2019's Hottest Craft Trends

It’s the start of a new year and we’re on the search for this year’s crafting trends. The Stitchcraft team just returned from AFCI’s Creativation 2019 with loads of creative ideas and eye-catching photos. Here’s an overview of the trends we spotted at the show!

Small Projects for Dabblers

We know from the data that lots of crafters are short on time so it was no surprise that many of the exhibitors featured small project kits which included nearly everything needed to produce a small item in a relatively short period of time. Whether it was small quilts, mixed media embroidery projects, or crochet amigurumi, these entry-level projects are designed to engage the dabbler and lure them into a new crafty world.

Macrame

Macrame has returned! Everywhere we turned there were macrame installations and projects aplenty. With the popularity of artsy wall hangings and DIY crafts in general, the macrame trend will continue its surge in 2019. From small projects to towering tapestries, this one is a trend to watch!

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Full disclosure: we only saw the first two at the show. While last year’s favorite animal was definitely the llama, this year we saw flamingos everywhere. Fun, quirky and hot pink – what’s not to love? We also saw dancing avocados (and avo-cat-oes), as well as numerous displays of cacti and succulents. If you’ve got an eye towards cute crafts, think about flora and fauna in this year’s displays!

Letterboards Ahead!

Letterboards are everywhere and crafters are sharing photos with witty sayings and their favorite craft supplies on social media, particularly Instagram and Pinterest. We spotted boards in all shapes and sizes around the Creativation show floor, here are a few of our favorite funnies:

Four-panel trade show collage showcasing Heidi Swapp and DCWV customizable letter boards and quote lightboxes with humorous quotes — DCWV Letterboards

Stamping and Card Making and Paper Crafts, Oh My!

Creativation was full of colorful paper supplies, card making demonstrations, and stamps of all shapes and sizes. Our favorite find was Concord & 9th, a relatively new company out of Salt Lake City that specializes in the “turnabout” stamp. The stamps are designed with a specific amount of white space – ink up the stamp and press it once onto your paper, ink it up again and rotate it 90 degrees, continue until you’ve repeated the process 4 times total and you’ve got a full coverage piece in a variety of colors! Customers are gaga for paper crafts, and many of them take very little in the way of startup costs. In 2019, think paper crafts!