Label
Tufting Machine, c.1892
Star Manufacturing Company
Washington, PA
Brass, steel, wood
Transfer from Barre Historical Society, 2014.60.269
“Tufting” is a textile-making technique in which threads are punched through a base fabric, leaving a loop on one side and two loose ends on the other side. The technique is ancient, and frequently used to make thicker or warmer materials or garments, such as mittens. Contrasting colors can create patterns both on the tufted, or looped, side and the loose end side. Over time, the loose ends often felt together to create a dense, thick layer. Tufting is also commonly used in carpet-making.
This tufting machine takes a practice that would have been physically tiring and time-consuming and mechanizes it. The kit comes with a variety of different needle sizes for use with thread or yarn, to adjust the density of the final product. Turning the handle would raise and lower the needle, punching in and out of the fabric repeatedly and – with experienced use – quickly.