Why is my machine cutting the cloth? How should I fix this rip?Updated 6 months ago

A tear in your tufting cloth might happen for any of the following reasons:

• The cloth you’re using is not compatible with a tufting machine. The specific size and sharpness of a tufting machine needle requires tufting into specifically designed fabrics, like the Primary Tufting Cloth we sell. Lower-quality tufting cloth, like monk’s cloth, does not have enough stretch or a high enough weft count to accommodate the tufting machine needle. This causes the machine to poke holes that are too large, causing the yarn to fall out, or the fabric to tear. Until you’ve established a good tufting technique, it is worth it to use a durable fabric made to be tufted on.  
• Your tufting cloth isn't stretched tightly enough across the tufting frame. The cloth should be very taut (think: the way you’d stretch a canvas to paint) to accommodate the pressure of the tufting machine. It is normal for the edges of your tufting cloth to separate a little bit. Remember, you can adjust the cloth throughout the tufting process, just make sure to keep a two inch border from the frames edge.  Learn more about how to attach cloth to your tufting frame here. 
• Speed and Overworking. It’s possible to over-tuft one area of a piece, which can cause the cloth to break down. Tufting at a high speed, specially repeatedly over one area, can also cause holes to form. We recommend tufting at different speeds on a test piece before beginning a project. An adjustable speed dial is located at the bottom of the handle on both the AK machines and all of the DUO machines. The KRD (cut and loop) operates at only one speed. Try pulsing the trigger while tufting curves or diagonals for greater speed control. If your fabric develops a hole, avoid the damaged area and continue tufting your rug. The hole can be repaired later (see below).   
• Not moving the machine in the correct direction. The important thing to remember is that the machine can only move in the direction the curve of the foot is facing. For example: if the tufted line starts on the left side of the frame, the machine will need to be rotated horizontally with the curve of the foot heading to the right of the frame. If you want to continue the line heading towards the left, you will need to stop the machine, rotate it so the curve of the foot faces left, and start the machine again heading in that direction. Check out this video for a basic tufting demonstration. 
• Tufting curved lines can sometimes cause the machine to snag and the fabric to tear. Instead, try creating shapes using only horizontal and vertical lines until you have a stronger sense of how tufting machines handle curves.

In order to repair a tear, you’ll need to create a patch. We recommend continuing on with your tufted piece even after you notice a tear, working around the damaged area until your rug is finished. Then, tuft an appropriately-sized patch in another section of your fabric (outside of your piece), gluing the back of both the patch and the piece as you normally would. After you remove the piece from the frame, cut out the patch and attach it to the damaged area, either with glue or by sewing.