On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about punch needle with my guest Micah Clasper-Torch.
Micah is a Los Angeles-based artist, designer, and educator helping to lead the modern revival of punch needle rug hooking. With a background in fashion design from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and the Polytechnic Institute in Milan, Micah blends fine art, heritage craft, and wearable design to create one-of-a-kind textile pieces that range from coats and accessories to wall hangings and soft sculpture.
In 2019, Micah was formally trained as an Oxford Punch Needle Instructor at the Oxford Rug Hooking School in Vermont, and in 2020 she launched Punch Needle World, an online community, shop and educational platform dedicated to uplifting the craft and its history, and making high quality supplies and training accessible around the world.
Her debut book, Punch Needle Fashion, comes out in June 2025 from Quadrille and brings punch needle into the world of contemporary fashion through 15 original projects and a beautifully photographed exploration of the medium.
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We begin this conversation with Micah sharing about her childhood growing up in Rhode Island and her time studying fashion design at FIT in New York and, later, in Milan. After graduating during the recession, Micah took a job at an art gallery in Chelsea, focusing on mid-century modern furniture, which inspired her to explore the intersection of functional design and art.
Micah talks about her career journey, with a role at Coach designing hardware for handbags after an internship at Ralph Lauren. Realizing the traditional fashion industry wasn’t the right fit, Micah transitioned to the start-up world, co-founding an online wedding registry company focused on experiences, then working in business development, all the while making handmade pieces on the side. Micah discovered punch needle online and found a new passion, teaching and sharing the craft with others.
We discuss the experience of studying at the Oxford Punch Needle school in Vermont and realizing the potential of using punch needle as a sustainable alternative to fur to create fashion pieces. She describes the challenges of constructing coats by hand and her decision to write a book showcasing her abstract designs. We also talk about the courses Micah has filmed online and the decision to begin carrying specialty supplies for the craft. Micah chose to hire a publicist to help spread the word about her book, and we talk about that strategic decision.
In this conversation, we touch on:
- Arounna Khounnoraj from bookhou (listen to our interview with Arounna here)
- punch needle artist Rose Pearlman (listen to our interview here)
- The Oxford Punch Needle School
And, of course, I ask Micah to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Micah recommends:
- LDH scissors Midnight Edition Fabric Shears and their Imperial Embroidery Scissors – Dragon & Phoenix
- The Obstacle Is the Path (listen to it on Spotify or get it on vinyl if you have a record player!)
- The book CLOTH 100 Artists: Contemporary & Heritage Techniques by Lena Corwin
Keep up with Micah on her Instagram and on the Instagram for Punch Needle World.