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Ultimate Rug Tufting Starter Kit

Example setup shown. Purple AK-V + Rosewood with Easy Clip included. Frame and yarn depend on your selections; choose your frame and six-cone yarn bundle below.

YOUR IDEAS. YOUR FIRST RUG.

Ultimate Rug Tufting Starter Kit

Make a rug from your own design—even if you have never tufted before. A tufting gun pushes yarn through stretched cloth as you guide it, building your picture one line at a time.

Your purple AK-V and Rosewood carver + Easy Clip are included. Choose your frame and yarn, then follow our separate first-rug guide whenever you are ready to start.

    $986.00 CAD

    Rosewood + Easy Clip included. Choose your frame and yarn below.

    Everything inside · Adhesives to buy separately

    View cart

    THE STORY BEHIND THE ULTIMATE KIT

    Developed with Jazza and Chrystal Christie.

    We created the Ultimate Kit with Jazza and Chrystal Christie of Red Back Rugs. Their giant Monopoly rug shows where the craft can take you. Your first rug can start with a simple design of your own.

    Explore the project further down ↓
    Jazza with the EFFY Ultimate Kit and a tufted rug
    Chrystal Christie beside the completed giant Monopoly rug

    WHAT’S INSIDE

    Meet your starting lineup.

    Tufting is drawing with yarn: a powered needle pushes yarn through stretched cloth as you guide the design. These six essentials come with every kit.

    Choosing your tools? Compare our tufting guns and rug carving tools.

    Purple AK-V tufting gun
    Purple AK-V tufting gun
    Rosewood carver attached to its Easy Clip levelling guide
    Rosewood carver + Easy Clip
    Primary tufting cloth
    Primary tufting cloth
    Non-slip secondary rug backing fabric
    Non-slip secondary backing
    Cotton rug binding for finishing rug edges
    Cotton rug binding
    Threader for threading yarn through the tufting gun’s yarn guide and needle
    Three threaders

    The AK-V is our current top recommendation for beginners and advanced tufters. This version comes in EFFY purple.

    Adjustable speed and an LED needle light help you stay in control. A quieter brushless motor and internal belt drive reduce noise and vibration.

    Arrives set for cut pile. For loop pile, follow the manual-conversion tutorial below. Comes with a conditional six-month warranty.

    Work freehand with the Rosewood carver to shape contours and define colour boundaries.

    To even out the surface of your rug, clip the carver into the included Easy Clip guide. It helps keep a consistent levelling depth.

    This carver and guide come with every Ultimate Kit.

    The cloth you tuft into. Grip it evenly around the frame and stretch it tight as a drum to give your tufting gun a firm, even surface to work against.

    Good tension supports the pusher foot and lets the gun advance through the weave. Loose cloth can bounce with the gun; in cut pile, the scissors can repeatedly cut the same area instead of moving into the next part of the cloth, causing tears.

    Double warp and weft · 65% polyester, 35% cotton.

    Thick, non-slip secondary backing for the underside of your finished rug.

    We recommend attaching it with a suitable spray adhesive, purchased separately. Some tufters use latex to attach their secondary backing.

    Cotton rug binding protects the edges—the most vulnerable part of your rug—and gives them a neat, durable finish. It is an often-overlooked step, which is why we include rug binding in every kit.

    Your kit may include 3 cm or 4 cm-wide binding, depending on stock.

    Carolyn typically attaches it with a glue gun. Suitable fabric glue or latex glue can also be used.

    Use a threader to thread the yarn through the yarn guide and needle on your tufting gun. Three are included so you have spares.

    MAKE IT YOURS

    Choose your frame and yarn.

    Choose the frame that suits your setup and the yarn that suits your design. Both yarns suit beginners when used with the matching tutorial. Rosewood + Easy Clip is already included.

    Wooden tufting frame clamped to a desk
    90 cm wooden frame
    Aluminium tufting frame
    90 cm aluminium frame

    01 / YOUR SPACE

    Choose your frame.

    Wooden · Carolyn’s preference
    Two-prong carpet tack helps grip the cloth evenly. Best for a setup that stays assembled.

    Aluminium · easier to take apart
    Some size adjustment and a durable frame for repeated assembly. Many customers enjoy its flexibility.

    Both are 90 cm. Choose No frame if you plan to build a DIY frame.

