Craft Focus - Dec/Jan (Issue 70)

business advice craft focus 83 trends “According to our research, wood crafts and home décor, floral crafting, knitting and crochet are growing more popular. Recent Pinterest trend updates reported searches for items like jelly roll rugs (an increase of 127x year on year) and fleece tie blankets (24x year on year). People are also looking for DIY fashion ideas, with searches of knitting and crochet increasing 36x year on year. We are finding that personalisation is still key, and people are standing out and crafting in multiple ways.” Andria Gibbon, Association for Creative Industries “In 2018, there has been a lot of interest around embroidery in fashion and interior textiles. We are using it more and more with our felt designs and are expecting this trend to grow in popularity in 2019. Expect to see traditional folk embroidery with a modern twist.” Corinne Lapierre “We think 2019 will be when natural fibres such as alpaca and cotton really come into their own. These soft, yet hard-wearing yarns will be popular, with muted tones of cool pink, soft natural grey, brown and varying pastel hues. We’ll be introducing several DK yarns that fit these trends across the year.” Philippa Warford, King Cole “We are continuing to see tropical prints, but these have moved on from last year, with rich jewel colourways that are slightly more grown up. There’s a move away from cactuses, with succulents being introduced. Fruit prints continue to be popular with lemons and watermelons proving to be a big hit.” Dani Phillips, Visage Textiles “My prediction for the forthcoming year is that consumers will want quality over quantity. The issue of single use plastic, recycled material and environmentally sound products will be in demand. We will need to ensure we have products that meet this requirement to secure our future environment for our children.” Mark Wilson, Creative Products Distribution “More and more people are taking up crafts as a way of relaxing and escaping from the stresses of modern life, and crafters are hungry for new ideas to try and new skills to learn. Knitting, crochet, sewing and embroidery are as popular as ever, but people are also revisiting techniques of the past, such as punch needle embroidery, string art and basket weaving. The journaling trend has fuelled continued interest in calligraphy, with more people now turning to watercolour painting to embellish their hand-lettering projects.” Katie French, Search Press “Trends such as mermaids, unicorns and fairy-tales have been popular for some time, and this looks set to continue. Easy-to-use products are also in demand, with families increasingly using cake- making as a fun activity to do together. Tropical leaves and bright florals look set to big in the wedding category, with watercolour marbling and gold leaf details making a real design statement.” Siobhan Lees, FMM Sugarcraft “I think crafters will continue to experiment with mixed media as the market continues to grow – multimedia dies and new types of pastes and paints mean this style is now more accessible than ever, and we’re starting to see it pop up everywhere. I think foiling will continue to be a big trend, but I predict that a move from metallics to bright colours will take this look in a new direction.” Sara Davies, Crafter’s Companion “The botanical and jungle theme, with plants, leaves, cacti and beetles will occupy the sector for some time yet. Hand lettering and street art will also continue to be popular. With end consumers, we are seeing a trend for creating a place of retreat within their own four walls, with individuality and a cosy ‘hygge’ feel.” Michael Reichhold, Creativeworld “Mindfulness and the idea of craft as a relaxation technique has been one of 2018’s biggest trends and this looks set to continue through 2019. With consumers constantly seeking to juggle commitments and improve their work-life balance, there’s a great opportunity for craft retailers to increase sales over the next 12 months.” Tracy Voice, Craft Focus “The craft industry is a really exciting one. Over the next year we can expect to see trends mirroring those of the high street, particularly the fashion and home décor sectors. We’re also seeing increased interest and demand for products which have less impact on our environment, which can only be a good thing.” Andrea Ashfield, Craft Focus