5.0 stars (29+)
Manchester Tufting Workshops
location_on Salford, Manchester
local_activity classes: Tufting • Textiles
5.0 (58)
2k followers
Manchester Tufting Workshops was established in 2020, with the goal of publicly teaching the fascinating art of rug tufting without needing to undergo a degree. At the time, the only way to learn tufting from someone knowledgeable was through a university setting. I wanted to create a more accessible way of learning that was open to everyone with any skill level. Especially since I learn best in-person and because I was taught by a wonderful textile tutor, it was important to me to foster the right atmosphere to inspire others.
I have over 6 years of experience with electric and pneumatic tufting equipment, beginning my journey in 2016 whilst studying visual arts at the University of Salford.
Classes
Reviews
(58)
Viktorija Grisenkova • Apr 2024
We absolutely loved our class with Alena and came away with beautiful rugs. Alena was very helpful and knowledgeable, and made our experience really fun. Absolute must try craft!
Samantha • Apr 2024
We had been excited to try out tufting and creating our new masterpiece rugs! We are both non that arty so were unsure how we would get on with the process but Alena was a great teacher and we enjoyed spending our Saturday talking with you. The class was great value for money as a fair few hours, materials and knowledge provided - also you get to keep you work! We really enjoyed our time doing the half day of tufting and will definitely be back with friends. Thanks so much for a fun day!
Joseph Hayden • Apr 2024
I bought a half day experience for my girlfriend and I and we honestly had an amazing time. Alena is an excellent host, a great teacher and really good company. I'd highly recommend to anyone looking to book.
Grant Kelly • Mar 2024
Me and my wife had an amazing time making rugs together! Alena was a great teacher and explained everything confidently and easily. All needed materials for creating the rugs were provided, but we were told we had the option to provide our own yarn if we wanted.
The venue is definitely a little chilly so make sure to dress appropriately if visiting in colder months, but we felt fine in jeans and hoodies when it was about 8C outside.
Can't recommend this enough to anyone, it was worth every penny, we had a great time, and Alena was a great teacher and kept conversation flowing the whole time we were there! Will definitely come back in the future!
Mark Kimber • Mar 2024
My husband bought me the workshop for my birthday. Alena was brilliant, really engaging and thorough. The workshop was a great space, very relaxing and a nice vibe. I was really pleased to learn the full end to end process of making a handmade tufted rug. It was a full day with great equipment and materials do very good value. I love my end result which I’ve decided to hang on my wall as a piece of art, just need a piece if driftwood!
Becky Smyllie • Feb 2024
Went on my own as a birthday gift. Alena makes you feel really welcome and is a great workshop facilitator. The process was made so easy and you had the space to experiment. I love my little rug!
Jasmine Sharp • Feb 2024
Visited on Sunday with my Boyfriend the class was brilliant! I brought it as a Christmas present and it was well worth the wait. Alena was the perfect host and didn’t rush us at all, making sure we left with something way better than expected. She explained the process step by step and offered advice and helped me create a colour scheme for my mirror. We love our new mirrors and mug rugs. It was the perfect wholesome Sunday, highly recommend <3
Rebekah • Feb 2024
I was bought this workshop by my boyfriend as a Christmas present. I think I had driven him crazy with saying I wanted to have a go at rug tufting every time I saw someone creating something beautiful online
I spent a whole day 1:1 with Alena, who was an absolutely fantastic, super knowledgable teacher, who took the time to clearly explain the whole process, help choose the perfect colours & build up my confidence in using the tufting gun.
I am so pleased with the finished rug that I came home with, it turned out even better than I had imagined!
This may well become my new favourite hobby Thanks so much!
Elliott Hughes • Feb 2024
I bought the event for my partner and I and we had an amazing time Alena was brill, helped massively all throughout the steps, also she helped us with the design of our rug. Definitely worth the value
Elena Papas • Jan 2024
This was a great Christmas present!
The teacher was welcoming and just a cool person to spend an afternoon with. There were loads of choices of yarn, any colours you could ask for. We had a half day session and each made an amazing rug and learnt a lot!
Grace Lartey • Jan 2024
LOVED EVER SECOND! I was so excited to bring my partner to the workshop, after lockdown she really wanted to get a gun and create her own rugs so it was the ideal workshop for us. I also wanted this to be the place I proposed and wrote 'will you marry me' on the rug I created. Alena was accommodation in helping this engagement be as special as possible - couldnt have done it without her!