    Choose your frame ↑

    More about the two frames

    Wooden frame · Carolyn’s preference

    The two-prong carpet tack along the edges gives the cloth more points to grip. Carolyn prefers how evenly she can stretch the cloth tight as a drum on this frame.

    A good choice for a setup that stays assembled. Looked after, wood can last well, but repeated dismantling and reassembly can wear it sooner than an aluminium frame.

    Aluminium frame · flexible setup

    Offers some size adjustment and stands up better to being taken apart and put back together. It also has a different yarn-guide setup.

    Many customers love its versatility. Carolyn personally prefers the tighter, more even cloth tension she gets with the wooden frame.

    Both frame options are 90 cm. Planning a DIY frame? Select No frame.

    Choose a frame ↑

    Building a DIY frame? No frame

    The six colours in the acrylic yarn bundle
    Acrylic · 6 cones
    Six cones of EFFY cotton blend yarn
    Cotton blend · 6 cones

    02 / YOUR COLOURS

    Choose your yarn.

    Premium acrylic · matte finish, more structure
    A familiar carving feel, with structure to help your rug hold its shape. Use two strands for cut pile.

    Watch the acrylic beginner lesson →

    Cotton blend · more affordable, vibrant colours
    Around 75 shades across the range. Use one strand and follow the spacing technique in our lesson so it carves cleanly.

    Watch the cotton blend beginner lesson →

    Either bundle includes six cones in six colours. Select No yarn bundle to order your favourite EFFY colours individually.

    Choose your yarn ↑

    More about working with each yarn

    Premium acrylic · matte finish, more structure

    Our premium acrylic rug yarn costs a little more per cone and has a beautiful matte finish. Its carving feel is familiar to tufters used to yarns such as Caron, Red Heart or Loops & Threads, with more structure to help a rug hold its shape underfoot.

    100% acrylic · approximately 250 g per cone · use two strands for cut pile.

    Watch: Introduction to tufting with EFFY acrylic yarn ↓

    Learn threading, needle-hole adjustment and line spacing with our premium matte acrylic.

    EFFY cotton blend · more affordable, vibrant colours

    With around 75 vibrant shades across the cotton blend range, there is so much freedom to bring your colour ideas to life. That variety, along with its lower cost per cone, makes this yarn worth getting to know.

    Tuft with one strand from the cone. In cut pile, it separates into eight finer strands. If the tufting is too sparse, those loose strands can catch in the carver. Tuft densely enough for them to support one another and the yarn carves beautifully. With the right technique, it can also create a rug that holds its shape well.

    80% cotton / 20% acrylic · 200 g per cone · use one strand.

    Watch: Introduction to tufting with EFFY cotton blend ↓

    Learn threading, pressure and spacing with our cotton blend. Its feel may be different if you are used to other yarns; the tutorial helps you get started.

    Each bundle includes six cones in six colours. To choose your favourite EFFY colours individually, select No yarn bundle and order your yarn separately.

    Choose your yarn ↑

    Choosing EFFY colours separately? No yarn bundle

    BEFORE YOU START

    Have these ready before you begin.

    Your cloth, secondary backing and binding are included. Add these adhesives separately so you can finish your first rug.

    Backing adhesive

    We recommend a suitable spray adhesive to attach the non-slip secondary backing once your rug glue has cured. Some tufters use latex for this step.

    Binding adhesive

    We usually use a glue gun to attach cotton rug binding. Suitable fabric glue or latex glue can also be used.

    BEGINNERS IN EFFY WORKSHOPS

    See beginners make their first rugs.

    Three first-rug projects from EFFY workshops: a circular logo, a striped rug and a character brought to life. See the process and the finished results.

    Some clips show earlier workshop tools. Today’s Ultimate Kit includes the purple AK-V, Rosewood carver and Easy Clip guide.

    A beginner’s first striped rug.

    See a beginner build up blue stripes, shape the surface and finish the edges before revealing the rug.

    First-rug workshop process · 56 seconds

    A character brought to life.

    A quick look at tufting a yellow character, followed by the proud moment of holding up the finished rug.

    Short workshop highlights · 14 seconds

    THE LESSONS ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE

    You do not have to learn it all today.

