Humbling (a tufting beginning)

I had looked at tufting some time ago, but never hopped in.

I had an opportunity to try a tufting gun and frame from Clawlab.

So excited.

So. 

Excited.

I unboxed. 

Read directions.

Put together the frame. Attached to the table.

Got my monk’s cloth fabric into said frame.

Was it tight enough? That would be the question.

No.

In hindsight, of course I know now. But, at the time…..

I thought I was good to go. 

Design onto fabric.

Gun loaded.

Apparently, you need to be touching the fabric with the gun when you start.

Oh, and I hadn’t adjusted the tempo so the gun was set at a speed this newb was not accustomed to, and should never have been using to begin with. Lol.

Speed adjusted. 

“Needle” pushed into said cloth.

Trigger pulled. Yarn into fabric.

However.

The cloth is not holding quite as tight as it should be.

Gun is going. 

Cloth is giving. 

Kristin is pushing harder to keep gun on cloth and apparently, too many things happening and the next thing I know…..

The gun is on the other side of the cloth. 

Yep. 

On the other side of the fabric…..Had pushed the tip of the gun all the way through. :)

Now I have a hole. (you know the line…. Insert eye roll here; along with a few expletives….).

I start another design I had placed onto the fabric. (After pulling the gun free.)

I take another sweep through the instructions.

Give this go again.

Slightly better. 

Oh, but I have forgotten to tell you about me getting in my own way with the yarn. 

Turns out if you stand on the yarn- it will pull out of the gun.

If you catch the yarn with your finger or hand on the side of the gun- the yarn pulls out. 

If the yarn is smaller gauge; looser in the eye of the gun- if you look at the yarn wrong- it pulls out.

Needless to say the learning curve was steep and even though I have been a professional artist, I have never tufted and I was quickly reminded- of that phrase, “that we all start at the beginning.” 

We can’t expect to pick something up and be an expert the first time. 

But, there is something addictive about using the tufting gun. The yarn also needs to be trimmed and sculped. 

Again…. Oddly addictive. 

And so, this journey shall continue, but wanted to capture this beginning time.

Humbling reminder that we all start at the beginning. Below are the first two pieces I made.

Xo. Kristin 

IF, you are interested, I do have a coupon code for the kit I received. (this is an affiliate link)