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Here’s a woofcellent Punch Needle how to DIY that’s easy for beginners and can be kicked up a notch for experienced Punch Needelers. It’s a Dog Punch Needle pattern!
This little pup can be kept in its embroidery hoop and used as decor, and it can function as a car coaster, turned into a Christmas ornament, or even a fridge magnet! The choice is up to you, and it’s incredibly easy to get started.
In 4 in-depth steps, we’ll show you this fun Punch Needle how to and you’ll be punching away and showing off your cutesy crafty dog in no time.
Grab your yarn, and let’s boogie!
Dog Punch Needle Patterns
Although Punch Needling isn’t an extremely expensive hobby to get into when compared to other hobbies such as the Cricut (Though, we can’t lie, we do love a Cricut DIY), it’s awesome when you can get some quality freebies.
This is why we’ve posted some free dog Punch Needle patterns below with our Punch Needle how to cute dog DIY. And if you’d like to explore more, take a look at our other adorable and free Punch Needle patterns!
The first image you’ll see below is the one used in this Punch Needle how to, and we’ve chosen this for a few reasons. It’s adorable, and it’s simplistic.
When you’re creating a Punch Needle design, and you want the looped side to be the finished product (the fluffy slide), if you have too many small details, they may not come out very clear on the looped side because of the yarn’s thickness. You’ll notice in the free Punch Needle images below that the designs are very simplistic and easy to follow, and this is to ensure that your image doesn’t get lost in the yarn fluff.
Whether you choose a design below or you’re inspired to create your own, you can trace your Punch Needle image either by free-handing it, using a lightbox, or you can place your monks cloth over a bright window underneath your design and use a fabric marker or sharpie to trace the image on. If you are able to trace your design while the monks cloth is on the embroidery hoop, this is best.
Now, let’s get into this fun and easy Punch Needle how to dog DIY!
Supplies Needed for Dog Punch Needle How To
If you’re already an experienced Punch Needler, you most likely have these supplies items ready to go in your crafting tote! And if you’re a beginner Punch Needler (Welcome!), these items will come in handy for more Punch Needle projects down the line.
Below, you’ll see the 7 items you’ll need to get started on your Punch Needle how to puppy dog design!
- Punch Needle
- Wire Threader
- Crafting Scissors/Thread Trimmer
- Yarn (Colors desired)
- Embroidery Hoop
- Monks Cloth
- Fabric Marker/Sharpie
Dog Punch Needle How To Steps
Who let the Punch Needlers out? Whoop whoop! It’s time to get rocking and rolling, time to start this Punch Needle how to DIY and show it who’s the dog of the house. We hope you enjoy this fun process, and please remember that Punch Needling is supposed to be a fun and even therapeutic hobby/activity.
If you find that you’re having trouble, please take a look at our #1 Punch Needle Tips & Tricks for Everyone and 4 Steps: How to Thread a Punch Needle & Vital Q&As! We also find that watching videos is a great way to teach yourself as well.
Step One: Fasten Monks Cloth & Choose Design
First things first, you’ve got to pick out your design! This is a fun and exciting step, leading up to the anticipation of making your vision become a Punch Needle reality.
Once you have your Punch Needle pattern picked out, you can take your cut-out piece of Monk’s Cloth (Should be cut with a few extra inches around all sides) and fasten it onto your Embroidery Hoop as demonstrated in the photos below.
Unscrew your Embroidery Hoop and take the inside circle out. Then, place your Monk’s Cloth over the inner circle.
Next, place the larger Embroidery Hoop circle over the top. Pull all of the sides so that the Monk’s Cloth is taut, and twist the clasp until it’s tight.
Now you can draw/trace your design onto your Monk’s Cloth.
If you want the fluffy side (the looped side) to be your finished product, you’ll want to trace your design on the backside. Now, we got a bit too excited about this Punch Needle how to DIY, and we’ve traced it on the front side in the photo below.
