Introduction to Tufting: Make a Coaster or Mini Wall Art Piece

Tiger Lily Tufts are running a tufting workshop at Hotwalls Studios on Sunday 27 September, where you can learn to use a tufting gun and make either a coaster or a mini wall art piece. It's a one-hour session, and they're running them throughout the day between 10am and 4pm, with up to two people per slot, so it's easy to bring a friend along.

If you've never seen a tufting gun in action, it's a bit like a sewing machine on steroids: you use it to punch yarn through a stretched fabric backing, building up a thick, plush pile of wool. Over the hour, you'll get to grips with the tool and work your way through a small design, and you'll leave with a finished piece you've made yourself. You can choose between a coaster for your coffee table or a mini wall hanging to put up at home.

Hotwalls Studios is in Old Portsmouth, and it's a bit of a special spot. It's a group of thirteen studios run by local artists, designers and makers, all tucked into the old arches at Point Battery. The site used to be a defence against invasion, but it was converted into a creative quarter back in 2014, and the whole thing draws on the Sunday art sales that have happened there since the late fifties. There's a deli-style café on site called The Canteen, so it's the kind of place where you can hang around before or after your session.

Beyond the open studios, the site runs hands-on workshops like this one, led by the resident designer-makers who work there. You get to see how they actually work and take home something you've made, alongside paint-along events guided by professional instructors and held in local pubs and bars. The tufting workshop is £36 per person, and with sessions running from 10am to 4pm on Sunday 27 September, you can pick a time that fits your day.