    Follow the Ultimate Kit companion guide alongside your kit, from setting up your frame to finishing the underside and protecting the edges. Its lessons use the tools and materials included in this kit.

    Open a stage below to go straight to that lesson.

    MAKERS AT WORK

    See the AK-V in their hands.

    Watch makers use the AK-V—the tufting gun included in your Ultimate Kit—to create their own designs. These clips show the earlier blue AK-V. Creator credits are linked with each demonstration.

    Tufting the design. Revealing the finished rug.

    Watch @artsymadwoman tuft a floral design with the AK-V, then see the finished rug from the front, with its fluffy cut-pile surface and carved detail.

    These selected moments show the tufting and the finished result from the same project.

    AK-V tufting + finished front · 18 seconds · Selected project moments

    Outline, then fill the shapes.

    Watch the AK-V follow a character design and build up areas of colour, ending with a view of the stitched back of the rug.

    Video: @dekurugs

    AK-V outlines and filling · Stitched back shown · 42 seconds

    Follow a lettering design.

    See lettering transferred onto the cloth, then the AK-V working along the drawn design.

    Video: @milky_moon__

    Lettering with the AK-V · 23 seconds · Silent

    Don’t just take our word for it.

    Jazza with the EFFY Ultimate Rug Tufting Starter Kit and a tufted rug

    MORE ABOUT THE COLLABORATION

    Meet the makers behind the project.

    Jazza and rug artist Chrystal Christie of Red Back Rugs turned a 3 × 3 m Monopoly board into a rug—and played on it for real. We developed this kit with them to help more people get started with the craft.

    The project used EFFY tufting guns and materials on a custom-built giant frame. The older EFFY acrylic yarn had a sheen; our current acrylic yarn has a matte finish.

    Explore the project photos below, or follow Jazza on YouTube, @jazzastudios and @redbackrugs.

    Watch the project below ↓

    JAZZA × CHRYSTAL CHRISTIE × EFFY

    Watch the giant Monopoly rug come together.

    Follow Jazza and Chrystal as they make and play on their 3 × 3 m Monopoly rug, using EFFY tufting guns and materials on a custom-built giant frame.

    BEFORE YOUR FIRST RUG

    What to know before you start.

    Can I use this kit if I’ve never tufted before?

    Yes. Start with a small, simple design and practise a few lines before beginning your rug. Our Ultimate Kit companion guide takes you from assembling the frame and stretching the cloth through tufting, carving, backing and binding. There are beginner lessons for both yarn options, so you can learn with the yarn you choose.

    What else will I need before I start?

    Choose a frame and yarn bundle with your kit, or select No frame for a DIY frame and No yarn bundle to order your EFFY colours individually.

    Adhesives are purchased separately: a purpose-made latex rug adhesive to seal the yarn, plus suitable adhesives for the secondary backing and binding. We recommend spray adhesive for the backing and usually use a glue gun for binding. See the finishing supplies for alternatives.

    What kind of workspace do I need?

    You need a sturdy work surface where the frame can be securely clamped and stay stable as you press the gun against the cloth. Both frame options are 90 cm; leave room to work comfortably and check the front and back of your rug.

    Allow a separate surface for carving and finishing, and follow your adhesive’s ventilation instructions. See the wooden and aluminium frame comparison to choose your setup.

    Which yarn should I choose?

    Premium acrylic has a matte finish and more structure, with a carving feel familiar to many tufters. Cotton blend costs less per cone and offers around 75 vibrant shades across the range.

    Both suit beginners. Follow the matching lesson for threading, pressure and spacing: learn with acrylic or learn with cotton blend. Either kit bundle includes six cones in six colours.

    How many rugs can I make with the kit?

    Your kit includes enough primary tufting cloth for two rugs. How far the yarn goes depends on your rug’s size, design and tufting density.

    The tufting gun and carving tools can be used again for future projects. You can order more EFFY yarn, cloth and finishing materials as you make more rugs.

    Can I make both cut pile and loop pile?

    The AK-V arrives set for cut pile—the soft, open-ended finish shown in many of the demonstrations. It can also make loop pile, where the yarn stays in loops, through manual conversion.

    Start with cut pile while you learn. When you are ready to try loops, follow the full loop-pile conversion tutorial. This involves mechanical adjustments; understand the gun’s cycle and correct part positioning before making them.