Photo Courtesy of Moonwavey.

Of all the crafting trends that emerged during 2020, 'tufting' is perhaps the most versatile.

The textile weaving technique is a midpoint between a shaggy carpet and embroidery – you can see and feel the detail of the tufted piece but it's not so fluffy that it's overwhelming. With your yarn as your ink, you can draw textured patterns and pictures on a plain canvas either by hand (using a punch needle) or with an intimidatingly fun-looking tufting gun. And the aesthetic possibilities for your finished product (usually a rug or wall hanging) are endless: psychedelic, neutrals, historically inspired, early '00s or even anime. Whatever your aesthetic poison, you can bring it to life by tufting.

No wonder, then, that the craft has become so popular over the last year, with the tag #tufttheworld amassing 57 million views on TikTok, while #punchneedle has 424,000 tags on Instagram. Turns out, watching the pieces being made is almost as satisfying as the result – the slow reveal of the image, poke by poke – but they are brought most to life when added to your living space. They are bright, textured, playful and just the right amount of homemade.

Ahead are some of our favourite tufted pieces right now from brands and independent makers for you to peruse, ranging from rugs and wall hangings to frames and cushions.