Can You Tuft In Your Apartment/Flat?

How Much Space Do You Need?

As I mentioned the required space is one of the first things to check before you start. The only tool than require relatively larger space than others is the tufting frame. The most common dimension for a tufting frame is around 100cm x 100cm (40” x 40”) of course it is possible to create way bigger frames according to your needs but this is the sweet spot for most beginner tufters. If you are planning to place your frame on a table and fasten it with some clamps basically you need a space big enough for your table and work around it in the worst-case scenario. 

There is another alternative way to create your frame which is building up with its own standing legs. The occupied space will be similar to the other option however you can eliminate the table from this equation. Instead of the desk, almost the same amount of space will be occupied by the T or L-shaped legs of the tufting frame. It is very common to place the frame next to a wall so the legs of it can touch and have support from the wall. So when you are choosing your place for tufting take this into account. 

All the other necessary materials and tools need minimal space but it is essential to have some of the materials in a good amount, especially the yarn. During the tufting process, depending on your design you may need to have a lot of different coils of yarn with different colors, shades, textures, or thicknesses. Even though a single piece of yarn coil does not take up so much space, tens or hundreds of them do. In the best-case scenario, you will need to dedicate a shelf or cabinet to store all of the tufting materials.

Is Tufting Dirty?

If you do not have a dedicated room as a workshop/studio in your place for tufting, this can become a problem from time to time. Imagine having your small tufting ‘’corner’’ in the living room, all the fibers from yarn will fly across the room. Under the tufting frame, all ground is very likely going to be covered with pieces of yarn. Especially after trimming and shaving the carpet you can feel literally see the fibers flying around and feel it in your lungs. 

However it is not impossible to manage, personally, I live in a relatively small size apartment flat and I created my tufting workshop in a corner of the living room so the exact situation I mentioned previously. After a day of tufting, you can see all of the facts listed previously in the room. But If you clean it regularly and at least vacuum the yarn pieces off the ground it is totally manageable.

Where to put the frame?

You can either fix your frame to a table or make it self-standing with its own leg. If you fix it to a table with clamps you can also use this table to keep your other necessary tools during tufting, such as the tufting gun, yarn coils, scissors, etc. It is favorable to place it next to a wall to make it more stable against the gun’s pressure. You can set up your frame and mini tufting studio in approximately 60 sq ft (5-6 sq m), it will not be the most comfortable one but you can totally work with it. 

If you can create this space in a way that you can separate from other parts of the room it will be super useful for you. In this case, it is not necessary to clean this area perfectly and remove all the tools each time you are done with tufting.

Where to store materials?

If you are a beginner, a shelf or small cabinet will be more than enough to store all of your tufting-related materials and tools. Eventually, it is going to be mainly yarns and tufting cloths, both of the materials do not take up large spaces. You can easily just increase the storage area gradually when you require more space. Using what you have at the moment to start will also reduce the initial start-up cost and this can be very important for many beginners.