Today I’m sharing a free pattern with you: my punch needle grapefruit! This is one of the first things I made with my punch needle and is a great project for beginners.
When you’re done punching your grapefruit you could turn it into a stuffie like I did (‘cause who doesn’t need a plush grapefruit to snuggle with?) or fill in the background and turn it into a wall-hanging. Depending on how speedy you are, this grapefruit can be completed in an hour or two.
For this pattern you’ll need:
For my grapefruit I used:
FYI- All the supplies you need to punch a grapefruit of your own can be found in this kit (select the pink & gold option for the right colour palette).
Making your Grapefruit:
If you’re using the 10” No-Slip hoop that’s included in my beginner kit, I’d recommend printing out the pattern at 100% (no scaling). Otherwise, feel free to enlarge or reduce the pattern to the size of your choosing- I think a giant version of this would look great as a living room cushion for summer! Download the PDF pattern here.
After you’ve traced the pattern onto your framed monk’s cloth, begin by outlining then filling in the pink segments, then outline and fill in the white segment walls. Next, outline then fill in the yellow rind of your grapefruit. If you want to create a wall hanging, fill in the background with the yarn colour of your choice. For the background in the wall hanging below, I used Alafoss Lopi in Denim Heather and punched the grapefruit with a loop stitch (loop side facing out) for a soft and textured look. In contrast, I used a flat stitch (loop side facing in) when I made my grapefruit stuffy.
If you’d like to turn your grapefruit into a plush stuffie, follow the instructions in this tutorial. If you’d like to make a circular wall hanging, check out this post for more information. Find instructions on choosing supplies, preparing your frame, and making stitches with your punch needle in my ebook Drawing with Yarn: A Beginner’s Guide to Punch Needle.
If you make a punch needle grapefruit I would love to see it! Share your work by tagging me @homedaystudio on Instagram and use the hashtag #stayhomeandpunchneedle. Happy punching!
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Back in August, an editor at the U.K. magazine Mollie Makes emailed me to ask if I would be interested in designing and making a trio of punch needle animal stuffies for their December 2019 cover. I’ll admit I was intimidated- the deadline was tight considering my kids were still home with me for summer break, and I had more than a bit of performance anxiety (what if they’re just “meh” about the final product?). In the end I said yes, and I’m so thrilled with how this project turned out!
This month I was featured in an article by Chatelaine Magazine on bringing punch needle into your home décor. The article touches on the current trend of punch needle, its history, and profiles a number of talented punch needle artists selling patterns, supplies, and finished work. Writer Iris Benaroia interviewed me for the article and included a great little write-up of me and my work. I love the quote she included of me describing punch needle as “the least frustrating craft I’ve ever tried”. Perfectly summed up!
