Trivets are a must for any table as wool is a natural absorber of heat and the lanolin in wool helps it to repel liquid. Not only will this trivet protect and insulate a surface from hot pans, pots and dishes, but with its geometric design, the patterns and colours of the project will provide a perfect addition to a modern interior even when not being used.
Tools and Materials
- Stretched frame of Monk’s cloth with minimum inside dimensions of 30 x 30cm (12 x 12 inches)
- Staple gun and staples
- Download the trivet template from bookhou.com/pages/patterns, sized to about 29cm (11-1/2 inches) in diameter
- Light source
- Soft leaded pencil
- Oxford Company #10 regular punch needle tool
- Bulky weight yarn suitable for use with a #10 regular punch needle in 5–6 different colours – 1x 100g ball in each colour (for other sizes of punch needle, use the appropriate weight yarn)
- Staple remover
- Scissors
- About 102cm (40 inches) of thin piping cord or parcel string (optional)
- Bulldog clips or clothes pegs
- Tapestry needle
Directions
1. Stretch the Monk’s cloth over the frame. A 30 x 30-cm (12 x 12-inch) frame will give you enough room to comfortably lay out the trivet design with a 5-cm (2-inch seam) allowance. If you want a larger seam allowance then cut a bigger piece of cloth but the frame size shouldn’t change unless you intend to make a larger trivet.
2. Trace the image of the trivet onto the front of the stretched frame.
Punching
3. For this project, the finished side will be the pile side or back side, so the opposite side to the side that you are punching on. By making the embroidered side or front of the piece the base of the trivet, this will allow the trivet to sit flat on the table top.
4. Working at a table with enough space to lay out all the materials, arrange your chosen yarns. To start punching, first outline each shape in chosen colours, then fill in the interior of each outlined shape.
5. Once finished, remove the base cloth from the frame using a staple remover and lay the piece flat on the table with the pile side facing upwards. Using your scissors trim the base cloth around the trivet design with a 5-cm (2-inch) seam allowance all the way around, taking care not to fray the cut edges too much.
6. When you have finished you have two choices. One option is to incorporate a length of thin piping cord or parcel string into the seam allowance as you roll up the edge of the base cloth. This will give a slightly more prominent and rounded edge to the trivet once you complete the binding. Alternatively, see overleaf for instructions on creating your own edging.
7. To make a slim bound edge of about 1.25cm (1/2 inch), roll the seam allowance of the base cloth inward towards the punched pile and hold it in place using bulldog clips or clothes pegs.
8. Using a tapestry needle threaded with a length of bulky weight yarn, sew a whip stitch over the rolled edge as close to the pile edge as possible all the way round so that no base cloth is visible.
9. To avoid any loose ends of yarn at the start, lay a short length of the end of your binding yarn along the rolled up base cloth in the direction that you are moving and stitch over this piece of yarn as you start to whip stitch the binding.
10. Continue stitching, sewing each stitch as close as possible to the previous one in order to create a nice tight edge binding, repositioning the bulldog clips or clothes pegs to hold each section as you work.
11. When you reach the end of your binding yarn slide a small length of the yarn, inside the completed portion of the binding to avoid a loose end. Start the next section with another piece of yarn as described in steps 8–9.
12. Continue working, section by section, until the entire bound edge is complete.
More from Punch Needle:
Cover courtesy of Quadrille
Excerpted with permission fromPunch Needle: Master the Art of Punch Needling Accessories for You and Your Homeby Arounna Khounnoraj, published by Quadrille May 2019, RRP $19.99 Paperback.
