Friday 30 March 2018

CHSI Stitches 2018.....



Last month I attended the CHSI Stitches show at the NEC.  CHSI Stitches is a free event for the creative craft industry.  It is across two halls: fabric, yarn and textiles in one hall with papercrafts, art materials and hobby crafts in another.



It is a great opportunity to see what the trends are, here is what I spotted....

In recent years there has been a resurgence in people learning, what were once considered traditional crafts such as, knitting and crochet.  There is no sign of this trend slowing down, I saw cute Amigurumi every where.  Amigurumi is Japenese for crocheted or knitted (ami) and stuffed doll (nuigurumi).



Other "old" crafts like macrame are being revived and reinvented.  I've seen this trend coming through on my Instagram feed and I definitely want to try this again.

Tropical brights are still strong with flamingos, llamas and pineapples look like they are hanging around for 2018, which I think is great news because I love this fun trend!




Felting was a craft that I saw a lot of at the show and I saw these guys which were a fun take on taxidermy without the cruelty




The event is for the trade you can't buy anything on the day and suppliers will generally have a minimum order requirement. However if you are not trade it is still an interesting event to see the future trends and be inspired, especially if you go along to one of the seminars or workshops.  I attended a talk on Social media for business and came away with Warren Knight's top 5 tips:

1. Get started
2. Prepare and research
3. Know your customer
4. Be consistent
5. Have a plan.

These are only my highlights of the day and most of the exhibitors will also be at a lot of the craft shows coming up throughout the year which are open to the public.  Will you be going to any?




Tuesday 27 March 2018

Upcyling challenge....

Spring has finally sprung in the UK which makes it a perfect time for another #CraftBlogClub challenge!

We're going to be upcycling!

Spring is a great time to have a clear out and find old stuff.  Instead of throwing things out why not upcycle? 

What you choose to upcycle and the craft techniques you use are up to you.  It could be revamping an old pair of jeans, turning that sad looking plant pot into fab crafty storage container or refurbishing an unloved piece of furniture.

  • We will be revealing our upcycled projects in our Twitter chat on 25th June 2018 and If you have a blog also present your lovely project in a blog post by this date.
  • Please mention #CraftBlogClub in your blog post and link back to this page.
  • Let us know how you’re doing throughout the challenge on Twitter. Don't forget to use our #CraftBlogClub hashtag.
Anyone can join in the challenge, don't worry If you've never joined a #CraftBlogClub chat before, everyone is welcome!

I hope you will join in and I can't wait to see what everyone makes!!...