Top Rug Tufting and Fiber Artists You Must Follow in 2022
If you are reading this, it means you've likely found yourself on #rugtufting TikTok or Instagram at some point.
Once a super niche art form, a whole new generation of tufting artists have gained momentum on social media - some of them working with fibers in ways not previously considered possible.
Whether you are new to #rugtufting or already know everything there is to know about it, keep reading to see some of the best rug tufting and fiber artists you MUST follow.
From Tel Aviv, to Berlin, to Brooklyn, to Portland - and many other places around the world, these artists are redefining fiber art.
Madeline Ronzoni
IG: @happy.rugs
TikTok: @happy.rugs
Website: https://shophappyrugs.com
No rug tufting list should start without Madeline from Happy Rugs. With over 1.1 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, Madeline is leading the way by making tufting accessible to mainstream audiences.
After building a passionate fanbase around her Air Jordan sneaker rugs, she’s continued to push the envelope with one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by fashion, sneaker culture, pop culture, and everyday life.
Along the way, Madeline mixes it up with tutorials, contests, auctions, and other fun and uniquely engaging content. Her bio says “a girl making rugs to make you happy”, and she is true to her word. If you're looking for rug tufting content to brighten your day, look no further than Happy Rugs!
Mush Studios - Franki Peroff & Jacob Winter
IG: @mushstudiosny
TikTok: @mushstudios
Website: https://mushstudios.co
Jacob and Franki, the founders of Mush Studios, originally started rug tufting as a therapeutic hobby during the pandemic in 2020. What started as a fun thing to do on the side turned into much, much more.
Mush Studios is thriving as a custom rug-tufting business. Known for inventiveness and creativity, Mush Studios is redefining the limits of modern home decor.
Their vibrant TikTok account is filled with awesome behind the scenes footage. If you’re interested in re-thinking your own home or how you look at rug art, or just simply to be entertained by incredible creativity, then be sure to give them a follow.
Read on for our exclusive Q&A with Jacob and Franki.
A Chat With Mush Studios:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: We made our very first rug in Jacob’s mom’s garage in June of 2020.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: After the first few weeks of quarantine, we both realized that we would most likely never experience this sort of thing again. I don’t mean to undermine a very sad and horrible situation, but the isolation allowed us to see something very interesting. We saw ‘Time’ for the first time, and how its’ existence is completely dependent on us. We were born into a world that starts and never stops, but we got to experience a universal pause. A universal pause in our daily lives, where we were able to actually be present in time. We accepted this and decided to use the time we had to fulfill our inner creativity by pursuing creative hobbies for the first time in years. We didn’t know what to do at first and spent some time sculpting with clay and felt but didn’t love what we were doing and wanted to do something more. We then came across tufting and dreamed about doing it but never thought it was possible. We scavenged the internet for weeks and found someone selling a tufting gun on the deepest parts of Etsy and ordered it with a lot of hesitation. It was expensive and we didn’t have jobs at the time so investing in this was a real gamble. But the gamble turned out to be a good one because we immediately fell in love with tufting and designing and by November 2020 we founded Mush Studios. Mush is now our design studio focused on textile design, where we infuse the ordinary with otherworldly comfort.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: A lot of our inspiration actually comes from what resides inside of us already. We can search around the internet for cool textural experiences or abstract patterns, but nothing will amount to the inspiration that exists in our own imagination. Even deeper than that, we channel the imagination of our inner child, where limits do not exist like they do in our adult brains. Understanding the true power of our imagination has allowed us to really think outside of the box to create, innovate and inspire us in everything we do.
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are located in Brooklyn, NY.
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: Caroline Zimbalist, @carolinezimbalist AND Taylor Quitara, @artbyquitara
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: We are 100% Team Cut Pile! We prefer the look and mushiness way more.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: When we first started we used the cheapest yarn we could find, usually ones on sale at Joann’s Fabrics and Michaels. This yarn was usually made out of acrylic but was surprisingly very soft and comfortable. But we then realized we preferred wool based yarns and currently use yarn from tuftinggun.com!
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: Yes, I just want to encourage anyone who reads this to listen to their gut and create unique art that comes from within. You will be the best artist you can be if you allow your creativity to come from you. It’s easy to make something cool that is inspired by someone else's work, but it’s way more rewarding creating something unique to you and your mind.
Studio Trudi
IG: @studiotrudi
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioTrudi
Studio Trudi is a brand produced by Luciana, who creates groovy mid-century inspired pieces including rugs, rug mirrors, rug upholstered chairs, and other incredible decorative pieces.
With bright colors that pop in organic shapes, it's no surprise that Luciana is based in California; Los Angeles to be exact. Her work has a nostalgic spin - our favorite is her incredible Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tribute piece. Also worth bubbling about: a vintage bottle cap stool crowned with a Topo Chico makeover.
Studio Trudi is so named by Luciana in homage to her grandmother Trudi, a source of inspiration and artistic motivation. Luciana is also a trained architect, perhaps explaining her mastery of complex design.
A Chat With Studio Trudi:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I’ve been tufting since August of 2021, so about a year now.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Architecture and realized school had taken up most of my time, leaving me with basically no hobbies. After I saw a few videos of people tufting on instagram I decided to try it out!
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: A lot of my inspiration comes from graphic design mostly from the Bauhaus era. I love vintage interior design, specially mid century which is always a big influence on my choice of colors and shapes.
Q: Where are you located?
A: I am originally from Brazil, but currently located in Los Angeles, California.
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: There are so many rug makers that I admire! To list a few: @shop.houseofj, @luckybear___, @sunnyterracotta, @takecaretextiles, @soft.seams, @macarenaluzi, @i_look_great_with_rugs, @rugburnbrooklyn, @rugburntsoul, etc
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: Cut pile!!
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: I have worked with tufting.co and love their team and products.
Daisy Tortuga
IG: @daisy_tortuga
Website: http://www.daisytortuga.com
Daisy’s tufting art has a unique, signature vibe best captured by her own website's description: “there is a nostalgic element to the work, bringing domestic spaces into the gallery and distorting them so they can be viewed with new meaning”. Daisy work is multidisciplinary, including homeware, ceramics, and of course, tufting.
All are tied together by a blended sense of dark humor, cultural criticism, and dreamlike fantasy.
Sam Lepard
IG: @sam.lepard
TikTok: @sam.lepard
If there is one way to describe Sam's rug designs, it's happy. Smiley faces everywhere, throwbacks to childhood favorites like Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes - all make it impossible not to smile.
Sam creates some of the largest scale rugs we've seen - remarkable for their high fidelity detail and pleasing gradient design.
Felicia Murray
IG: @felicia_murray
TikTok: @felicia_murray
Website: https://www.feliciajmurray.com
Felicia is a fiber artist from Maine who now lives and works in Portland, Oregon. With 61k followers on Instagram, she has gained a strong following thanks to her impressive work.
Felicia stretches the limits of materials, beyond yarn to unexpected materials - scraps of shoes, balls, and laces in the case of her supersize commission on display at Nike world headquarters in Oregon. Her work can be described as vibrant, colorful bright and happy and in some ways, surrealy natural.
Read on for more about Felicia's work, in her own words.
A Chat With Felicia Murray:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I have been using rug tufting techniques for about 5 years, using hand rug tufting techniques such as punch needle and latch hook. I only recently started using an electronic and pneumatic tufting gun about 7 months ago and it has changed the game! The electronic guns have made my process faster, but have also allowed me to experiment with different pile heights, as well as combining different hand and machine techniques within a single artwork.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I have always loved fiber art techniques and seeing how I can push the limits of what you can create with traditional craft techniques. Once you start, it is so hard to stop! There are endless possibilities when rug tufting and it is so exciting to continue to experiment and play.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: I draw a lot of inspiration through the world around me and the emotions that I feel day to day. The inspiration shows through the motifs and the colors that I use in my work. Natural elements such as barnacles, corals, fungi, and textures are replicated in soft fiber art materials in bright colors that represent seeing the world from my inner child’s perspective.
Q: Where are you located?
A: Portland, Oregon USA
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: I’m sure she’s on this list but Trish Anderson has been someone I look up to in the fiber art world and a fellow SCAD alumni! Her larger than life work and her role in the fiber art community is something that I am so inspired by!
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: That is a hard question! I often love mixing both in my work but I would say that I use Cut Pile more often, I like being able to carve the cut pile after it is tufted to create dimension in my work.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: Tuft the World has been my go to for tufting supplies and I love finding inspiration through their instagram page.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: Thank you so much for including me in this article! It is such an honor to have my work be recognized in this way.
PurunGoods
IG: @purungoods
TikTok: @purungoods
PurunGoods is based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where artist and owner Ingrid operates this tufting business, producing and selling original pieces all while teaching others.
PurunGoods is heavily commission oriented, meaning that each of her delightful, vibrant pieces are truly one of a kind. Take a look at her feed and you'll know what we mean: Bad Bunny piece? Check. Futurama? That too! What about an incredible, oversize piece that drips down a staircase like a joyfully spilled can of paint? Ingrid's got that covered:
How cool is that?! Somehow while continuing to create incredible pieces in her signature style, Ingrid also finds time to teach, running a highly acclaimed workshop where she teaches others the craft of tufting. Read on to learn more about her entrepreneurial and artistic journey.
A Chat With Ingrid of @purungoods:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I got my first tufting gun in July 2021, so this last July I had my 1st year anniversary with tufting!
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I always knew I was an entrepreneur at heart! So, when I finished my bachelor’s degree in 2019 I was planning on launching a new venture. However, COVID hit and I needed to reinvent myself and pivot to something more feasible at the time. I tried a couple of ideas during the pandemic, but I wasn’t connecting with my passion which is staying creative and create products that capture my personality. And everything changed when I stumbled upon a satisfying tufting video on YouTube, there was no way back for me it was immediate. Since that day I got obsessed with tufting and self-taught myself to make rugs. It was enough inspiration for me to start rug tufting when I came across this video and had a clear idea of my passion. Tufting checked all the boxes for me!
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: The “one-of-a-kind” concept inspired me on creating my goodies. I love the idea of making special, unique, and original products that nobody else in the world has. I mostly work by commissions and do not replicate the same rug twice. My goodies are personalized, and they connect emotionally with my clients, which is so valuable for me. Whenever I get the chance to create my own design I sink into a colorful joyful world, and the outcome it's usually a colorful vibrant goodie that puts everyone in a good mood.
Q: Where are you located?
A: I’m located in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: I need to make a shout out to AJ Makes from @magiccarpets.co, her YouTube videos helped me a lot when I was starting. Also, Jacob Winter from @mushstudiosny, his designs really inspired me to do something out of the ordinary and the confidence to play with different rug shapes.
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: I’m definitely a cut pile type of girl, but the idea of playing with different textures and pile heights excites me! It’s something I haven’t done yet, so I’m open to explore more of the loop pile scene soon.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: At the moment, I work with acrylic yarn which is the easiest to find in my country. I buy my yarn from Ecuadorian Artisans and I try to support small local businesses as much as I can.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: Tufting not only offered me the chance to bring creativity back into my life, it also gave me the opportunity to create a community and share my knowledge with others. I have done several in-person Tufting Workshops and am currently working on an online version to reach people from different countries. Tufting is pretty new in South America and I’m honored to expand this community by teaching the basic and making it fun and enjoyable to everyone starting.
Toadshorts
IG: @toadshorts
TikTok: @toadshorts
Website: https://toadshorts.com
Alyssa is a Georgia based artist who produces a wide range of one-of-a kind pieces including original scenes, flowers, and even character tributes from the classic Princess Mononoke. Browsing her account, you'll see a variety of techniques from hand punchneedle to electric tufting gun. The best part - many of her pieces are purchasable in the form of drops.
Alyssa has a diverse set of creations and great content showing the process and end results. Learn more about her tufting work in the below Q&A.
A Chat With Toadshorts:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I've been tufting since 2020
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I've always wanted to use yarn as a medium, but never could figure out how. I tried crocheting and knitting, but I couldn't keep the motivation or patience to pursue it. I was sadly gazing at the yarn aisle of a craft store one day, saw a punch needle kit, picked up the craft and fell in love.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: A lot of my pieces come from things I take comfort in. A place I feel calm, movies or games that give you that warm feeling, silly memes that have a soft spot in my heart, or even simply random things I take an extra liking to like stuffed animals or flowers. I'm always trying to make things I genuinely like, because that's when I'm most creative and my best work comes out.
Q: Where are you located?
A: I live in the peach state, Georgia!
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A:My pals Amber (@skywardfalling on IG) and Harlee (@harleealston.originals on IG) ! We went to art school together, and they're always helping me out of creative and personal ruts.
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: Honestly, I love both! I started with loop pile and did it for soooo long, and I actually just recently got a cut pile machine. I still use both for different ideas, some ideas I use both.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: I got my machine from Tuft-Love.com and I HIGHLY recommend them. They actually use their sales of machines and kits to help survivors of gender-based violence in South Africa by providing stability of paycheck and vision of a better future. Their customer service is also amazing, and their prices and materials are the best quality I've found.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: My dog Felix likes to bark at my machine when I use it. I think he thinks he's protecting me. He is no longer allowed in the room while I work.
Crater Moon
IG: @crater_moon
TikTok: @crater_moon
Website: https://chrissycrater.com
Crater Moon (formerly Crater Rugs) is run by Chrissy Crater. Take one look at the Crater Moon IG, website or TikTok and you'll get an immediate sense of her signature motif. If you like throwback trippy style art, Crater Moon is a must-follow.
Chrissy is a uniquely talented tufter with a strong aesthetic that brings forward the natural, vibrant and feminine. Learn more about her inspirations, below.
A Chat With Chrissy Crater of @crater_moon:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I got my first tufting gun in September 2020, almost two years ago!
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I got inspired to start rug tufting by coming across a tufting video on TikTok early in the pandemic. I had been an oil painter since I was a teenager and was really ready for a new medium. Tufting was the perfect candidate, and I was immediately taken with the craft. I started scouring Tim Eads’ Tuft The World community online for any piece of information I could get about the craft, and that information helped a ton with getting started once I received my tufting gun.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: My subject matter is nostalgic, psychedelic, and cheerful. I draw a lot of inspiration from my 90s childhood, music, nature, and the female figure. I’m known for my “mushroom lades,” which are a mash-up of mushrooms with curvy female forms. My moths have been getting a lot of attention lately too, which is so fun because I’ve been enjoying working with more complex symmetrical patterns found in nature.
Q: Where are you located?
A: I’m from Nashville, TN. My location has inspired my Dolly Mirror and my Cowboy Boot designs!
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: I love the work of Amy Hastings, Twinkie Chan, Sari Shryack, and I was honestly beyond inspired by the new Trixie Motel Netflix Series and Dani Dazey’s interior design work there!
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: Cut pile! But I’m starting to utilize more loop pile elements in my rugs for my next wool rug collection.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: I’ve been so honored to be working with a small Artisan Rug manufacturer in India called Insha Rugs to create my wool rug collections. It’s truly an incredible experience to design from the heart and work with such an amazing team to get my designs into more homes. I’m also working on exciting new projects such as designs for couch plushies, car accessories, and maybe even an office supply line!
Stuff By Chelsey
IG: @stuffbychelsey
TikTok: @stuffbychelsey
Website: https://stuffbychelsey.com
Chelsey of stuffbychelsey produces punchy, socially aware pieces. Based in Philadelphia, Chelsey creates a variety of tufted items from pillows (custom!) to shoe charms, to mirrors, to pet tribute pieces and much more. Chelsey places an emphasis on sustainability by using recycled materials wherever possible. Follow for their subversive, queer friendly, and pithy self-deprecating pieces.
Chelsey has a bold and exciting style - with a message. Their account is a great place to find a gift, conversation piece, or inspiration.
A Chat With Chelsey of @stuffbychelsey:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: As a hobby, over 4 years! Professionally, almost 2.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I love the artist Gentle Thrills, and her mom owns a punch needle shop, Punch Rug Hooking! She sells starter tufting kits and patterns designed by Gentle Thrills so I bought one and the rest is history.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: The tough moments! Using words that have hurt me and channeling them into art have been the most inspiring for me
Q: Where are you located (State or Country Level)?
A: Philly!
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: So many! @rughs_, @punchrughooking, @i_look_great_with_rugs, @florianfrancis_, @rugburntsoul, @bolognasandwichglass, @patchwerrrk, @cowgirlufo are the first few that come to mind
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: Both!!
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: burlapfabric.com is my secret weapon for super cheap monk’s cloth!
Zeyu Studio
IG: @zeyu.studio
Website: zeyustudio on Etsy
Based out of Berlin, Zeyu Studio is home to a collection of incredible designs sharing flowery, colorful and retro patterns. Zeyu's work ties purples, oranges, blues and greens together into smooth and soothing patterns that evoke painting with yarn.
If you’re looking to add new, vibrant designs to a living room, bedroom or anywhere else in your home, look no further. Zeyu has everything you need to make it happen.
Read more about Zeyu and her work, below.
A Chat With Zeyu of Zeyu Studio:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I started tufting in the corona lockdown, so now it's been more than two years
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I finished my bachelor degree in architecture in 2019 and was having a break from school due to the whole corona situation. Then I saw those satisfying tufting videos on social media and it looked so fun and I decided to try. After I received the gun, I totally fell in love with it. I was designing and trying the whole day and it was just so fun making rugs for me and my friends.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: I find the fashion and generally the design of the 70s particularly appealing and it is also quickly recognizable in my works, especially the striking colors and repeating patterns. For me tufting is like painting with yarn, I can use yarn and a tufting gun to experiment and embrace my youthful curiosity, to sink into a colorful joyful world. Inspired by the psychedelic art of the 70s, I design decorative pieces with free forms, bright colors to put you in a good mood.
Q: Where are you located?
A: Berlin, Germany
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: Trish Anderson for sure :) She is like the most amazing tufting artist ever, I remember seeing her work at the beginning and thought wow I want to try this craft
Also Verner Panton is my all time inspiration. I love his furniture and interior designs using those vibrant colors and psychedelic patterns, he also has his own rug design
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: Most of the time cut pile but sometimes I use a loop gun too:) I Just love the satisfying trimming sessions but for some usage loops makes more sense, like a tufted chair or so.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: I use woolyarn for rugs and acrylic yarn for mirrors and wall hanging pieces at the moment. The wool I get it from Tuftinggoods and the acrylic yarn i get it from Schachenmayer
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: I just published an online tufting course with domestika, where I show step by step how to create a colorful quirky rug from scratch. I also show how you can DIY your tufting frame, prepare your working station and explain some alternatives you can use if you can't find some specific material. It's a good guideline for starting.
esteemaree
IG: @esteemaree_
Website: http://esteemaree.bigcartel.com/
Part rug tufter and part tattoo artist, esteemaree is based out of Berlin.
esteemaree's Instagram is a fascinating marriage of tattoo art, rug tufting and screen printing in a clear, distinct and bold style. Where her ink pieces are mostly black and white, her rugs are let the colors shine through - but both are tied together with a similar, unique style.
A bold and creative artist, esteemaree is a must-watch. Learn more about her work below.
A Chat With esteemaree:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I started tufting in April this year, so it’s only been a few months.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: One of my closest friends turned 30 and I wanted a unique and self made gift. 'Till this point I didn’t even know about rug tufting, I had the idea of using a punch needle to craft a small wall hanging. While watching tutorials I discovered tufting guns and had to order one immediately.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: Inspiration is a complex field for me. Sometimes it’s an article or a sentence I read somewhere, like the “not your babe” rug. Inspiration is basically everywhere, it’s something I see when I’m taking the train or pictures I see along the way. It’s really not that easy to break it down to one sentence.
Q: Where are you located?
A: I’m located in Berlin, in Germany.
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: I love the rugs from @nyumbani.rugs and his way of combining colours. @tyrabanks_official is also one of my favourite rug artists.
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: I love both. I can't really compare the two techniques. I feel like cut pile rugs are works of art you can touch. They are soft and you can work on them in great detail when you shave them the right way. Loop pile rugs have a completely different effect. They are firmer and somehow more dreamy.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: I’m still in the process of trying different materials and brands. At the moment I mostly work with cotton and acrylic yarns, because I want to keep my rugs vegan.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: To everyone thinking about starting to tuft: do it! It’s so much fun and I’m so happy I came across it. Oh and check out my rugs.
Din Menasheroff
IG: @nyumbani.rugs
Website: https://dinmenasheroff.com/
Din is a designer and artist based out of Israel. Each piece of his incredible rug art is photographed in evocative natural settings - often held to the sky by unknown figures. The pieces themselves are reminiscent of doodles, with pops of beautifully paired color and a certain playfulness.
Read on to hear about Din's process, from the artist himself.
A Chat With Din Menasheroff:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I had my 1 year anniversary with tufting exactly last June! Before that, I started my rug making process a bit over a year ago using a punch needle, which is the manual form of a tufting gun.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: It was a combination of several things. As a graphic designer, I used to spend loads of time in front of the computer, and at some point, I felt the urge to do something with my hands. Around that time I first saw this cool piece on IG, without knowing what it was or how it’s made. I stared at it for days until I felt confident enough to try and make something on my own. I feel that the fact that it all happened during the pandemic, also was a big factor for me. spending all this time at home, really made a difference in my ability and desire to try something new.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: I think most of it comes from my Feelings. I’m inspired by awkward situations, when feeling out of place. I mostly doodle, which takes about 10 - 30 seconds. I draw lines and shapes and try to find meaning in them. Sometimes it’s more coherent and sometimes less, but it keeps me in constant surprise on what will come out next.
Q: Where are you located?
A: I live in Tel Aviv, Israel
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: I really like the work of Megan Dominescu. The humor and weird aesthetics reflected in her work is just superb. Love it. Out of tufting I love the work of the Japanese designer Koich Sato.
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: I am team Cut Pile; but also thinking I might explore the loop pile scene as well, in the near future.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: My biggest goal is to find the right color for my work, so I look at yarn from a lot of brands and just try to find the shades that match my vision. if the color is right, I’m happy
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: I think that it’s a privilege to be a tufting artist. This technique has given me a lot over the past year and I would definitely want to explore it some more and explore new grounds with it.
Studio Tulipe
IG: @tulipe__studio
Website: https://studiotulipe.com/
Studio Tulipe is a must follow. Lisa, the designer and rug artist, defines her tufting as a “colorful adventure” - and that it is. Lisa's geometric patterns and colors draw inspiration from childhood memories in Tunisia.
Bright designs filled with color are sure to add light and excitement to any room they are added to.
A Chat With Lisa from Tulipe Studio:
Q: How long have you been tufting?
A: I have been tufting since one year. I started during the Covid lockdown.
Q: What inspired you to start rug tufting?
A: I studied fashion and worked in studios where I created the prints for the clothes. So I always liked to play with patterns and colours. Thanks to Instagram I discovered this new technique that I found very interesting and that allowed me to express myself with my patterns and to decorate pretty interiors.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: My inspiration comes from my childhood memories in Tunisia and the colour of the ceramics, the spices, the carpets hanging on top of the houses. But also the fields of flowers that bloom in springtime, I find it very poetic and it reminds me of my grandparents' garden.
Q: Where are you located?
A: My workshop is based in Britanny near Saint Malo.
Q: Any favorite artists/makers you'd like to shout out that inspire you?
A: I became interested in tufting thanks to @CharlenStudio because I really liked her mats and the way she communicates on social networks. I also really liked @Shishi.san who is a textile artist who makes very precise and colourful rugs, but also knits and crochets, her creations are beautiful
Q: Are you Team Loop Pile or Team Cut Pile?
A: I only use a cut pile gun because I love very soft rugs.
Q: Any favorite yarn or materials brands?
A: I bought a lot of things from tufting.com like my clipper, my canvas and my wool because their material is of very good quality. For the wool I use acrylic, either recycled wool that I find in flea markets or new wool I test different brands. The fabrics I use for the cushions are recycled velvet.
Trish Andersen
IG: @trishandersenart
TikTok: @trishandersenart
Website: https://www.trishandersenstudio.com
Trish Andersen is a fiber art pro. Her work is truly incredible - immensely colorful and wild, and so put together all at the same time.
After attending the Savannah College of Art and Design and moving to Brooklyn, she began to dive into the world of rug tufting. Years later, she is now based once again in Savannah, Georgia.
Trish offers a variety of different ways to appreciate her art: from original fine art, to printed washable mats, even puzzles and much more. For those looking to learn, she also offers a course called "Introduction to Tufting: Learn to Paint with Yarn" via Domestika.
As her website aptly describes, "combining fibers gathered from field, sheep and those developed on a factory floor, Andersen proves that there is always room for both the vibrant and the muted, the sleek and the wild, cut and looped, soft and cumulus, the dense and the coarse; the unexpected and varied tactile quality of her pieces allow the eyes to open to an emotional one."
Our personal favorite? This incredible mirrored piece called Connection Reflection.
Her work is detailed and powerful, and she should absolutely be on your follow list!
