Why Is My Tufting Cloth Ripping?

Tufters, especially novice ones, often face the problem of tufting cloth ripping or having holes in the fabric. These ugly gaps can ruin the whole design and waste hours of work. However, these issues are easy to fix and even easier to avoid. Read on to find out why you get holes in your tufting cloth, how to repair them, and how to prevent them from happening.

Why is My Tufting Cloth Ripping

When your tufting cloth gets holes in it or it starts to tear off when you least expect it, it could be the materials you’re using or it might be the way you hold the tufting gun. Here are the main reasons this could happen:

• You’re using thin yarn or cloth of poor quality. 
• The fabric is not pulled tight enough around the frame.
• You’re setting the tufting gun to a higher speed that requires you to move it faster on the canvas.
• Not enough pressure is applied to the tufting gun. 
• Holding the tufting gun on the same spot for too long leads to overworking it and causes holes.
• Moving the tufting gun in complex directions such as curves before mastering the straight lines first.

How to Fix Tufting Cloth Ripping

If you get a hole in your primary tufting cloth then you should just keep tufting until you’re done with your rug. Only then can you turn your attention to the holes and rips in the fabric. Get a broad measurement of the hole or rip and tuft a patch outside of the design.

When the patch is ready, you can glue it over the hole. Another option is to sew it over the rip to hide it. Sewing the patch is a more permanent and less messy solution. 

How to Prevent Tufting Cloth from Ripping

When you know the reasons that rips and holes appear on your tufting cloth, then you can avoid them. However, that’s easier said than done. If you have little experience with tufting and you’re still finding your way around the canvas and the tufting gun, then these tips will come in handy.

• Always use good-quality cloth. Shop Tufting Cloth on LetsTuft.

• If the rug yarn you’re using is too thin, try doubling or tripling it. Single threads often produce unsatisfactory results.
• Make sure the yarn doesn’t get stuck on the tufting gun especially if you’re feeding it from below. Create a loop to feed the yarn from the top and avoid the tension.
• Wrap the canvas tightly around the tufting frame. To test the canvas, throw a coin at it. If the coin bounces back at you instead of falling down, your canvas is tight enough.
• If you have little experience with tufting, stick to moving the tufting gun in straight lines. Vertical and horizontal motions are less likely to produce holes. Only use curves when you absolutely have to.
• Set the rug gun to a slow speed until you get comfortable with moving your hand faster on the canvas.
• Always press the tufting machine firmly against the tufting fabric and keep that pressure evenly as you follow the lines of the design.

If you get holes and rips in your tufting, don’t panic. You can easily fix these holes once you’re finished with your tufting. Just tuft a patch and either sew it or glue it to the rug. As you gain more experience, these holes and cloth ripping will become a thing of the past.