Reviewed by: Lisa Battles
This Huntsville artist really knows how to ‘Cut A Rug’
Reading time: 4 minutes
When our Lowe Mill studio neighbor Brent Hobbs asked if we wanted a custom rug as a welcoming gift, we couldn’t refuse.
I got to shadow the process as Brent, the owner of Cut-A-Rug Tufting Studio, carefully handmade this fun logo rug which now greets visitors of our office.
Meet Brent Hobbs, owner of Cut A Rug Tufting Studio
Slide to see how Brent took our rug from concept to final cut. (Elizabeth Hobbs / Hville Blast)
With a background in graphic design and affinity for artistic hobbies, it’s no surprise Brent found his way to becoming a full-time artist.
Brent has been in the rug-tufting business for about five years. If you do the math, that takes us right back to the pandemic when Brent first started seeing videos online of other rug artists.
“I’ve always loved anything artsy and creative, so when I saw rug-making videos online, I knew I wanted to try it.
I like the tactile nature and versatility of rugs as a medium. It’s not just a painting to look at, but something to interact with and feel.”
Brent Hobbs, owner of Cut A Rug
Brent started off making rug designs for just friends and family. When he discovered other rug artists were hosting workshops, he had the idea to set up an official studio in Huntsville.
After talking with rug studios in other cities, he decided to take the leap and become a full-time rug artist, opening his Lowe Mill studio in 2024.
“I feel like I fit the ‘artist mode’—I enjoy the flexibility of working late when creativity strikes.
Especially with working in Lowe Mill, I get to meet and teach new people almost every day.”
Some of Brent’s favorite rug creations include:
- Buc-ee’s
- Spiderman
- Spongebob + Patrick
- Pet portraits
- Hville Blast 😉
The rug-making process + what is “rug tufting”
Passion and pure joy come to mind as I reminisce on this multi-week process with Brent. Every few days, I’d knock on Brent’s door to peek at his progress as he punched every piece of yarn through the pattern.
So what is “tufting” anyway? Think large-scale sewing, where you use a high-speed automatic yarn “gun” instead of a traditional sewing machine with a foot pedal and a needle. The gun pushes the yarn through the tufting cloth, leaving you with a fluffy hand-punched rug once completed!
Brent gave me a breakdown of what the full rug-making process entails:
- Make the design
- Create the rug template on the tufting cloth canvas
- Outline the design with the tufting gun
- Fill in the full design with each color
- Cut out the rug
- Add adhesive + backing to the rug
- Shave the fluff off
- Enjoy your new rug!
Make your own custom rug
Slide to see locals tufting their own rugs in Brent’s studio. (Elizabeth Hobbs / Hville Blast)
Want to create your own rug masterpiece? Brent offers workshops teaching you how to make your own tufted rug.
Simply bring in your design idea, pick your colors and start tufting away!
Workshops usually take three to four hours, and Brent guides you every step of the way.
Visit the studio in Lowe Mill
You can meet Brent yourself and browse his collection of novelty rugs for sale in Studio #326.
Make sure to tell him we said hi!
- Where: Lowe Mill Studio #326 (on the 3rd floor)
- Website | Instagram | cutarugtufting@gmail.com
Want to see more features like this one? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
