You're Invited to TuftCon 2023!

January 25, 2023

Join us March 24-26 at the first ever Tufting Convention, a Tufting Event in Philadelphia!

Buy tickets here!

Tuft the World is thrilled to be presenting three days of exciting programming in Philadelphia, PA. Join us for demos, workshops, lectures, an open repair booth and more!

Your 3-day pass gives you access to three full days of tufting fun, education and networking! Join us at the Asian Arts Initiative on March 24 and 25 and at Tuft the World's new Education Space in the Bok Building on March 26 for more tufting, on-site shopping, product-testing, and the reception of our juried show of tufted artwork.

Demos & Workshops, Speakers, and Lectures!

Tuft the World staff will teach both beginner workshops as well as long awaited advanced workshop. We'll be hosting three lectures: Tonya D. Lee on Color Theory, Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander on the past, present and future of Tuft the World, and Tiernan Alexander on the History of Rug Making. We'll have a panel discussion on starting a rug making business, and various demonstrations, including presentations by guest artists Trish Andersen and AJ Peterson. TuftCon will also boast an open repair booth for your technical needs and questions! The weekend will be a great environment for networking and connecting with fellow creatives, be sure to join us the first night for welcome drinks and mingling.

First and foremost, the making part of this big tufting event - demos and workshops! Get ready to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to learn about tufting!

There will be workshops for both beginner and advanced. *Workshops are limited and not guaranteed, please limit 1 workshop per ticket.

1. The beginner tufting workshop will cover the basics - setting up a frame, stretching your cloth, and operating the machine. Even if you’ve tufted before, you can learn additional tips and tricks! 
2. The advanced tufting workshop is for those who have significant comfort using their tufting machine and are ready to venture beyond the basics. Participants will be introduced to machine adjustments such as adjusting the pile height on your tufting machine and changing your machine from cut to loop. We’ll also provide instruction in using finishing tools, such as the carving clippers and electric carving scissors, to add dimension to your finished rug. Finally, advanced tufting in Philadelphia!

Additionally, you will have a number of demos to choose from. Demonstrations do not have limited space, so you can attend as many as you like. 

See more info on Demos & Workshops at TuftCon here!

We are also excited to share some lectures with you:

See details about the lectures at TuftCon in Philadelphia here!

Tuft the World will also present a juried exhibition as part of TuftCon! The exhibition will be on view at the Bok Building, with an opening reception on the final day of TuftCon Sunday March 26, 2023. This is also a sneak peek into our new education space! Tuft the World is excited to have a dedicated space to offer beginner and advanced tufting workshops, in addition to all kinds of fiber arts classes. We look forward to hosting the juried exhibition here and can't wait to share this new additional Tuft the World location with you!

Here are the important dates to remember if you’re interested in submitting to the exhibition:

Submission deadline: Monday, February 13, 2023

Selected artists notified: Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Artwork drop-off: Monday, March 13, 2023

Exhibition Dates: March 26- April 30, 2023

Opening Reception: Sunday, March 26, 2023 (TuftCon ticket required *unless you are a selected artists)

Apply to the Exhibition here! (Deadline is February 13, 2023)

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