Fluffy, soft rugs made easy
The tufting machine is the centrepiece of the tufting craft. With it, you can quickly make wonderfully fluffy and soft rugs yourself. The machine is easy to use and can process all types of yarn.
What can you tuft?
Tufting is much more than just carpet making today – it is an art form that gives you complete freedom, with possibilities far beyond the classic rug. Whether decorative pot coasters, custom pillow cases, impressive wall hangings, unique patches – a tufting machine can do it all.
What types of tufting machines are there?
There are two types of tufting machine, each of which can be used to tuft cut pile or loop pile. Some machines, such as the AK-I, can also be converted. The open cut pile cuts the yarn, so the surface of the carpet consists of many individual yarn threads and is fluffier.
With loop pile, on the other hand, coherent loops are tufted, making the surface a little smoother.
What material is used for tufting?
In principle, tufting machines can process all types of yarn. There is carpet wool, acrylic yarn, and recycled cotton. So the decision is up to you as to what structure, softness and colour you want your rug to have. Perhaps factors such as the sustainability of the yarns will also influence your choice.
What do you need to consider when choosing the yarn?
Different yarns put different stress on the tufting machine's blades. Hard, rough yarn such as carpet wool causes minimal damage to the blade and causes micro-indentations in which soft acrylic yarn can get caught. After a lot of wool use, the blades may no longer cut acrylic yarn cleanly. Therefore, it makes sense to mark the two blades supplied and change them to match the yarn. If you often tuft with different yarns, you should consider getting a second tufting machine.
Tips for getting started in the tufting trade
When getting started in the tufting trade, it is crucial to use the right materials from the outset. Carefully selected materials contribute significantly to the success and quality of the finished rug. We have written a detailed blog post about this, which you can find here.
For absolute beginners, we also recommend taking part in a tufting workshop. There you will learn all the basic steps of carpet tufting and get valuable tips on how to use the tufting machine. Here you will find our selection of tufting workshops that will give you the ideal start in this creative craft.
