Ebook Review: The Punchneedle Handbook

All photos in this post are by June Gilbank, Planet June.

I’m so excited to see crafty ebooks becoming part of our landscape! June Gilbank (who you may know from Planet June) has just released a really cool one called The Punchneedle Handbook.

If you’re wondering what the heck punchneedle embroidery is, it’s an interesting form of stitchery that was popular during the Victorian era. The needle guides your thread in and out of the fabric, forming lots and lots of short loops, rather like a little rug. Once you get the hang of it, punchneedle is super fast and easy to do, and the resulting pieces have all kinds of crafty uses.

I think June has done a bang-up job of outlining everything you need to know to get started with this craft: how to prepare your materials, how to thread the needle and punch stitches, how to get perfect outlines and color effects, and how to troubleshoot problems while you’re learning. June also covers the basics of finishing your work and preparing it for incorporation into other crafts. It’s all illustrated with nice, clear photographs.

In addition, June has designed an awesome series of patterns for punchneedle. When you order her ebook, you can choose any one of these for free! And, taking advantage of the digital format, she offers these patterns separately separately from the ebook, so you can mix and match the perfect set for you.

On the subject of patterns, do not miss this freaking cool one she’s working on for the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. I love, love, love this! She’ll have it out soon.

June is also offering up a great free tutorial to give you a little taste of this craft. And if you have questions about the punchneedle tool, check out her great post on that subject.

It’s great to see an in-depth how-to for an unusual craft like punchneedle – I think most print publishers would shy away from this idea, feeling it wouldn’t have wide enough appeal. But in digital format, June has been able to publish not only a detailed overview of the tools and techniques of the craft, but a series of lovely punchneedle patterns as well, so we can all dive in.

Go, June! Go, Indie Publishing!!