“The weapon is your fedora. » Two steps from Montsouris Park, in a workshop-boutique located on a quiet street on 14my district of Paris, Alice Félix teaches how to use a weapon to a small, apparently peaceful troop. It is a “tuft gun”, a strange war machine that, loaded with wool, allows parts of a pattern previously drawn on a stretched canvas to be filled with tufted threads. The carpet plaster obtained in this way allows you to create rugs, mirror borders, cushions, wall decorations, etc.
“All colors and shapes are allowed. When it comes to creativity, it’s crazy.”explains Alice Félix, 23 years old, who has been self-employed for three years. After a CAP in accessories, the young woman began to make locks – or locks – thanks to social networks. The practice, whose origins are not well known, fell into disuse in the 1970s, and has regained momentum in 2020 thanks to the confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused a boom in creative activities.
Four years later, the tufting mania has not subsided, as evidenced by the countless tutorials, books and also workshops that are popping up all over France. According to Etsy, the world’s leading platform for selling handmade and second-hand items, searches for this hobby will have increased by 172% in 2022, and 35% for tufted rugs alone. And the number of participants in the sixty workshops listed only on the Wecandoo site, which connects artisans and individuals, doubled between 2023 and 2024, although the year is not over yet.
“I do an average of three two-hour workshops per week [à 90 euros]. Never more than seven people at a time because you need little space. Everything is booked very quickly. In total, around a hundred participants come every month to discover the technique and have fun”confirms the artist tufting, who started as a self-taught artist on her parents’ terrace. Given the demand, and to save a little time for her creations, Alice Félix collaborates with other speakers, such as Zoé Mataix, textile designer and workshop leader that afternoon.
A reverse job
After some technical explanations, the young woman in a floral dress supervises the beginnings of the tufted apprentices. “Do not hesitate to press hard on the monk’s cloth. [le nom du canevas] and be careful to check that your gun is armed with three cables. Filling is always done by drawing a line from top to bottom. Do some tests now. »
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