Uh-Oh!
Even though miniature punchneedle is very easy to learn, you might find that things aren’t working as smoothly as you’d like. Here are some common problems and solutions.
My loops won’t stay in – they keep pulling out.
- Move the needle from one stitch to the next with the very tiniest of movements.
- When you finish punching one loop and are ready to move to the next one, take care not to lift the needle into the air. Try to slide it along the surface of the fabric.
- Remember that your needle should be moving from right to left, if you’re right-handed, and from left to right, if you’re left-handed.
- Is your fabric drum tight? Make it as taut as you can.
- Make sure that the floss isn’t getting caught anywhere (could you be leaning on the loose floss with your arm?), and that it’s not too thick for your needle.
- Doublecheck to make sure that you’ve threaded the floss through the hole in the needle.
- Is the loop length long enough? The loops may be too short to stay in the fabric, so you may need to change the gauge.
My loops are uneven.
- Take care to push the needle into the fabric as far as it will go, every time you punch. This should create loops which are the same height.
- Make sure that you aren’t unwittingly catching the loose thread (that’s coming out from the top of the handle) under your hand or arm. If there’s any pressure at all on the floss, the tugging action will prevent nice even loops.
- Remember to hold your punchneedle perpendicular to the fabric. If you slant the punchneedle as if you’re holding a pen, then it’s more likely that your loops will be uneven.
- Doublecheck the tautness of your fabric. It needs to be exceptionally tight.
My loops look floppy and shapeless.
- Take heart – this happens at the start of every piece. The more punching you do, the more support each loop will get, and before long, your loops will be standing up straight and tall, and your design will really show up.
- Remember to take the tiniest of stitches. If your needle moves ¼” with every punch, your stitches are much too far apart! Aim for the most minuscule stitch length you can manage.
I’ve repunched so many times that I think I ripped the fabric backing
- Maybe you haven’t really torn the fabric. Punching can loosen the weave, so you may be able to scratch the surface with your fingernail and bring it back into shape.
- If you really did rip the fabric, apply a small piece of iron-on woven interfacing to the back side of your backing fabric over the torn fabric and punch through that.
