Carving a niche

Artisans in Singapore get hands-on with rubber, leather and yarn

- Yamini Chinnuswamy

As a child, Ms Jean Toh learnt sewing at her grandmother's knee.

"I watched her making clothes with her Singer machine and, when I was old enough, she taught me how to use it as well. I still have that same machine," says the 37-year-old homemaker, who has a daughter in primary school.

Watching her grandmother sew also gave Ms Toh an interest in using her hands to create beautiful things, from beaded bracelets to crocheted pouches.

These days, she mainly makes hand-engraved stamps. But she still dabbles in other crafts and often attends workshops to learn new skills.

"I like being able to see whatever I am making come to fruition. And it is therapeutic as well. When you're working with your hands, you tend to focus on it and forget about other problems," says Ms Toh.

One of the items decorating her flat is a rug made at one of the rug tufting studios that have popped up across the island in the last few years.

These include WeTuft at Cineleisure in Orchard Road, which opened in 2022.

WeTuft offers workshops where people make a rug of their own design – from a 50cm by 50cm piece produced during a 2½-hour session ($128) to a 1m by 1.2m creation from an eight-hour session ($288).

Its founder Edmond Wong says: "I wanted to build a space where people could explore something new, be creative and walk away with something they made themselves. For many of our customers, it's a form of creative expression and a way to disconnect from everyday stress."

He admits to viewing rug tufting through a commercial lens, but says he still finds value in incubating a space where members of the public can get creative in a new way.

"It's not often you find a craft that's visually expressive and hands-on in such a satisfying way," he adds.

Making things with your hands also has long-term benefits for psychological well-being.