DRAWING FROM THE DAY
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness

TINY TREASURES REDISCOVERED

11/1/2016

 
[While I am in an enforced rug hooking and tangling "lull" for a while, I've been working with punch needle embroidery because it's quick and most of the pieces are small.  This is a post on rediscovering my first two pieces and on how I learned.]
Picture MY FIRST-EVER PUNCH NEEDLE EMBROIDERY ATTEMPT, PROBABLY CIRCA 2000. EMBROIDERY FLOSS. Design © Linda Repasky, All rights reserved.
Many years ago now--could it have been around the year 2000?--I learned to do punch needle embroidery from a very kind friend and teacher named Linda.  I remember how desperately I wanted to learn when I saw her work!  At the time, we were both visiting Shelburne VT for the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild annual show (still a fabulous, classic, not-to-be-missed show; it's huge and always has classes running at the same time).

I begged Linda for a quick tutorial and we met the next morning for breakfast at a now-defunct restaurant in Shelburne.  While we were waiting for our food, she whipped out a sample and taught me in less than ten minutes.  I will be forever grateful.

At the time she was running a small business and writing two books on the topic.  I believe the books (superb) are now out of print but I've heard they may be coming back as e-books for Kindle.  She had a number of patterns for sale and also made frames for punch hooking.  I think some of her adorable patterns may still be available here.  Although you will have to check to be sure.  Fortunately, gripper frames and Morgan Hoops--which both work well for punch needle--are now widely available from other sources if you google them.

The above Crow Pattern--a lapel pin--was the very first punch needle project I ever did, and it's one of Linda's designs.  Here is another one, done around the same time and also one of her designs.  It's also a pin.

Picture
MY SECOND PUNCH NEEDLE EMBROIDERY PROJECT, PROBABLY ALSO DONE AROUND 2000. WOOL THREAD. Design © Linda Repasky, all rights reserved.
Linda's first book was called Miniature Punchneedle Embroidery and her second book was titled A Passion for Punchneedle.  I highly recommend the first book for beginners and the second one for "experienced beginners" and intermediate-to-advanced punchers.  Her directions are clear and well thought-out and you cannot find a better teacher in print.  Secondhand copies of the books are often available.  I would love to see them reprinted but at least the Miniature Punchneedle Embroidery (first book) is available as an ebook here.  The instructions are superb, and it's packed with projects.

Meanwhile, I have continued punching away in spare moments, although my emphasis shifted to punch needle rug hooking for several years.  Happily I reconnected with Linda recently.  She's still punching, and is also a gifted rug hooker and calligrapher.

While I am waiting for a "go" or "no-go" on the Big Project (the one I'm not yet ready to talk about), my attention is scattered and I hesitate to start another rug.  So, I'm working on punch needle projects on a tiny scale.  After finishing several of these I was left with tools and threads in a mess and this morning I began a tidying-up process. 

That's when I found these two pieces above.  These tiny treasures I had completely forgotten popped out of a long-unopened box to delight me. 

Big thanks to Linda for her teaching and friendship over the years.

And now...back to the challenging task of sorting out threads.  Here is just a partial glimpse of what I'm facing.  No wonder I can't find anything...Wish me luck!

Picture

Comments are closed.

    ABOUT ME

     I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 

    I am also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT 11) and a student of drawing and of the tarot.

      If you enjoy reading this blog, input your email address here to get an every-other-month notice about checking for new posts.

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    Picture
    Certified, 2021
    Picture
    Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
    Picture
    Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Black Tiles
    Bookbinding
    Broken Wrist Tangles
    Clocks
    Colored Pencil
    Creative Inspiration
    Death
    Diva Challenge
    Drawing
    Dyeing Wool Or Yarn
    Fans
    Frederick Franck
    Gellyrolls
    Gesso
    Gratitangles2018
    Gratitangles2020
    Gray Tiles
    Ims
    Inktober
    Inktober 2018
    Inktober 2019
    Inktober2020
    Iphone App On Tangles
    Joey Challenge
    Knitted Knockers
    Knitting
    Knots
    Mandalas
    Map Tangling
    Marathon
    Meditation
    Neurographica
    No Fail No Learn
    Other People's Work
    Poetry
    Portrait
    Punch Hooking
    Punch Needle Embroidery
    Quilts And Other Art
    Rainbow Lead Pencil
    Renaissance Tiles
    Rug Hooking
    Scratch Art
    Sketchbook-skool
    String Thing Challenge
    #summertangles2018
    Tangles
    Tarot
    Tarot Rug Project
    Truly Miscellaneous
    Watercolor
    Weather
    Zenagain2018
    Zendala-dare
    Zenuari2019

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    SITES TO WATCH:

    Insight Meditation Society

    Oxford Rug Hooking School


    Zentangle:  The Official Site

    Green Mountain Rug Hooking

    Massachusetts Tarot Society


    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness