Furniture styles come and go. But tufted furniture has staying power. Who could forget the overstuffed Chesterfield sofa or the red velvet Victorian settee? Tufting is more popular today than ever.

Textile artist Simji debuts with an approachable manual on how to make small rugs and other items with a tufting gun, which is used “to push yarn through a primary cloth.” Offering a rundown of tools ...