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?
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