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What types of lifestyle and home crafts are popular in the UK?
Hello, and thank you for your question regarding popular lifestyle and home crafts in the UK. As a (American) crafter myself, I enjoyed learning what is popular on the other side of the pond. In short, adult coloring books, origami, knitting, cross stitch and paper crafts are popular amongst UK crafters. Knitting and cross stitch is popular with younger (primarily) women, where as card making and paper crafters tend to be older.
METHODLOGY
To determine which types of crafts are popular in the UK, I started by looking for a precompiled list from a reputable source. That search returned a number of articles about current crafting trends and sales figures for many of the hobbies. I also found a list of popular hobby and crafting purchases from Amazon UK. Two lists of the most popular crafting blogs in the UK showed the popularity of knitting and crocheting, as well as general kids crafts.
To compile this list, I focused on the crafting activities that had authoritative reporting showing a large increase in sales of materials or participation in events. As your request was for home crafts, I focused the list on hobbyist activities, rather than those practiced by professionals earning their living from their craft.
POPULAR LIFESTYLE AND HOME CRAFTS IN THE UK
1. ADULT COLORING
Of the top 50 most popular hobby and craft purchases from Amazon UK, 26 of them were adult coloring books. An article in The Guardian cites a 1,000% increase in sales in 2015 as "crafts were seen to promote emotional wellbeing." The 2016 article goes on to say that the Adult Coloring Book market continues to grow "10% week on week" and that coloring pen and pencil sales are up "52% week on week."
2. ORIGAMI
Origami was one of the hottest UK crafting trends in 2016. The ancient Japanese art of folding paper into intricate shapes, animals, boxes, and more, has been practiced since the 17th century. An article in The Guardian sites an increase in sales of 20% over last year at the UK's largest craft store, HobbyCraft. The article goes on to state that "at John Lewis, sales of origami books have increased by 58% week on week, while at Paperchase products have sold out." Additionally, an Origami book on Amazon UK is the 13th most popular item sold in the hobby and craft section.
Origami has gone social as well, with stores like Paperchase offering workshops so crafters can learn the finer points of the skill. The Guardian cites a Paperchase spokesperson as saying, "we know our customers love to be creative and origami obviously allows customers to express themselves. We expect our new workshops to be very popular and to further build the category."
3. SEWING AND KNITTING (CHILDREN)
Sewing and knitting has become a hot crafting trend, especially for the UK's younger set. According to a Tesco press release, "demand for kids’ sewing and knitting kits has soared by nearly 500 per cent in last year," and the company had nearly doubled the number of kits that they stock. They believe this increase in popularity can be directly associated with the popularity of the BBC's "Great British Sewing Bee" television show.
The company also reports that "a kids’ mini sewing machine is so popular that it has become one of the supermarket’s top selling children’s items. Tesco lists its Sew Cool Sewing Studio, Knits Cool Kitting Studio, Style Me Up Easy Knit, Cra-Z-Nits Ultimate Design Set and Sew Cool Character Set as the five best selling children's sewing and knitting kits.
4. KNITTING & CROCHETING (ADULTS)
Knitting and crocheting have been making a big comeback in popularity, driven in part by A-list celebrities like Julia Roberts. A 2015 survey by Wool and the Gang reports that there are more than 7.3 million knitters in the UK. Of the survey's nearly 4,000 respondents, 86% of UK and European knitters reported that knitting is a favorite way to relax. In fact, 33% of UK knitters reported that knitting helped to fight depression.
Of the top 50 best selling hobby and craft items on Amazon UK, 7 of them are related to the arts of crocheting and knitting (again, this category on Amazon is dominated by adult coloring books). Two of Wunderlablel's top ten UK crafting blogs revolve solely around knitting, and Vuelio lists one more.
Here are two fun knitting facts as cited on Craftsy: The world's fastest knitter is Shetland's Hazel Tindall who "achieved 262 stitches in three minutes on 16th February 2008," and "3,083 people broke the record for the most people knitting simultaneously for fifteen minutes in Royal Albert Hall, London in September 2012."
5. CROSS STITCH
The Craft Collective blog lists Cross Stitch as its second biggest crafting trend in 2016, and a 2016 Daily Mail article states that needlework and cross stitch classes are making a surprising comeback "among 18 to 35-year-olds." The article goes on to state that in 2015 "nearly 100,000 people aged 18-24 browsed Britain’s largest online needlecraft shop, sewandso.co.uk. And around 200,000 people aged 25-34 visited the website to buy materials or search for advice."
The popularity of cross stitch kits has been driven in part by websites like Pinterest and Easy, as well as social media where young crafters are sharing their creations. The Daily Mail, in its article, quotes Sewandso.uk's Emma Hall as saying "websites such as Pinterest have endless crafting inspiration. We have seen a big increase in younger people engaging with us on social media."
Formed in 1996, the Cross Stitch Guild holds popular weekend classes and events throughout England for needleworkers of all skill levels. These weekend gatherings start at £330.00.
6. PAPER CRAFTS
Paper crafts such as card making and scrapbooking are also popular in the UK. So much so that Create and Craft spends 12 hours a day selling primarily paper on live TV (they also have a second channel called Craft Extra). According to a 2015 article in the Independent, "from time to time the presenters might extol the virtues of some quilting gear, a candle-making kit or a set of crochet hooks, but 70 per cent of Create And Craft's output is devoted to papercraft. And, more specifically, the making of greetings cards." Create and Craft's 2015 sales grew by 7% to £76.3 million and the company customer base grew by 19%, according to a report on idealshoppingdirect.com.
The Independent's article quotes presenter Stephanie Weightman on the rise in popularity in card making. She says, "it's always been there. It's just becoming more visible, more credible, and in the last few months people who aren't hobbyists are seeing it as a way of making money."
The Independent's story goes on to explain that most paper crafters are female, fifty years of age and up.
CONCLUSION
I have compiled a list of 6 popular lifestyle and home crafts in the UK, as seen by reported jumps in sales and revenues. Adult coloring books and origami are still the hottest trends, but knitting, cross stitch and paper crafts are also very popular amongst UK crafters.
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