Punch needle: a beginner's guide
A hollow needle pushes loops of thread through tight fabric. Fast, relaxing and no counting.
- The loop side is the front (the pile); the flat side looks like stitching. Both can be used.
- Fine punch needles use embroidery floss on tightly woven fabric; larger ones use yarn on looser fabric such as monk's cloth.
- The fabric must be drum-tight.
- There's no stitch counting, so it's easy to pick up and put down.
Watch
Learn How To: Punch Needle (7:33)
By DMC · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 7-minute video from DMC on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
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All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.