Tufting

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example of a tufting gun (cut pile) Tufting gun (TD-01).jpg
example of a tufting gun (cut pile)

Tufting is a type of textile manufacturing in which a thread is inserted on a primary base. It is an ancient technique for making warm garments, especially mittens. After the knitting is done, short U-shaped loops of extra yarn are introduced through the fabric from the outside so that their ends point inwards (e.g., towards the hand inside the mitten).

Contents

Usually, the tuft yarns form a regular array of "dots" on the outside, sometimes in a contrasting color (e.g., white on red). On the inside, the tuft yarns may be tied for security, although they need not be. The ends of the tuft yarns are then frayed, so that they will subsequently felt, creating a dense, insulating layer within the knitted garment.

Tufting was first developed by carpet manufacturers in Dalton, Georgia. [1] A tufted piece is completed in three steps: tufting, gluing, then backing and finishing. When tufting, the work is completed from the backside of the finished piece. A loop-pile machine sends yarn through the primary backing and leaves the loops uncut. A cut-pile machine produces plush or shaggy carpet by cutting the yarn as it comes through to the front of the piece. [1] Tufted rugs can be made with coloured yarn to create a design, or plain yarn can be tufted and then dyed in a separate process. [1]

A tufting gun is a tool commonly used to automate the tufting process, more specifically in the realm of rug making. The yarn is fed through a hollow needle, that penetrates the stretched cloth backing for a modifiable length. [2]

They can usually create two types of rugs, a cut or loop pile. A cut pile rug's yarn is snipped every other loop into the backing, creating a “U” shape from the side profile, while a loop pile rug isn't snipped and creates a continuous “M” or “W”. [3] Tufting guns are useful tools for both mass production and home use due to its flexibility in scale and color variation.

Materials

Tufting cloth stretched on frame Tufting cloth stretched on frame.jpg
Tufting cloth stretched on frame

Tufting requires the use of specialised primary backing fabric, which is often composed of woven polypropylene. [4] Primary backing fabric is produced with a range of densities and weaving styles, allowing for use with different gauges of needles. [4] Primary backing fabric must be stretched tightly to the frame so that it is stable enough to withstand the pressure of the tufting gun and taut enough for the yarn to be held in place. [5] Tufting frames are generally constructed of wood, with carpet tacks or grippers around the edge to hold the primary backing fabric in place. Eye hooks are an important addition to a tufting frame, they are used as yarn feeders and work to keep the tension consistent. The frame must be sturdy and can be either freestanding or clamped to a table top. It is important to keep pressure and speed consistent when tufting so that the amount of yarn per square inch of the fabric is consistent. [5] Any mistakes in the design can be corrected throughout the tufting process by simply pulling out yarn strands from the primary backing fabric and re-tufting the area. [5] Designs can drawn directly on to the primary backing fabric, this can be done freehand or with the aid of a projector.

After tufting is completed, the tufted piece requires a coat of latex glue on the back in order to keep the tufts anchored in their place. Latex glue is beneficial for tufted pieces as it provides flexibility and dimensional stability. The piece should remain stretched on the frame until the glue has finished drying to avoid loss of shape and the possibility of mildew. [5] A secondary backing layer is then applied, providing further dimensional stability and protection for the finished piece as well as improving its appearance. [5] A wide variety of materials can be used for the secondary backing fabric depending on the intended use of the piece. Felt, canvas, drill and other harder wearing materials can be used for floor rugs, however backing fabric for wall hangings need only be aesthetic, as it is only required to cover up the glue layer and does not need to be hard wearing.

Worsted rug yarn on cones Worsted rug yarn on cones.jpg
Worsted rug yarn on cones

Wool is the traditional fibre used in pile tufting and is considered to be a high-quality material, especially for pieces designed to be used in high-traffic areas. [6] Wool can be spun into yarn by two systems, either woollen or worsted. Worsted yarn is more favourable for tufting when the finished product will be used in high-traffic areas, as it produces a hard flat surface that is tightly woven together. This is due to the tightly wound, fine yarn which is created in the worsted process. In comparison, woollen yarn used in tufting encases more entrapped air in the finished product and a bulkier finish. [4] Different yarn fibres can be used depending on the final use of the tufted object and the desired effect. Cotton and acrylic yarns are also commonly used, and decorative yarns may be used for wall hangings or other decorative tufting projects. Yarn should be spun onto cones before tufting to ensure it unwinds consistently and without tangles. Either a single strand or multiple strands of yarn can be used, depending on the thickness of the yarn and the gauge of the needle.

Tools

Manual rug-hooking tool Tool, rug-hooking (AM 1932.212-1).jpg
Manual rug-hooking tool

There are two types of tufting guns, manual or electric. A tufting gun is a handheld machine where yarn is fed through a needle and subsequently punched in rapid succession through a backing fabric, either with or without scissors. Electric tufting guns can be cut-pile, loop-pile, or a combination of both and are able to produce multiple pile heights. [5] A similar effect can be achieved with punch needle embroidery or rug hooking.

The choice between a cut pile and a loop pile lies in the distinctive characteristics they offer. Cut pile tufting creates rugs with a loose, hairy texture, while loop pile tufting produces rugs with tight, connected loops, resulting in a trackless surface. Cut pile rugs are softer but require carpet glue for stability. In contrast, loop pile rugs does not have to be glued. [7]

After tufting, the pile can be sheared or cut using electric shearers or scissors to tidy and sculpt the yarn for the finished product. This can be done either before or after the latex glue is applied to the backing. This process also helps to remove any loose fibres which may have come to the surface during the tufting process. [4]

Other equipment

The diverse set of equipment mentioned above plays a crucial role in the rug-making process, with each tool serving a distinct purpose. Collectively, these tools contribute to the tufting and rug making process. [9]

Cleaning and maintenance

Tufting guns must be regularly cleaned and maintained to prevent damage. Regularly removing excess yarn fluff that gathers around the needle and gears helps the mechanism to move without and excess friction. In order to avoid wear and ensure the mechanisms can function smoothly, lubricating oil should be regularly applied to the machine. [10] Tufted rugs can be cleaned regularly with a vacuum to remove dirt, however spills or stains should be spot cleaned immediately. [4]

Popularity

Tufting has seen a rise in popularity since 2018, when Tim Eads started an online community for tufting and made electric tufting guns easily accessible. [11] [12] Tufting produces both practical and decorative pieces with many uses and effects. The short format of TikTok and Instagram reels lends itself well to the process of tufting, providing a platform for the textile artform to reach a wider audience. [13] [14] The increase in popularity online has also seen a rise in copyrighted images being recreated without permission. [12] [14]

Environmental impact and effects

Recycling tufted pieces can be difficult as they are typically made up of three layers, which can require additional energy to break down into their individual components. [4] Processed waste from tufting can be turned into many things, including cushion stuffing, as concrete reinforcement or as modifiers in asphalt mixtures. [4]

Tufted pieces, such as rugs or wall hangings, provide acoustic properties which can minimize noise and absorb airborne sounds. [6] They also provide thermal comfort when walking on tufted rugs with bare feet, and larger pieces provide insulation which may reduce the cost of heating. [6] Rugs or wall hangings made from wool fibres have been shown to improve air quality in indoor spaces. [6] Wool acts as a filter through which contaminants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen are absorbed. [6] Wool is also a highly absorbent fibre and can help manage humidity changes indoors. [6] Tufted carpets and rugs provide a safe surface to walk on, offering slip resistance and a more forgiving surface should objects be dropped or falls occur. [1] Wool carpets are also resistant to flammability and hide soil and other dirts well. [1] Tufted pieces made from nylon yarn may face colour degradation over time if exposed to excess sunlight. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarn</span> Long continuous length of interlocked fibres

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing. Embroidery threads are yarns specifically designed for needlework. Yarn can be made of a number of natural or synthetic materials, and comes in a variety of colors and thicknesses. Although yarn may be dyed different colours, most yarns are solid coloured with a uniform hue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rug making</span> Making of rugs or carpets

A rug is a piece of cloth, similar to a carpet, but it does not span the width of a room and is not attached to the floor. It is generally used as a floor covering, or as a decorative feature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felt</span> Textile made from condensed fibers

Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood pulp–based rayon. Blended fibers are also common. Natural fiber felt has special properties that allow it to be used for a wide variety of purposes. It is "fire-retardant and self-extinguishing; it dampens vibration and absorbs sound; and it can hold large amounts of fluid without feeling wet..."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpet</span> Textile floor covering

A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester have often been used, as these fibers are less expensive than wool. The pile usually consists of twisted tufts that are typically heat-treated to maintain their structure. The term carpet is often used in a similar context to the term rug, but rugs are typically considered to be smaller than a room and not attached to the floor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upholstery</span> Covering of furniture with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather

Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian carpet</span> Term for a handmade carpet from Iran

A Persian carpet or Persian rug, also known as Iranian carpet, is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in Iran, for home use, local sale, and export. Carpet weaving is an essential part of Persian culture and Iranian art. Within the group of Oriental rugs produced by the countries of the "rug belt", the Persian carpet stands out by the variety and elaborateness of its manifold designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile manufacturing</span> The industry which produces textiles

Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods such as clothing, household items, upholstery and various industrial products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chenille fabric</span> Type of yarn and the fabric made of it

Chenille is a type of yarn, or the fabric made from it. Chenille is the French word for caterpillar, whose fur the yarn is supposed to resemble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rug hooking</span> Craft technique for rugs and hangings

Rug hooking is both an art and a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle for leverage. In contrast latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn.

