Tufting Guides

Pile has no edge of its own, so a sharp boundary is a shadow rather than a line. Where to tilt the blade, how deep to cut, and why the design decides most of it before the scissors come out.

Craftphilia Studio is free tufting software that turns images into tuftable patterns, with colour separation, AI generation, and full path preview. It works on Windows and macOS with any setup—no Craftphilia machine required.

The last stitch goes in and the rug looks finished. It isn't — it's yarn sitting loose in a piece of cloth. Everything that holds it together comes after: glue, a day of curing, backing, and the carving that gives it depth. Here's all four steps, with the times and measurements.