We caught up with Barry Jeffers of Rugcetera to talk about how his business started, his creative process and his wonderful creations.
I started making rugs during the first lockdown. I was living at home in Galway for a short period of time, and I desperately needed a creative outlet. I saw some YouTube and Tik Tok videos of people tufting rugs, so I decided to invest in it as a hobby at first.
For the name, I brainstormed for quite a while and might have annoyed my mates on the daily with lots of different suggestions. But because I wanted to make wall hangings, floor rugs, and mirrors, I felt like ‘Rugcetera’ best represented the brand and all that I wanted it to encapsulate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtYEWjsqer/
My logo inspired me to start trying out the liquid rugs, the background of it is an oil slick design, so I started attempting to imitate the liquid paint marbling. After a few trials and errors, it started to look like what I had originally envisioned.
The process for the rugs can be quite lengthy depending on the size and detail. I start by drawing out the shape of the rug I want on the fabric, which is stretched out on a frame that I built. Then, I fill in the lines that I’ve drawn using two different types of tufting guns.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtX39dMF9D/
One is a loop gun, which loops the wool tightly around the fabric, and the other is a cut pile gun, which cuts the wool, so it gives a denser texture. It’s very similar to colour by numbers only using wool instead of paint.
I try to use as many bio-degradable materials as possible, I use wool and cotton yarn as often as I can, and all my packaging is 100% plastic-free.
Check out more designs at www.Rugcetera.com and on Instagram.
This interview with Rugcetera’s creator, Barry Jeffers original featured in GCN, issue 369.
© 2021 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
This article was published in the print edition Issue No. 369 (December 3, 2021). Click here to read it now.
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