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What is The Best Fabric to Use???
This is the most common question that I hear.
There are a myriad of views on this topic. In the end it all comes down to experimenting!
Firstly, the fabric needs to be tightly woven as it is the weave of the fabric which holds the loop in place. When you have chosen the fabric you want to use, put it into the hoop and work some stitches with a threaded punchneedle. Pull out the stitching - if there is no visible damage to the weave of the fabric and if the warp (the threads which go up and down) and weft threads (the weft goes from 'weft' to 'wight') can gently be stroked back into place and there is no visible damage to the fabric, then the fabric is probably OK to use. This is very general as there are so many different types of fabrics however it is a good guideline.
It generally also comes down to what size punchneedle is being used and how tight the fabric needs to be in the hoop. When using a fine punchneedle with only one strand of thread it is a whole different scenario to using, for example, the Dancing Ribbon Needle with 13mm wide silk ribbon.
For a long time I used calico (I think this is referred to as muslin in America) and this can work well. Over time though I discovered that there are many qualities of calico and it really does come down to experimenting with the type you have.
One of the most important discoveries I have made is that some fabrics can stretch greatly. Calico is notorious for this. I now know that it is very important to check the stretch of any fabric. Let me give you an example - if I print a design of a clown onto fabric with the stretch of the fabric going up and down, it can be that I will end up with a long, skinny clown. If I print the clown onto the fabric with the stretch of the fabric going across, the clown may end up being a short and fat clown. It is therefore very important to check the stretch of the fabric you have chosen to work with.
In America there is a wonderful fabric known as Weaver s Cloth which is 50% cotton and 50% polyester - this is very good to work on. It does have some stretch but not nearly as much as calico.
There will be many instances when you want to use a silk, moiré or some other exotic fabric. Experiment first and if the fabric becomes damaged from the punchneedles then use an iron-on woven interfacing on the back of the fabric.
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I have just enjoyed the DVD on making the Flower Basket and after trying it, I am delighted with the look. I just started punching this year, so I am..
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