We retraced the design onto the backside, as you’ll be able to tell in our later steps. And since we love to repurpose and waste as little as possible, we’re using a piece of Monk’s Cloth that was drawn on before.
In short, remember:
Fluffy end product = trace design on the backside
Flat and detailed end product = trace design on the front side
Step Two: Thread Needle & Begin Punching Small Details First
If you’d like a deeper look into how to thread your Punch Needle be sure to click on our article!
Step 2 in our Punch Needle how to Adventure is threading your Punch Needle with the color of yarn that will be the smaller detail of your Punch Needle design first.
For our design, this is the nose and mouth, which we’ve chosen black. We suggest punching the smaller details first because it’s more difficult to go back and punch the small stuff than punching around the smaller details with your background colors.
Once your Punch Needle is threaded, you’re ready to start punching!
When you’re punch needling, remember to punch your needle all the way down, and when you lift your needle up to begin the next punch, never lift the tip of your needle off of your monk’s cloth.
We found it easier to outline the dog’s nose first in our Punch Needle how to and then work our way in!
Punch Needle tip: Remember to keep your Punch Needle eye facing the way you’re punching. So, if you’re punching a circle, make sure you’re rotating your hoop!
Once you’ve filled in your shape, you can pull some extra yarn through and snip, like in the photos below.
You can also snip the yarn tails off now or at the end of your Punch Needle how to project. We find that snipping the tails along the way can make for a more organized canvas!
You can continue punching your other smaller designs, like the little puppy mouth in our chosen Punch Needle how to pattern.
A few snip snips and voila! You’re done punching your small details, and your cutesy pattern is coming to life!
Step Three: Continue Punching Larger Portions
After your smaller details are punched, it’s onto the larger portions! This is often the background of your project’s design.
Thread that needle and let’s go!
We suggest punching a circle around your design that will make for a good border if you choose to take your design out of its Embroidery Hoop, and even if it stays in it makes your design look lovely.
After you’ve punched your border circle, you can snip it off, like in step number 2, and continue punching.
You may like to punch around your smaller details and work your way out. You may notice that you don’t need to punch as close to your smaller details when your looped side is the finished product.
Leaving a little space in between can ensure that your yarn’s loops won’t get intertwined on the other side. But if they do, it’s easy to adjust them with the tip of your needle when you’re finished.
Keep on punching away at our Punch Needle how to DIY you’re almost to the finish line!
Once you’ve finished punching, you can snip of your yarn, cut off the yarn tails and get ready for the last Punch Needle how to step!
While you’re punching, you may notice that you don’t need to fill in every spot when you have your loops as your finished side. Isn’t that neat!
Step Four: Adjust Yarn & Complete!
As we mentioned in step 3, sometimes your loops can get intertwined with others by accident. You can use the tip of your Punch Needle to gently rearrange the loops that are mixed up.
Finished Product Options for Dog Punch Needle How To
Magnificent, you’re all done with your adorable Punch Needle DIY puppy! It’s too cute! But what should you do with it? Well, we’ve got some ideas of how you can use this cute little pup.
- Hot glue the extra Monk’s Cloth to the inside of the Embroidery Hoop and hang up as is
- Bonus: Paint the outside of your Embroidery Hoop to jazz it up!
- Create it into a car coaster
- Make your Embroidery Hoop into a Christmas ornament
- Use an old magnet or a crafting magnet and turn it into a cute fridge magnet
- Gift your Punch Needle how to pup to a dog-loving loved one
- Create a fun patch you can sew/iron on your jacket/tote bag
Bonus Punch Needle How To Tip!
As you can tell from our website, we love to repurpose material. Wondering what to do with your yarn/Monk’s Cloth scraps?
You can save them up and use them as stuffing for other projects OR save them and give them to a friend who could use stuffing for their projects (Ex: Knitted items, pillows, etc.)
Get more Punch Needle tips here!
We hope you’ve had a blast on this Punch Needle how to journey and that you’ll join us for more Punch Needle fun! Whether you’re into Embroidery Punch Needle or more Punch Needle projects, we’ve got something for you!