We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Engelmann recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

From 2019 to 2024 I worked in an office setting, and after the pandemic, mostly from home. I felt unfulfilled once again, despite tufting as frequently as possible. I missed interactions with coworkers and friends and being in an active environment, like my past jobs in the service industry. As time passed, I realized that my job was grating against everything I wanted for myself in life.

In May of 2024, I officially quit my day job to work part-time in a local restaurant and focus on tufting.

Initially, after quitting my full-time job I found it very difficult to be creative and find the time to feel inspired. I was hoping the transition would be a natural one- as it was clearly the shift I had wanted. As with any new routine, it took time to adjust, but I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with myself and like I should have been constantly doing more.

I did eventually find my stride, and at the same time realized that my house was lacking the amount of space I needed for my business to truly flourish. In October of 2024, I began renting my first studio space to teach tufting classes and create my artwork.

Hard days still happen, and sometimes I still feel I’m not doing enough and that I don’t allow myself enough time for tufting. I think every small business and artist can resonate with these feelings- our job is truly never done.

At the end of the day, I am still thankful I quit a thankless job, took a risk, and really put myself and my artwork out into the world like never before. I am grateful for having a job that allows me the time to create, and that others resonate with what I make. That is truly something I will never come to regret.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started the first iteration of my business in December of 2018. At the time, I was blissfully unaware that this path would ever lead me into small business ownership. I was in college, studying Sociology, working full-time, and still felt like I wasn’t being fulfilled creatively, so I began embroidering.

I initially began working with embroidery hoops, with the intention of creating jackets and wearable art from thrifted goods- mostly for myself. As time went on I just wanted to get more practice, learn new stitches, and create an embroidery style for myself. Eventually, friends and coworkers approached me for custom pieces and I realized that other people resonated with the work I was creating. It was shortly after this time that I started participating in local art markets.

As time went on, I wanted to learn more (mostly) fiber artwork techniques- these included and were not limited to; bargello, sewing, polymer clay, some ceramics, painting, punch needling, and finally- tufting.

I began punch needling in 2021 and started creating mirrors and wall hangings. Punch needling, as I like to describe it, is the analog version of tufting. As my desire to punch needle grew, so did my need to create larger projects. So, I eventually bought a tufting frame to punch needle on. Eventually, I figured it was time to try tufting.

After purchasing a tufting machine, lots of yarn, and monks cloth- I created my first rug.

I learned so much from that first rug, mostly that I wanted to create more.

As time went on, I continued to experiment with tufting and what I could create. As with embroidering, I found that my greatest joy was creating pieces that people could adorn their walls with, so I began calling my rugs “wall rugs.” I rebranded my entire business in 2023 to focus my creative endeavors on tufting and I haven’t looked back.

Currently, my business looks much the same as when I shifted my focus to tufting. I try to create intricate patterns with unique designs and try to make tufting widely accessible throughout my community. In 2024, I began teaching tufting classes and within the past months have begun renting a studio space to teach classes and create my work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up, I went to a very very small school- I graduated with 45 people. During my time in high school I took a couple of art classes- fiber arts and ceramics. My teacher never seemed to like anything that I created, and didn’t particularly seem to like me.

Looking back I think this was detrimental. If I had the support and access to more classes, I think I would have chosen a different path for myself in college.

This biggest thing I had to unlearn is that art looks a certain way. Fiber arts are often looked down on as hobbies, rather than art, and have been historically ignored as “women’s work.”

This narrative has begun to shift and it makes me so excited for the future of fiber arts. So many artists are reclaiming and reinventing traditional fiber art mediums, and that’s a beautiful thing.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I by no means have the largest social media following, but I have found that local markets are a wonderful way to just get your brand, ideas, and artwork across to people who otherwise never would have found you.

Markets can be difficult, but they are a worthwhile way to get your name out there- and in my case- to educate and provide information on an art form that is lesser known in my community. Tufting has become widely popular on TikTok and Instagram because of process videos that others have posted, however not everyone knows about it, how it’s created, or what to do with the finished products.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tufttitty.square.site/
• Instagram: @tufttitty

Image Credits

Christine Erlandson Photo Co
IG @christinephoto.co