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The Super Punch - Coming Soon!

North Shore Crafts Super Punch Needle ToolThe Super Punch by North Shore Crafts

May 4, 2021

I have received the second prototype and it's fantastic!!! We have one last tweak that needs to be made and we will be set for go launch. I cannot tell you how excited I was after trying this round of the prototype! It works, it's SO pretty (I mean look at that logo?!?! 🤩) and it is nearly ready. I was jumping little leaps of joy in my office. After 2 1/2 long years, it felt like I was finally in sight of the finish line. 

What's next? The eyehole needs to be adjusting just a tad. The back of the eyehole is catching the fabric causing a plucking sound and we just can't have that. My design team is working on a solution and then we'll go back to the manufacturer for their go ahead. I will have more information after this process. I will also have a better feel for dates and timeline.

And that's it! One small adjustment away from a final product! I'm feeling so good about it all this time around. Like all of this was meant to be. 

 

3/9/2021

I received the prototypes!! Late January as expected. Overall, they are fantastic! The Olive wood looks amazing. The sleek design of the handle is spot on! The flow of adjustment is working great. And the locking of the needle is tight! 

 The Super Punch Needle Tool By North Shore Crafts

I did have a few adjustments to our needle. I want this to be damn near perfect so a few tweaks needed to be made. What tweaks, you might be wondering??? The eye needle hole needed to be bigger. The bottom back slot to hold yarns in was hindering the thicker yarns so we’re removing it from the Regular thickness needle and holding it for the Fine thickness when we get there. 

 

And that’s it! Small changes...sooooo close now! 

 

However, with changes come new molds which take time to make. 2-3 weeks to be specific. A spring launch!!! I’m diggin’ it! I’m going to hold off on any exact-ish timeline updates at this time, because let’s be honest, I’m not the best at them. I will know more after I get the next prototype and get more specific timelines. 

 

 

12/16/2020
I found a supplier!! They produce high quality items with great pricing. I'm excited to start this journey with them! And I know you will love their quality of work! 

PROTOTYPE

I had previously hoped for a very quick turnaround for the prototype (remember my Thanksgiving comment). I was, unfortunately, shot down. :(  What you can't stamp and press metal in a day?!?! I may have been a tad overly optimistic. Haha! 
I got an email just this morning saying the wood handle prototype is done! The metal needle, however, requires a tooling mold which takes time to make. Once the mold is made, they can finish the metal needle prototype. This needle has been the key to The Super Punch's design. I'm excited to get this made for my testing! 
They are on schedule to complete the metal needle prototype by the end of December.

TIMELINE

I hope to have the full prototype in my hands the first to middle of January. With pre-sales mid to late January. I hope to get an order in quickly after pre-sales, allowing me to get shipments out in March/April. I'm trying my hardest to give a less optimistic/more realistic timeline this time around. :) Let's keep our fingers crossed for January pre-sales!!! Here we go! 

The Super Punch Needle by north shore crafts

COLOR/FINISH

While I don't have the colors locked down officially, it's looking like wood will be our first go around. Plastic molds cost 3 times as much, which isn't feasible in the budget. I do so love the pink tortoise shell though. A special edition tool may be in the works in the future. 
The Olive Wood was the most popular wood choice and it does look so fantastically beautiful. It was my favorite, as well. 
I've dreamed of a gold plated needle from the start. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Gold or silver needle? 

 

 

 

11/5/2020

 

I’m so excited for this update! And I think you will be, too! 

 

A lot has happened since my last update. I have a lot to tell you. And things will be moving quickly! 

 

Where to start?! Seriously, so much to tell you! 

 

HANDLE
 
Let’s start with the handle. We have designed a modern, sleek handle that fits all the checklists. 
- Ergonomic? Check. 
- Large and comfortable? Yep! 
- Open slot? Of course.
- Option to hold thin yarns from slipping out of handle? Yep, we even did that!
- Beautiful? Uh, yes definitely!
 
Because I hope you're dying to see it!! Here is the simple design shot of the needle in a basic white. 
The Super Punch Punch Needle Tool North Shore Crafts
LOCKING MECHANISM
 
Twisting lock. You turn the needle to unlock, adjust up or down and then turn to lock again. Similar to the Peak Dale tool. This lock will be inside the handle, no buttons to be seen. Easy to operate, clean style to admire. 
COLORS
 
Now onto colors. There will be a wood handle option and either a recycled plastic option or a tortoise shell type plastic that is biodegradable.
Here are the color options so far. The exact colors have not been pinned down so stay tuned on color decisions. If you'd like to help decide, be sure to sign up for email updates!! 

 

 

North Shore Crafts Punch needle tool

North Shore Crafts Punch needle tool Pink tortoise shell

 

The Super Punch North Shore Crafts Navy

 

TIMELINE
 
The Design Phase is wrapping up. Once I make the locking mechanism and color choices (I will make by Monday), we move to the Manufacturing Phase. In this phase, we iron out the manufacturing specs and start reaching out to potential manufacturers. We start getting samples to test quality and get quotes. We get to find our manufacturer!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be in this stage!! 
 
Late November/early December, I will have a working sample and the costs buttoned down. Which means, we will be launching pre-sales soon!! Yes, you read that right! PRE-SALES!! By Thanksgiving, we can be on full on launch mode. 
 
The next steps of ordering, order processing and shipping time will depend on several factors. If we time it right, I can have them ordered by the end of the year. And Super Punch’s going out to you by late February and March!!! So completely excited!!! 
THANK YOU!
Thank you for joining me on this journey!! I'm honored to share this experience with so many wonderful women. 
 
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you love it? If you love it or hate it, I'd love to hear your feedback. Email me at shawna (at) northshorescrafts (dot) com. 

8/27/2020

Long story short, January through July 2020, I had an engineer, he helped me learn things about my handle and a locking mechanism that fell short. 

 

August 2020, I find and love a new product design company and we start working on The Super Punch AND The Simple Punch. They are currently in the idea design phase. 

 

This new design firm is The Bomb! They appreciate design, think about art when designing our tool and they have some great initial locking mechanism ideas. This is going to be fun!! 

 

Design phase will last 8 weeks, then we move onto the manufacturing phase which will take another 8 weeks. 

 

Look to pre-order your Super Punch early October!!! Hoping for early 2021 to ship tools to you! 

 

Don't forget to sign up below to get updates on The Super Punch!

 

 

1/16/20

Friends, The Super Punch is coming soon!! I'm so excited to be near the end of this journey. To get my very own tool into your hands. Think of an adjustable tool combined with the Oxford tool ergonomic handle + the open slot for easy threading. It's cool and I'm bursting at the seams to release all the details. Soon, so soon. 

 

North Shore Crafts opened September 21, 2018. When I first opened my shop, I had difficulty finding Punch Needle tools to sell. And I felt like there should be more options. I loved the open slot for easy threading on the Oxford, but I wanted to be able to have different loop lengths. 

 

From Day 1, I've been brainstorming ideas and concepts for my own Punch Needle tool. Many months of masterminding, brainstorming, trouble shooting, dead ends, hopeful beginnings followed. 

 

I'm finally close to the end and many more details will be coming out soon. 

 

If you'd like all the juicy details on the new Super Punch tool + get first dibs on purchasing your very own, sign up below.