DIY: Tufting Galore
On Black Friday, I ordered a loop-pile tufting gun to enter a new realm of crafting. It only took me until May to finally tackle the challenge of operating this machine. In the short month that I’ve had with my tufting gun before PA school, I’ve managed to make two pillow cases, a cloud rug, and a grid rug.
Tufting can be a bit of an investment, but there are some cheap options for beginners. I suggest using an art canvas frame as the tufting frame and stripping the cloth off. As opposed to the tufting cloth, pick up some monk’s cloth from a discount crafting store. Start off with acrylic yarn before you graduate into pricier wool yarn. Personally, I love acrylic yarn because you can get a ton of fun colors. Make use of the plethora of coupons that JOANN and Michael’s push daily. Alas, the tufting gun will be your most expensive component, but keep an eye out for sales to score a discount.
Tufting Tips:
Make sure your fabric is taut to achieve the best results. I am constantly restretching the fabric to make sure it is tightly pulled. If you’re using carpet tack strips to stretch the fabric, some people use double rows of them for maximum adhesion
Double thread the tufting gun with the same color for a thick rug/less effort
Really put your body weight into pushing the tufting gun into the fabric to ensure that the yarn goes through the fabric and maintain the pressure
Make your scissors easily accessible with a fanny pack/holster of sorts
Use shears to clean up the rug pile
Carpet adhesive is great for heavy-duty projects but feel free to use Elmer’s glue for pillowcases. Your nose/lungs will thank you for sparing them of the VOCs.
