Punch Needle Friends

by Faustine and Cathy Duwicquet

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Punch Needle Friends is a sweetly whimsical tutorial collection with patterns by Faustine Duwicquet. Released 27th July 2021 by Penguin Random House on their Interweave imprint, it's 128 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

These are really well balanced and appealing designs which are appropriate for a number of uses. The author shows the projects framed in embroidery hoops for consistency, but they'd also be lovely finished for other uses: pillows, soft furnishings, covers, wall hangings, and more. The book includes a good pictorial primer of the tools and supplies necessary as well as beginning setup and general techniques for punch needle with yarn. The techniques could be done with fabric strips, but the book doesn't include instructions for that - these projects are shown with yarn.

The projects themselves are arranged sequentially from easier to more advanced. None of them are overly complex. The projects also include surface details such as sewn bows, felt embellishments, and textural stitches. Each tutorial includes tools and supplies with measurements given in both American standard and metric (yay!). Yarn supplies are given by color without yardages. The step by step instructions are accompanied by multiple clear color photos and simple text captions. Templates are included in the back of the book (and according to the publisher's info, the physical copy also includes iron on transfers).

All of the projects are of animals with fun details (the otter, deer, and llama with their adorable little flower crowns are wonderful). All of them will give a good introduction to punch needle and allow readers to branch out into their own projects.

Five stars. It's very nice to see fibrearts other than cross-stitch getting some exposure. This book would be a good choice for maker's groups, fibrearts and embroidery guilds, public or school libraries, and the crafter's home studio.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.