"that" tool thingy for fluffy bits..

[sparkysdad]

Words escape me, but as a kid I had a plimsoll bag my mum made for me, with my initials marked on it in fluffy letters.. like cut loops?? (think pom pom effect, but in a line!)

I remember she had a brass springy thing she jabbed in to the fabric.. but not much else.. anyone know what the tool and technique are called?

I was thinking it was perhaps a needle, but if she used it to make loops, what would have anchored the loops in the fabric once they were trimmed??:confused::confused::confused:

[beckyboo]

urrrrmmmm no,lol

you can get sort of the same effect with the puffy fabric markers though

http://www.craftydevilspapercraft.co.uk/craft/480-puffy-pens.asp

you must have been rich,lol, plimsol bag...we had carrier bags like it or lump it :D

[greannancrafts]

Sorry, I can't help on this one - but I do remember plimsolls- black in the winter, white in the summer, I wonder if you can still get them?

Beckyboo, carrier bags hadn't been invented when Sparkysdad went to school!!!:)

Jane

[beckyboo]

Beckyboo, carrier bags hadn't been invented when Sparkysdad went to school!!!:)


awwwww,lol

yes you can still get plimsolls , the white ones are harder to find though...my kids used to spend all summer in theirs ..ahhhh happy memories

[nettie]

Could it have been one of those hooky things that you use in rug making? Or could they have been big embroidered French Knots?

[Moonbeam Angel]

I know exactly what you mean but for the life of me I cant remember what its called and I am pretty certain you can still get it in places like Hobbycraft, I believe it was "the.......punch"

It was a needle type thing that you punched through the reverse of the design you were doing, the wool was threaded through it and as you "punched" through the fabric it made a loop on the right side.

I remember it so well and will no doubt be awake for hours tonight trying to remember it's name!

When I do remember I will let you know

[Critchley]

I remember we had a little machine, the needle was operated by putting your foot through a loop on the end of a strap and it punched from the reverse side of the fabric leaving a tiny loop on the front as others have said. It was a brass plate clamped to a table and a very simple fitting for the needle. I can't remember the name either but I could draw a picture of it. (Not much help I know)

[Steffi]

Would it be needle punching?

[silvermaid]

I have found these ones
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Punch-Needle-Embroidery-Supplies__W0QQ_armrsZ1
Called the Webster punch needle. Which sounds like it.

Melanie

[sunrise]

slightly going off topic but my son of 20 and his friends all wear plimsoles as they're fashionable now but they're £20 from topman not £1.99 from woolworths ( RIP ) !!

[sparkysdad]

Thank you silvermaid and Steffi..

it is needlepunch or punchneedle (both seem in common use!) embroidery! also called russian punch embroidery.. Oh well, now I know what I am looking for!

And Beckyboo you cheeky minx!! we weren't "posh" !! most kids had a bought bag.. I had to have a home made one!! (along with homeknitted sweaters until I was 11!!)

[Moonbeam Angel]

Thank you silvermaid and Steffi..

it is needlepunch or punchneedle (both seem in common use!) embroidery! also called russian punch embroidery.. Oh well, now I know what I am looking for!

And Beckyboo you cheeky minx!! we weren't "posh" !! most kids had a bought bag.. I had to have a home made one!! (along with homeknitted sweaters until I was 11!!)


me too. My nan was still knitting my school sweaters in secondary school. I was the only one I knew with handmade cardi and jumper and I was about 14 by then!!!!!

Thanks Silvermaid for putting me out of my misery, that is exactly what I was thinking of.:D

[greannancrafts]

Thank you silvermaid and Steffi..

it is needlepunch or punchneedle (both seem in common use!) embroidery! also called russian punch embroidery.. Oh well, now I know what I am looking for!

And Beckyboo you cheeky minx!! we weren't "posh" !! most kids had a bought bag.. I had to have a home made one!! (along with homeknitted sweaters until I was 11!!)

OOOH!!

What are you going to be making?
Sounds exciting.

Jane

[sparkysdad]

OOOH!!

What are you going to be making?
Sounds exciting.

Jane

I know, I obviously lead a sad and somewhat sheltered life.. :mummy::confused:

I "like" making things.. though I guess I don't feel overly confident in anything I make (it's those home made things as a kid.. gave me mental blocks!!).. I really envy those who make and sell their crafts..

But despite being at best amateurish at what I make, I still like to "play".. I did my first ever oil painting a few months ago.. wouldn't win any prizes, but it is at least no worse than anything I produced at school (they were things only a mother could be proud of)...

Mens clothes are probably far beyond my basic sewing skills (I can do curtains OK).. though I have knocked up some basic cushion covers to "make do".. and I often think I could add a few bits and bobs to them to make them a little more fancy.. I just thought if I found out what the pokey tool was, and how to use it, a bit of embroidery thread and a couple of hours messing about might produce something half decent!

[Critchley]

Go for it.
Don't decry your own crafting ability, I am sure you have produced some lovely stuff from time to time. I Think we all have cupboards full of bits we would not show to anyone. lol.

[silvermaid]

We all have things we can and can't do.
Well done on your oil painting I am absolutely useless at painting, a plain wall is all I can manage:D
You would be surprised at the number of people who would not be able to make a decent pair of curtains either.
The great thing about experimenting with crafts is that you never know until you try which ones you will find easy and which ones hard. The main thing is to enjoy the experience whether the end result is good or not, and often even the bad things will help in some ways with other crafts.

Melanie

[sparkysdad]

We all have things we can and can't do.
Well done on your oil painting I am absolutely useless at painting, a plain wall is all I can manage:D
You would be surprised at the number of people who would not be able to make a decent pair of curtains either.
The great thing about experimenting with crafts is that you never know until you try which ones you will find easy and which ones hard. The main thing is to enjoy the experience whether the end result is good or not, and often even the bad things will help in some ways with other crafts.

Melanie

Oh.. I seem to like all the ones I try!! :D:D Someone has a strapline "messiness is a sign of craftiness".. And I'm definitely well up the league in terms of messiness!!