My parents are getting older, and they finally agreed to move into a retirement home. They’ve lived in the same house since 1964, so I knew this transition would be emotional for them. While my husband and I were talking about how to make their new space feel more like home, he suggested I make them a rug. Then the perfect idea hit us — a rug inspired by the old sign from their business.

My grandfather founded Parkinson Gun Shop, and when he passed away, my parents took it over. They ran that little shop for my entire childhood, pouring their lives into it until they retired in 2002. Creating a rug that echoes that familiar sign felt like the perfect way to bring a piece of their history with them into this new chapter.

Once the idea took hold, we immediately started digging through old photos of the shop and its sign. In the early days, the sign hung proudly from a bracket that jutted out over the sidewalk. Over time the metal frame rusted, and the sign was eventually mounted flat against the building instead. Those pictures became our guide — a way to bring a piece of that familiar storefront into their new home.

After we tracked down the photos of the sign, my husband worked his magic and straightened the perspective so we could see it as if we were standing right in front of it. With that cleaned‑up image in hand, I turned to an AI tool to see whether it could help me generate a usable template.

Buoyed by that success, I reached out to Christine Johnson, the friend who first introduced me to punch‑needle work, and asked if she could help turn the design into a proper pattern. She drew it out for me on Monks Cloth, creating a 61 cm × 91 cm (24″ × 36″) template. Since punch‑needle rugs are worked from the back, she reversed the entire design. She also guided me on how much wool I’d need to order for a project of this size.

The next challenge was building a large enough frame so I could punch the rug without constantly repositioning it. I ordered a set of legs from Amazon, picked up carpet tack strips from the hardware store, and scavenged some leftover wood from our garage. After a bit of measuring, cutting, and drilling, we ended up with a sturdy 86 cm × 114 cm (34″ × 45″) frame — big enough to hold the whole pattern at once.

I ordered Briggs and Little Super 4‑ply in three colours — Rust, Black, and White — for the rug. The yarn arrived surprisingly quickly, and once it did, I wound each skein into neat little cakes and got straight to punching. It didn’t take long to realize I needed some protection from the carpet tacks on the frame; they poked right through the Monks Cloth and into my arms. So I sacrificed an old towel, draped it over the edges, and carried on.

With my parents’ move approaching quickly, I worked steadily to finish the rug before we left for London to help them relocate. I punched nonstop from April 12–15, determined to get it off the frame in time. Once I finally removed it, I spotted a couple of thin, almost bald patches that needed extra loops, along with an area in the center where the loops were noticeably shorter. I went back in and corrected those sections.

On April 16, I steam‑blocked the entire rug using a hot iron and a damp towel, letting the wool relax and even out. After that, I turned it over and began the slow, satisfying work of sewing down the edging on the back.

We traveled to London, Ontario to help my parents with their move, and before they left their house for the last time, I gave them the rug. It felt like the right moment — a piece of their history to carry into their new home. After the move, we also managed to track down the original shop sign, and my husband snapped a photo of me standing beside it. A perfect full‑circle moment.

I’m genuinely pleased with how the rug turned out. It’s only my fifth punch‑needle project, and yes — there are a few mistakes here and there. But making things is how we learn, and each project teaches me something new. I know the next rug will be even better. And most importantly, I’m certain my parents love their new rug.

I have signed up for a number of classes from the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild this year.  The first was a 4 week introduction to tapestry class taught by Liane Thiry-Smith.

Our first loom was a DIY frame made out of a canvas frame with the canvas removed.  (Note that the teacher left canvas over the stretcher bars so that we did not have to sand the frames.)  She taught us how to warp the frame and secure the warp threads at the top and bottom of the frame.  Then she encouraged us to wind up some butterflies of yarn and start weaving.  I opted to do a simple gradient with part of the colour wheel.

In week 2 we took our first pieces off the loom and we were onto another piece.  I had a small tapestry loom that I had purchased online but had not yet used.  So I warped up that loom and drew a small sketch of a landscape scene that I wanted to weave.  Next I wound up some butterflies of yarn and set to work.

In week 3 I decided to warp up another colour study.  I studied the sample piece by our teacher Liane Thiry-Smith and I could see that she used many smaller blocks of colour in her piece.  This time I used a darker warp and selected my colours more carefully to create a nice gradient.  I wove it up and was very pleased with how it turned out.

My teacher encouraged me to try a larger piece.  (My other class mates were working on much larger pieces.) She had a loom warped up with some cartoon markings transferred to the warp that she encouraged me to take home and weave on.  In the first photo you can see what I started with.  I used this piece to experiment with different shapes and techniques.  It was fun to do something with no expectations of how it should look.

