Well, still no camera so I can't put any pictures up of my projects yet. Sigh.

Oh well, best hint for the day. One of the most important things you need to have when punching is some type of frame that will hold your project very taut. I have tried everything from embroidery hoops (ugh!) to cross stitch frames. When you keep stabbing yourself in the finger with a punch needle because you have it pressed against the fabric to make it tighter you get motivated to find something that will work better. One day I was in the craft store just looking around and I ran across very inexpensive stretcher frame pieces (in the fine art department) that you can buy in a variety of sizes that just slide together. I bought myself an assortment of basic sizes(8" to 12") and some good thumbtacks. I also bought a rubber mallet at the dollar store and I just tap the frame pieces together and take them apart based on the size and shape (square or rectangular of course) needed for the project I'm doing. The fabric holds the frame together without having to glue it. BTW, I bought one set at Michael's and the wood was hard and difficult to put the tacks into. I ended up with some made out of a softer wood that I found at the local Hobby Lobby. It works better than anything else I have ever tried and makes the project easy to hold in your hand. I make the frame as small as possible for the size of the picture I'm doing so it also makes it easier to hold and access all parts of the picture.