Rug Tufting: The Latest Craft Craze Making Its Way Onto Your To-Do Lists

Another crafting trend has emerged, thanks to the pandemic.

By SHAE LYNN QUEK SHU JUAN

You may have come across photos and videos of fluffy, colourful and graphic rugs on your TikTok or Instagram page. From simple patterns to a portrait of your pet, you can have it on a rug in your home.

According to Lifestyle Asia, tufting is a type of textile craft that is similar to embroidery or crocheting in nature. Traditionally, rugs were done by hand-tufting which has origins in Persia, where the oldest carpet was discovered.

Now, there’s a modern take on the traditional way of making rugs, and it’s with the use of a tufting gun. According to Curbed, how a tufting gun works is that it shoots a needle into the fabric or canvas which allows you to make patterns, just by pulling a trigger.

To start tufting, you first need to draw out the pattern that you want on the fabric or canvas and then, you can go ahead and use the tufting gun to tuft!

At tufting workshops, people have the opportunity to work on bigger pieces with the help of a frame and tufting gun.

Photo Credits: Tuft Club

Videos of tufting workshops have made their way to social media such as Instagram and Tiktok, sparking much curiosity. Many were intrigued by this, evident with how hashtags #rugtufting and #tufting on TikTok has about 171.3 million and 1.2 billion views respectively.

Rug tufting has found its way to thrive in Singapore, with studios offering workshops for this activity.

Ms Gloricia Chen, 28, founder of Studio An, who’s self-taught in rug tufting, wanted to bring rug tufting in her studio as it is “a niche craft form but it’s not niche in terms of usability”.

Studio An was founded in June 2021, offering a range of art-based workshops. Ms Chen wanted the studio to be a “safe space” for people to express themselves.

Mr Carl Teh, 24, co-founder of Tuft Club (Marketing), initially wasn’t sure who the target market might be and the purpose of rug tufting.

“Some people want to make rugs for their pets. Some people want to make like a tufted wedding ring to propose with. Some people want to do something to commemorate their new house,” he said.

“I see a lot of people who are not very creative and people who don’t typically go for these things go out to make a rug for themselves,” Ms Chen said. Many enjoy going for rug tufting workshops as a date idea or group activity with friends and loved ones. Ms Chang Ting Yi Abigail, 30, a customer at Tuft Club, said: “I was gifted the experience by my [best friend] as a birthday gift. [I] was excited to try when she told me definitely [be]cause it’s a very novel idea and I didn't even know it was possible!”

To celebrate her birthday, Ms Chang (left) and her friend made their very own rugs for the first time at Tuft Club.

Photo Credits: Chang Yi Ting Abigail

For first-timers or those who want to try getting into rug-tufting, attending a tufting workshop will give you plenty of guidance as well as more space to do bigger pieces. A single workshop session is around $185 to $195. Usually, these workshops last for about four hours, which can be rather tiring with the use of a heavy-duty tufting gun. However, many can say that the ‘arm workout’ is worth it once you receive your piece about two weeks later.

“It was definitely a test of determination as it was like attacking the cloth with a machine gun...” Ms Chang said. What makes rug tufting special is that it’s personalised, and is also something practical for your home. Mr Teh recalled one of their customers who did pieces such as the Korean Hanbok and Korean Tiger, as a way of giving honour to her culture and heritage. He said: “There’s always a lot of meaning to it. They do a piece that’s a memory [to them] and it becomes a part of their home. It’s something very personal.”