Crafting for a Cause

From Superior to South Africa, Tuft Love’s classes weave art and advocacy into every stitch.

Green and white wavy rug made by a student at Tuft Love's classes.
Photo by Tom Visocchi.

Step inside Tuft Love’s Superior studio and you’ll find a hum of creativity. Tufting machines whir, yarn spills across tables in a sea of color, and students focus on transforming their own custom designs into plush, textured rugs. But this is more than a crafting class. It’s a space where art, entrepreneurship, and social impact come together.

Each four-hour workshop invites beginners and experienced makers alike to create something uniquely their own. Cofounder Geoff Wanamaker, along with his family and a small team of instructors, guides students through every step—learning to handle the tufting gun, layering yarns, and translating a design onto fabric. Students can start simple or focus on something more personal, whether it’s a mountain landscape, a pet portrait, or a pop-culture favorite.

By the end of class, every participant leaves with more than a rug. They leave with a new skill, a sense of accomplishment, and a connection to a cause that reaches far beyond Colorado.

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Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Geoff’s initial introduction to the industry came by way of a request from a friend to build a custom tufting machine. After noticing the gap in the market, he decided to turn his invention into a business, launching Tuft Love in 2020. Today, Geoff’s inventions stand apart as the only branded tufting machines produced outside of China, and profits from those sales helped build a company rooted in purpose.

Inside Tuft Love.
Photo by Aspen Bentley.

A portion of each sale and every class supports Spinnekop, the Afrikaans word for “spider,” a nonprofit he co-founded in Cape Town that trains and employs survivors of gender-based violence. The organization provides steady income, hands-on skills training, and a community for women rebuilding their lives.

Spinnekops’ mission is closely tied to the Superior studio. Each student who books a class sponsors three girls at local high schools in Cape Town for an entire month, supplying them with hygiene products and school essentials. This simple act helps level the playing field, ensuring young women can stay in school and receive an education that might otherwise be interrupted. “You can change someone’s life with something as simple as learning to make a rug,” Geoff says.

Tuft Love proves that creativity can do more than decorate a home. It can connect communities, empower change, and weave compassion into every stitch.

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