The Rug Tufting Trend

Whilst some of us were bored stupid baking banana bread over lockdown, some seriously creative GEN-z’ers embarked on learning the new skill of rug tufting. A craze we are here for as the results are seriously cool. If you weren’t mesmerised by the ‘twisted candle’ trend or the pottery making videos that have gone viral on the social platform TikTok a few months ago— perhaps you will think twice about these rugs.

The 15-second clips showing the satisfying rug-making process have got us hooked (quite literally) into a world of bold and brilliant contemporary rug designs. From Keith Haring inspired shapes to Y2K designs and strangely cool bath-mats- these one-off rugs are not to be found in a big homeware store as of yet.

It’s no doubt that arts and crafts have become a popular hobby for many people over the past year as tie-dying and macrame-making materials have shot off the shelves along with the pasta and loo roll. Now a somewhat distant memory (thankfully), we are excited to share the various talented entrepreneurial designers and dedicated rug-makers that have set up online craft empire’s selling quirky handmade rugs, and it’s fair to say we are impressed. But how do they do it?

Rug tufting’ is a technique that can be mastered by hand with the help of a few supplies and like any DIY process- it requires time, patience and practice. Whilst not a particularly novel technique, the rug tufting gun appears the star of the show in the recent 15-second reels as it is oddly therapeutic watching the power tool device and yarn work their magic in the creation of these fluffy rugs. As designs are formed in a matter of minutes, the tufting gun certainly reduces the countless hours of manual work despite coming at a cost.

However, the question as to whether they are easy to make is definitely up for debate. Some ambitious DIYers have taken to social media to share their challenge of recreating various designs, and although a seemingly fairly easy process, like any DIY challenge- it takes time and probably a lot of failed attempts. Nevertheless, you are not alone in your rug-making endeavours as there are numerous rug-making tutorials on the internet to guide you each step of the way. Be sure to share any attempts as we would love to see your results if you decide to get creative with a tufting machine!

By Claudia Watkins, 29|06|2021