Craft Focus - Dec/Jan (Issue 76)

54 Industry insiders share their thoughts on what’s coming up over the next 12 months Craft trends for 2020 “Frills, exaggerated sleeves and other flirty embellishments that can be used to amplify simple silhouettes will be here to stay in 2020. Our latest sewing pattern, the Indigo smock, features these details and has proved extremely popular with fashion-forward crafters. Colours we can expect to see a lot of will include mint, purple and mustard. Makers are also becoming more eco-conscious and will be drawn to organic fabrics and sustainably produced materials.” Tilly Walnes, Tilly and the Buttons “Two external drivers, wellness and environmental awareness will continue to benefit the craft industry in 2020. We can look forward to the handmade trend continuing to gain momentum, particularly across home furnishings, with crafters creating and upcycling. There’s also a renewed appetite for papercraft. Sewing, cross stitch, quilting and knitting will remain strong as the customer base for these classic crafts continues to diversify. We can also expect to see the emergence of newer trends for early adopters of techniques such as 3D printing at home.” Simon Burns, ICHF Events. Tilly and the Buttons “In 2019 we saw a huge rise in the popularity of needle felting. It’s such an easy craft, and so therapeutic too. We began the year with a small range of animal heads on plaques and ended it with a whole assortment of different creatures! Two-dimensional felting is featuring regularly on social media, with everything from winter landscapes to favourite pets being ‘painted with wool’. Dogs of all breeds will continue to be popular, especially French bulldogs and terriers. British animals and birds always go down well with buyers – we are currently being asked for Highland cattle, sheep and pigs. I think we’ll be seeing more of the cute kawaii needle felted creatures that the Japanese love and are very clever at making. Expect to see everything from smiling avocados to cheeky bananas, doughnuts, cakes and kittens, all made from wool. If it has a face, it’s fair game.” Jo Lochhead, The Crafty Kit Company.