What makes tufting the first hobby I didn't quit?

Shannon Miles

Shannon Miles

I didn't think I would need a creative hobby at 53 😅

I have tried painting, pottery, even coloring, but nothing stuck. I figured it just wasn't for me, I'm simply not the "creative type"

But 1 year ago, EVERYTHING changed.

The house got quieter than I expected… Not all at once. Just… gradually.

One bedroom empty. Then another. College started for my young ones, and suddenly there was time… A LOT of it. At first, I thought I'd love it. More evenings, more weekends, more freedom. But after a while, the quiet didn't feel peaceful anymore.

It felt empty.

Both my best friend Rachel and my husband recommended that I try to find a hobby to fill the time. I tried painting, but honestly, the mess stressed me out more than anything.

I started a creative writing course, paid about 90 bucks for it…I don't think I even finished the first 30 minutes. I tried to download a few "creative" apps, but I couldn’t make it a routine. It was also just boring…

Eventually, I stopped trying. Evenings turned into scrolling. Minutes into hours. Phone down. Phone up again. I didn't feel relaxed. I felt numb. And honestly? A little disappointed in myself.

I kept telling myself that this was normal. Those hobbies were for younger people. That creativity was something you grow out of, and now I should just accept that I am old. But something about that just  didn't sit right.

Then one night, while scrolling (again), something caught my eye: It was a woman, close to my age, using some weird machine on a wooden frame. She was doing something called TUFTING. I almost scrolled away. It looked messy. Loud. Complicated… Exactly the kind of thing I'd quit halfway through.

But I did notice something: The carpet she was making looked BEAUTIFUL  😍😍

The rug was a cute little red panda (my favorite animal!), and it just looked AMAZING.

A spark of creative motivation has been lit

Could this woman really have made this rug?? So I kept watching, what she explained SHOCKED me: "This was the first rug I ever made! I had no prior artistic experience but tufting has completely taken over my life…." That sentence shocked me. Not because it sounded dramatic or anything. But because she looked… normal. Someone like me. I didn’t believe it at first But then she explained: "Everything came in one kit, and the steps were super clear. You don't need to be creative," she said. You just need to START."

I watched that video three more times that night.

Each time, I noticed something different. The way her hands moved, confident, but not rushed. The way the yarn fed through the machine… The way she smiled when she held up the finished rug… Not the smile of someone showing off. The smile of someone who'd PROVEN something to themselves.

That's when I realized: This wasn't about being artistic. It was about being capable. I'd spent 30 years in a career proving I was capable. Why did I suddenly think I couldn't learn something new?

So I did it. I actually did it. I BOUGHT a tufting kit!

Not a cheap one from Amazon, but the same one the woman used in the video. 

A scary but exciting first step into a new way of self fulfillment

When it arrived, I'll admit: 

I was nervous 😰

What if I wasted my hard earner money on yet another abandoned hobby??

I pulled out the first piece: The tufting machine. Then the frame. The backing cloth. The trimmer. It had everything I needed to start. It even came with instructions! Clear. Step-by-step. Made for people with no experience. They even provided me with ideas for my first rugs.

I set up the frame in the living room. Stretched the backing cloth like the video showed. Threaded the yarn through the machine. Plugged it in.

Then I Just… started 😬

First trigger pull.

CHUNK.

The gun punched the yarn through.

Clean. Satisfying.

I did it again.

CHUNK. CHUNK. CHUNK.

The sound was rhythmic. Almost meditative. I was scared before I started, but once I started I was relaxed. Comfortable. I wasn't thinking about whether I was "doing it right." I was just… doing it.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. I looked up. Twenty minutes had gone by. I hadn't checked my phone ONCE. An hour in, something shifted… My back was starting to hurt a little. I should probably take a break.

But I didn't WANT to.

The little section I'd filled in was growing. Slowly. But visibly. Every time I pulled the trigger, more progress. It wasn't like painting, where I'd stare at a blank canvas feeling paralyzed. Or pottery, where one wrong move ruined everything. This was forgiving. This made sense.

Two hours later, I had a small rug. Small. Simple. A little lumpy around the edges and not the straightest lines. But finished. Actually finished. I held it in my hands, turning it over.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was MINE. And I hadn't quit 🥳

For the first time in months, I felt something shift. Not just excitement, but also, relief. I could still do this. Learn something. Finish something. That Night, I Texted Rachel

"I made something."

She wrote back immediately: " Back to painting??"

"No. A rug. Well, a pretty small one. But still."

"YOU MADE A RUG??"

I smiled at my phone.

"I'll make you one next."

And I meant it. Because the next night, something was different: I came home from work. Made dinner. Cleaned up. And then instead of reaching for my phone…

I went to the living room.

Set up the frame.

Started a new project.

An hour passed.

Then another.

I looked up and realized it was 9:30pm. I'd spent the entire evening tufting. Not because I forced myself. But because I wanted to. The emptiness I'd felt for months? It wasn't there anymore. I didn’t just find a hobby — I found proof I hadn’t lost that part of myself ❤️

What You're Actually Getting

That was a year ago. Since then, I've made 23 rugs!

People kept asking where I got my kit, so I'm linking it below. Full transparency: this is the company I bought from, and yes, I'm affiliated with them now because I genuinely won't shut up about tufting!

If you're in that same empty-nest space I was, or you just want to try something new with your hands,

Here's where I started →

This isn't just supplies in a box.

Everything is chosen to make your first project feel doable, not intimidating.

Here is a list of everything you need to have the same experience I did:

🔵 The Tufting Machine – Solid, professional-grade, built to last years

🔵 The Frame – Sturdy enough to handle the learning process

🔵 Tufting Fabric & Non-Slip backing cloth  - Exactly the right materials, perfectly compatible

🔵 Glue Sheet - a simple beginner friendly glue sheet to help eliminate the messy final step

🔵 Yarn – I would say a minimum of 5 is a must to have creative freedom 

🔵 Step-by-Step Guide – Clear instructions from setting up your frame to how to polish your rug. 

One last thing

I'm not going to tell you this will change your life.

But it might change your weekends.

And after 53 years, that's honestly enough.

If you want something to do in the evenings that isn't just staring at the screen.

You're tired of hobbies that feel like a chore. You need to prove to yourself you can still learn something new. You want to fill the quiet with something that actually matters.

You'll know if this is for you. And if it is, the link for it is here when you're ready.

Check out your new hobby!