In the last class we worked on finishing up our pieces.  I sewed in the tails on my pieces and blocked them using a very hot iron and a damp cloth. I sewed one piece onto a dowel.  I think I will look for some nice branches to mount the other pieces.  But that will have to wait for the snow to melt.  (As I write this there is still a solid 2 feet of snow in my yard.) We also took a group photo where we showed off some of our pieces.

It was a great class.  I had lots of fun and learned a whole lot of things.  (Though I still struggle with that slip knot used to start the warp.)  I look forward to experimenting more with my tapestry loom.

 

 

As I write this winter is closing in and snow is falling.  However I wanted to start by sharing part of my November tradition.  In 2020 I made 2 poppy wreaths, one for my house and another for the local cenotaph.  Each November I put these out.  It is a small contribution to Remembrance.  But I feel it is important, especially with war and unrest bubbling around the world.

On Nov 8th I attended a Punch Needle workshop.  This was part of an event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the invention of the Oxford Punch Needle. The workshop was at the Calabogie Lodge, about an hours drive from my house. When I walked into the lodge I was surprised to discover this massive stuffed polar bear in the lobby.  I had to take some photos.

The workshop was put on by Christine Johnson, aka Free Form Fibres. The studio space upstairs was beautiful and so cosy.  There were punch needle projects at each station. We were given the opportunity to try punching with both regular and fine punch needles.

The first piece I worked on was this Christmas tree piece. I learned how to do the outlines.  Then to come back and fill in the background.  You apply the punch needle from the back of the canvas and it forms short loops on the front. The tails from where you start and stop each piece of yarn end up on the front of the piece and need to be trimmed off later. This photo shows the front of the piece.

Christine had some samples of her work on display.  They were so inspiring. It was also interesting to see that some of the pieces were 3D.  They were very cool. Christine has been working on a punch needle series PUNCHING WITH ATTITUDE. I love that she is using her art to express her feelings.

We rotated through a couple of projects during the workshop and I ended up at this frame with a freeform piece on it.  There really wasn’t much on the canvas when I sat down.  Mostly some neon lines wandering around the canvas.  I started by drawing in some hearts.  Then filling them in.  Then adding a blocky border in the middle of the canvas.  Next I filled in the background around the hearts. I played with filling in space using straight lines and with meandering stitches so that I could compare the results. I was hooked and purchased 2 punch needles to take home.

Christine ended up giving me the Freeform piece and some of the neon yarn to take home.  She also gifted me this awesome skein of Briggs and Little Atlantic (hand dyed colourway) and a nice bag with the colour wheel on it.

The next step down the rabbit hole was to buy supplies.  With some help from Christine and Robin (of Hooking Outside the Lines) some basic supplies were ordered.  I picked up a large frame, frame cover, fancy scissors, a kit, and some blank canvas.  The package arrived quickly. And putting the frame together was very straightforward.  The hardest part was holding the pieces steady without pricking myself on the gripper strips which have many very sharp needles.

After getting the frame together it was time to remount the freeform piece. The monks cloth is stretched on the gripper strips until a nice tension is achieved.  Then a cover is added to protect the user from the needles on the gripper strips.  At this point I was ready to restart, but I must admit that I was undecided about how to proceed.  So I took a break.  (It never hurts to consider your design choices.)

By the next day I had an idea.  I could rip out that lower neon line and move it down to make a larger box.  Luckily I had the spare yarn and so was able to do that. One of the neat things about punch needle work is that you can undo it easily. In the images below you can see the faint line where the original neon line was. This will disappear once I have filled in the piece with new yarn.

After making a larger box I could add the word LOVE below the hearts. I traced out the letter size on some paper, cut them out, then tried them on the canvas.  When I was happy with the size and placement, I flipped the letters over (remember working on the back means text must be mirror image) and traced the design onto the canvas with a Sharpie. Finally I was ready to select some yarn and start punching.  After punching the word Love my next choice is to decide what yarn to use for the background, and whether I’ll do one solid background behind all the letters, or blocks of background as was done with the hearts above. I am still undecided which way I will go.

So this is where the work is so far.  It was really fun to learn something new and experiment with a new way to use some of my yarn stash. I have also signed up for a number of classes at my guild in the first half of 2026 (Tapestry, Art Yarn, Short Draw to Long Draw – Drafting Woolen to Worsted, and Warp Painting). I look forward to sharing my punch needle piece and some of my other explorations with you next year.

Since this is my last blog post of 2025, I also wanted to say Happy Holidays!  I hope you have some terrific time visiting with family and friends and recharging your creative batteries for next year.

I also wanted to share that Christine will be teaching as part of In the Studio Online Workshop Week 2026 which runs from February 5-15, 2026.  Here is the blurb about the class:

Christine Johnson @christinejohnson1959 joins Workshop Week for the first time to teach us:
HOW to say WHAT we want to say. (These days, we all have something to say about our shared world.)

She builds on her punch needle series PUNCHING WITH ATTITUDE. This text-heavy class is for both hookers and punchers.