finish the post. I meant I knew which one to get now. Whoops!

  11. Reba said

    Hi June! Thanks for the post. I was wondering which punch needle to get. Thanks again!

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