Star Maker: Studio Tuft

Studio Tuft is Jessie James, who hand tufts rugs in her garden studio in Gloucestershire.

She makes tufted rugs inspired by flowers in the garden, trips to Cornwall and colour combinations she sees in the everyday world. The rugs she makes have a great pile to them, artistic designs and they are entirely handmade by her.

What makes you stand out from the crowd?
Every tufted rug I make is one of a kind, designed, hand tufted and finished by me. I like to think of them as pieces of functional art or art for the floor. Every rug is unique, designed and tufted to create an atmosphere in your home and bring a smile when you step on it. My work is bold, colourful and an alternative to beige!

What part of the process of making your items do you enjoy the most?
I love to see the finished rugs, I make everything by hand with a tufting gun and really enjoy seeing the rug begin to take form in the early tufting process. I work from the back of the rug so often don’t see what the front of the rugs tufted surface looks like properly till I cut it off the frame, I have been tufting since 2018 so I kind of have an idea what it will look like but sometimes it can be a little surprise!

When did you realise you were a creative soul?
I am from a very creative family, they are all artists, so I grew up with art everywhere and the encouragement to do it. I grew up in a multi cultural family and that has really shaped my appreciation and use of colour and pattern.  I have always been interested in fashion, textiles, interior design, printmaking and also studied fine art at Camberwell College of Art so for me tufted rug making combines all of these into something that works.

What’s the best feedback you’ve received about your brand or products?
I think my favourite thing and best feedback is when people come back for another rug, especially when they come back again and again. I love it when customers almost have a rug per room.

Why is sustainability so important to you personally; and how you build your brand identity?
I want to make pieces that are treasured and not throw away, rugs that with stand time and try to distance myself from mass produced items that end up in landfill. I use dead stock rug wools to make my rugs, the wools are quality rug wools that have been overproduced from carpet manufacturers. I only use materials sourced in the uk and with my small batch making I have no overproduction. I try to find ways to use any excess wools such as putting them into balbals and I’m developing an idea for a quilted blanket.

When looking at your journey so far what would you do differently?
I would build more of a community around my brand and working style, being self employed means I spend a lot of time by myself.

What’s next for your brand? What newness should we keep a look out for?
I love making and have a huge backlog of ideas for new rugs in my mind, my styles are always changing and evolving, I most recently have tufted a few seascape landscapes wall hangings and would really like to explore that idea further.

See Jessie’s pieces at Crafts Alive at Rodmarton Manor 10th-14th September. The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen are taking over the most beautiful Arts and Crafts house, this year’s theme is flowers and the maker.