Genevieve Darwin • Jan 2024
Had a great time, we learnt so much and had lots of fun. Everything was throughly explained to us. The class was completely individualised to us and felt really personal. Would recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a fun way to do something different and creative.
Miss Naeha Ganger • Jan 2024
3 ClassBento workshops attended
Alena our instructor was incredibly kind, patient and funny. She made all the instructions seem simple and clear and assisted when required. I would definitely recommend this class 110%. I really enjoyed myself, learnt a lot and met new people along with making a great new keepsake!
Abbie Walshaw • Dec 2023
Alena was a good teacher, open and supportive in her approach. She allowed me to bring along a tufting gun that had been bought for me and gave an introduction to its use. The workshop gives you all the info you need to have a go yourself. Tip - wear layers to keep warm and clothes that you're not too precious about.
Owen McGarrity • Nov 2023
Fab class, properly show how to do everything, especially for beginners. We had no idea how to make a rug and ended up leaving with an amazing rug. Class teacher very experienced and educated to guide/ help you the entire time, while letting you take creative lead and do any design you want! Worth the money as the material of the rug feels nice and the equipment to create was great as well. Class lasted a good amount of time too, meaning I left with lots of knowledge to potentially do it myself and pick up a new hobby. Great day out :)
Lydia Smith • Oct 2023
Thoroughly recommend this workshop! Had a great afternoon making my rug, and can't believe how quickly I felt confident in getting to work on it. Alena was welcoming, enthusiastic, and a great teacher, and the whole session ran really smoothly. I'd love to come back and make another piece :)
Dawn Harrison • Aug 2023
Amazing day , great fun will definitely be back learnt so much , fantastic teacher Very knowledgeable
Kate Charnock • Aug 2023
Amazing! We loved our half day tufting workshop.
Everything was great. Alena was fantastic and we highly recommend the experience.
Nur Liyana • Jul 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Alena was really friendly and wonderful. She explained and showed how things are done patiently. Cozy area for us to work at as well. This is our first time and we thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. Will recommend this to our friends! Thank you for the great experience!
Falis Desow • Jul 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Alena was a very nice and lovely teacher. The whole sessions was so fun learning about the tufting and creating our own rugs. Definitely will return. Cannot recommend anybody better
Rhiannon Francis • May 2023
We had the absolute best afternoon creating our rugs! Alena was super friendly chatty made us feel very at ease, great teacher. We will be recommending to all of our friends was great to do something creative! The perfect birthday present for my boyfriend we loved every minute and love our rugs will be hanging on the wall
Nathan Graham • May 2023
I went for the 2 day class, it was really good. I got to make the two rugs that I’d wanted to and a lot more confidence about how to actually make a rug. The workshop was accessible and well stocked so we had everything we needed and Alena was a good teacher. She gave good clear instructions, pointed out areas for improvement and was very friendly. Would definitely recommend getting a class if you’re interested in tufting.
Rowan Oneill • Apr 2023
I travelled over from Northern Ireland to learn rug tufting from Alena, as I am wanting to start up my own business within rug tufting back in Ireland. No words can really describe how amazing a teacher Alena is, as well as the amazing vibe that she gives off, she has helped me a lot in understanding what resources I would need for setting up my own business back home. She has also given me an understanding of wool types, frame sizes, etc. I couldn’t recommend her enough as she is amazing at what she does and a fantastic teacher, sharing her wealth of knowledge.
Joanne Regan • Mar 2023
I had a brilliant day with Alena, learnt loads about the whole process of rug tufting and came home with a beautiful rug.
Sam Scaddan • Mar 2023
Our teacher was patient and so brilliant. She was easy going and explained everything really well.
Edenfield Girls • Feb 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended
My two daughters and I had a wonderful time on the tufting workshop with Alena. We love to buy experiences for each other for birthdays and Christmas so that we can spend quality time together and this was perfect! Alena is an excellent tutor and was on hand the whole time to help without taking over. After a concise but quick tutorial we were straight in and hands on with lots of guidance. It was great to get stuck in straight away and with Alena’s encouragement it didn’t feel daunting. The venue is bright and colourful which matches Alena perfectly! Everything that was needed was provided and very organised. We’d brought snacks and Alena was happy for us to munch away while we made our rugs. She is encouraging, enthusiastic and gives lots of praise along the way. The fact there there is plenty of parking was a bonus annd the venue is very accessible. Overall I’d highly recommend Alena and the course.