An oriental rug is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in "Oriental countries" for home use, local sale, and export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pile weave</span>

Pile weave is a form of textile created by weaving. This type of fabric is characterized by a pile—a looped or tufted surface that extends above the initial foundation, or 'ground' weave. The pile is formed by supplemental yarn running in the direction of the length of the fabric or the width of the fabric. Pile weaves include velvet and corduroy fabrics and machine-woven Berber carpets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moquette</span> Woven pile fabric with cut or uncut pile

Moquette is a type of woven pile fabric in which cut or uncut threads form a short dense cut or loop pile. The pile's upright fibres form a flexible, durable, non-rigid surface with a distinctive velvet-like feel. Traditional moquette weave fabrics are made today from a wool nylon face with an interwoven cotton backing, and are ideally suited to applications such as public transport.

The manufacture of textiles is one of the oldest of human technologies. To make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fiber from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving, which turns it into cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. For decoration, the process of colouring yarn or the finished material is dyeing. For more information of the various steps, see textile manufacturing.

Heat setting is a term used in the textile industry to describe a thermal process usually taking place in either a steam atmosphere or a dry heat environment. The effect of the process gives fibers, yarns or fabric dimensional stability and, very often, other desirable attributes like higher volume, wrinkle resistance or temperature resistance. Very often, heat setting is also used to improve attributes for subsequent processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hereke carpet</span> Turkish carpet

Hereke carpets are Turkish handmade carpets produced and sold in Hereke, a coastal town in Turkey. For a long time, they were produced only in Hereke, 60 km from Istanbul. The materials used are silk, a combination of wool and cotton, and sometimes gold or silver threads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pile (textile)</span> Upright loops, tufts, or strands of yarn extending from the ground of a fabric

Pile is the raised surface or nap of a fabric, consisting of upright loops or strands of yarn. Examples of pile textiles are carpets, corduroy, velvet, plush, and Turkish towels. The word is derived from Latin pilus for "hair".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitted carpet</span>

Fitted carpet, also wall-to-wall carpet, is a carpet intended to cover a floor entirely. Carpet over 4 meters in length is usually installed with the use of a power-stretcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nap (fabric)</span> Raised fibers on the surface of a textile, or the directionality of such a raised surface

Primarily, nap is the raised (fuzzy) surface on certain kinds of cloth, such as velvet or moleskin. Nap can refer additionally to other surfaces that look like the surface of a napped cloth, such as the surface of a felt or beaver hat.

Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest human activities. The oldest known textiles date back to about 5000 B.C. In order to make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fibre from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving to create cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. Cloth is finished by what are described as wet process to become fabric. The fabric may be dyed, printed or decorated by embroidering with coloured yarns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punch needle</span> Embroidery tool

A punch needle is a manual tool used for embroidery or rug making that creates a field of tightly-packed loops of thread or yarn on a woven fabric substrate. The tool generally consists of a hollow needle with an angled opening attached to a wooden or plastic handle. The needle's eye is drilled just above its tip, rather than at its base, as with most sewing needles. Yarn is threaded through the hollow needle via an opening at the top of its handle, and out through the eye.

References

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  3. "How to Choose Cut Pile vs. Loop Pile Carpet". Caroline on Design. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Moody, Von; Needles, Howard L. (2004). Tufted Carpet - Textile Fibers, Dyes, Finishes, and Processes. William Andrew Publishing. ISBN   9786612027703.
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  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Crawshaw, G. H. (2011). "Pile carpets". In Gong, R. H. (ed.). Specialist yarn and fabric structures. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing Limited. pp. 188–222.
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  10. Wang, Zhendi; Yang, Chun; Yang, Zeyu; Brown, Carl E.; Hollebone, Bruce P.; Stout, Scott A. (2016-01-01), Stout, Scott A.; Wang, Zhendi (eds.), "4 - Petroleum biomarker fingerprinting for oil spill characterization and source identification", Standard Handbook Oil Spill Environmental Forensics (Second Edition), Boston: Academic Press, pp. 131–254, ISBN   978-0-12-803832-1 , retrieved 2022-01-09
  11. Budds, D. (14 December 2020). "During COVID-19, TikTok made it cool to make... fluffy rugs". Curbed.
  12. 1 2 Stone, L. (9 March 2021). "Meet the Makers Behind the Tufted Rug Renaissance". Metropolis. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  13. Freidenrich, E. (2022). "Tufting Magic". American Craft. 81 (4): 10–13.
  14. 1 2 Gallagher, J. (6 July 2021). "This SpongeBob SquarePants rug pulls your living room together: young DIY carpet makers turn to cartoons, celebrities for home decor inspiration". The Wall Street Journal.

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