Latch Hooking and Punch Needling Are Making a Comeback and We’re on Board

Nostalgic motifs will always have a place in our hearts, but lately we’ve been seeing that carry over into the DIY home decor realm with modern takes on rug hooking and punch needling. But nostalgia isn’t the only factor behind the resurgence of these more traditional crafts: Modern textile artists are putting out amazing work, and we want to show off similar pieces in our homes.

Quick refresher on the difference between the two: Latch hooking is where you hook and tie yarn through small sections of a canvas. For punch needling, you use a special “punch needle” to weave yarn through a loose-weave fabric.

Both methods provide bold, colorful texture with very little learning curve. Here are our favorite tutorials to help you pick your first project.

Can you believe this was one of Erin’s first forays into punch needling? Her pillow looks straight out of a high-end boutique! She started by drawing out her pattern onto canvas and filling in the shapes, then used that finished canvas as the front piece to a classic envelope pillow slipcover.

Someday, I thought I would get around to learning weaving—but now I’m convinced latch hooking is the way to go. Rachel achieved the same look as a traditional wall hanging in less time with just a canvas and latch hook.

Is this not the sweetest nursery decor? Kelly wanted to create a colorful space that would encourage her son to explore his creativity. She tied the whole brilliant color palette together with this stunning rainbow latch hook wall hanging.

Speaking of rainbows, they look just as good punch needled! Fran loves to break down techniques for DIY beginners. Pick up a new skill—she swears you can have this finished piece in an hour.

Add a little texture to your gallery wall with Ashley’s modern abstract tutorial. When we first shared this photo on our DIY page, a lot of you had a great idea: Look for shape inspiration in adult coloring books.

Kara found a clever way to incorporate a wood element in her latch hook design—she faked it! Instead of using a hook canvas, she used a piece of wood as her base and glued down loose tassels. Even in her close-up pictures, this looks like the real deal.