As a college student and weaver, Amy Oxford fell in love with the punch-needle method of rug hooking almost by accident, a surprising benefit from a babysitting gig. She followed her interest from doing piece work on existing designs to creating large commissioned rugs in her own business. In 1995, she started the Oxford Company to sell supplies and education for punch needle crafters worldwide.

The basic techniques of punch needle are straightforward enough to teach in a few minutes, but the opportunities for creativity in line, texture, and color have kept Amy enthralled for 40 years. After completing several large commissioned works, she found herself with repetitive strain injuries in her hand and arm, and she began dreaming of a tool that would let her work pain-free. Partnering with a woodworker and inventor, she developed the Oxford Punch Needle, a groundbreaking wooden-handled tool with a curved grip that’s comfortable to push and pull through fabric.

Along with manufacturing her own tool and selling hand-dyed yarn and supplies, Amy expanded her reach by teaching the technique, then opening a school that certifies instructors in her methods. Amy has also authored a number of books, most recently Intermediate & Advanced Punch Needle Rug Hooking: Techniques, Projects, and Inspirations with co-author Louise Kulp.

Since selling her company in 2024, Amy has returned to punch needle just for the joy of it. “I can just make whatever I want and not have to tell anyone how I’ve done it,” she says. “I can just play, which is what my students have gotten to do. . . . And so I’m having a lot of fun now punching just for this sheer pleasure of it.”

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