Miniature Punch Needle Designs and Hand-Grained Frames

The inspiration for these miniature designs comes from nineteenth century hooked rug and quilt designs, Pennsylvania German fraktur motifs, and Henry Mercer’s Moravian tiles. Although the pieces resemble miniature hooked rugs, they are actually worked from the back using a specially designed tool called a punch needle.

After drawing the design on unbleached or tea-stained muslin, I tightly stretch the fabric over a locking embroidery hoop. Using only a single strand of embroidery floss, the punch needle is inserted into the fabric to outline and fill-in the hand drawn folk art design. When finished the designs range in size from one-inch square to as large as four or five inches.

Depending on its intricacy, it may take up to three hours and 1200 stitches to complete a one-inch square design. The piece is then removed from the hoop and the muslin is pressed carefully. If the artwork is to be framed, it is stretched over acid-free matte board using small straight pins. If the piece is to become a pin or a dollhouse rug, a liquid fray preventer is applied along the edge of the work and it is trimmed close to the stitching.

The hand-grained frames are also an authentic reproduction from colonial days. Because fine wood was often hard to find, and usually had to be imported from England at great cost, the art of “false-graining” developed as a means of reproducing the look of more expensive wood with the lumber that was available locally. I utilize the same graining techniques, utilizing paint and colored glazes, which are produced in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The unfinished frames are purchased locally, and using a three-step process, they are finished to have the look of those made during Colonial times. First, the wood is painted with a primer coat (usually yellow).  Next, it is coated with a tinted oil-based glaze, which is sponged in a unique way as to create a variety of textures.  Finally, it is sealed with a clear varnish. The effect is one which complements the folk art style of the miniature hooked rugs. I cut my own mat board and frame my own work