Arounna Khounnoraj For Purl Soho: Punch Needle Flowers
What an honor to present two very special designs from maker extraordinaire Arounna Khounnoraj! Quilter, sewist, textile designer, and mender, Arounna also has helped lead a resurgence in the art of punch needle embroidery, a simple technique for “punching” loops of yarn through woven fabric.
The result is a soft pile of stitches that, in the case of these Punch Needle Flowers, forms a pair of very lovely botanical wall hangings. A reflection of Arounna’s love for the natural world, as well as her bold graphics and sensitive color choices, these beauties seem to dance in the wind under the light of a warm day!
If you’ve never punch needled before, to get started, you’ll need a size 10 punch needle (we love The Oxford Company’s, which comes with all the instructions you’ll need to get punching!) and some sturdy woven cotton, like Dorr Mill’s Monks Cloth, a classic for punch needle embroidery.
And to make your Punch Needle Flowers like Arounna’s, you’ll also need a Punch Needle Flowers Pattern, which includes traceable templates for these two designs, plus a Punch Needle Flowers Bundle (no longer available), which is six skeins of our wonderfully cushy Super Soft Merino. Pick this Field palette of warm pinks and ochres or try the Forest palette for more verdant blooms!
Designed for Purl Soho by Arounna Khounnoraj.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoPunchNeedleFlowers and #PurlSohoSuperSoftMerino. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
To make a set of two Punch Needle Flower wall hangings you will need…
- 6 skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool; each skein is 87 yards/ 100 grams.
- Color A: 1 skein; approximately 70 yards required
- Color B: 1 skein; approximately 15 yards required
- Color C: 1 skein; approximately 57 yards required
- Color D: 1 skein; approximately 10 yards required
- Color E: 1 skein; approximately 15 yards required
- Color F: 1 skein; approximately 8 yards required
You will also need…
- ½ yard of Dorr Mill’s Monks Cloth
- The Oxford Company’s Oxford Punch Needle, size 10 Regular (or similar)
- A 10-inch No-Slip Hoop, for punch needling
- Two 10-inch embroidery hoops, for display
- A couple yards of embroidery floss or strong thread, for finishing
- A Punch Needle Flowers Pattern (NOTE: the Punch Needle Flower pattern is no longer available for purchase. For assistance, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.)
We love these two pretty palettes (NOTE: the Punch Needle Flower Bundles are no longer available.)…
FIELD (above, left; we used this palette for our samples)
- Color A: Turmeric Yellow
- Color B: Peachy Pink
- Color C: Ballet Pink
- Color D: Heirloom White
- Color E: Red Poppy
- Color F: Sea Salt
FOREST (above, right)
- Color A: Frond Green
- Color B: Crocus Bud
- Color C: Artemisia Green
- Color D: Heirloom White
- Color E: Bougainvillea Pink
- Color F: Fresh Pickle
SIZE
Finished Diameter of Design: 9¾ inches
Finished Diameter in Display Hoop: 10 inches
Pattern
The Punch Needle Flowers Pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download only.
I’d be interested if the patterns weren’t so simplistic. When I craft, I look for intricacy. I haven’t punch-needled before, but I’ve embroidered, woven, and hooked. I’d be interested in your embroidery samplers, as well, if not for their uncomplicated simplicity. Don’t get me wrong: I like simplicity, yes, and when I do I look to sashiko, not to blackwork.
Hi Hollis,
Thank you for reaching out. With this being the very first punch needle project, we’re hoping to start with something that’s not only accessible to the skill level and preferences of many crafters, but also beautiful! But we appreciate your feedback and will keep your interests in mind. Since you prefer intricacy, I wanted to recommend one of our more recent embroidery projects: our Swedish Embroidery Pattern, designed in collaboration with Studio Flax. Perhaps the more intricate stitchwork of these designs will catch your eye!
All the best,
Lili