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Over the past year, people have picked up and dropped more hobbies than you could shake a stick at. From the great macramé revival to the surge in popularity of resin products – we’ve truly seen it all. We’ve also seen thousands of people who have lost their jobs or who have been on furlough set up their own businesses, channelling their love for crafts and infinite spare time into a money-making venture. Now making money from what they love to do has become a reality for a lot of people, more and more businesses are cropping up.
We’ve taken some time to find out what the most popular crafts are to make and sell in 2021 so you can jump on the crafting bandwagon.
Embroidery + Cross Stitch
Embroidery is cross stitches more complicated older sibling, but both crafts require a level of skill. Cross stitch is easier for beginners to pick up since there’s little room to go wrong when following a simpler pattern but becoming quick at it and creating your own designs can be tricky. Embroidery requires a lot of creativity and patience. Both forms of sewing can take a long time to master, and some projects can take weeks to complete – so people are willing to pay quite a lot for a finished product.
Different sellers have different ways of pricing their crafts. Some sewers charge per stitch, whilst others charge per section of fabric stitched on. Charge for your materials, the cost of your labour, and make sure you get a profit. Don’t be scared to up your prices as you get better at your craft.
Materials
- Fabric – calico or otherwise for embroidery, Aida for cross stitching – in as many colours as you can manage. Try to collect scraps of fabric to practice on.
- Embroidery thread – the most popular brands are DMC and Anchor which have colour codes to make choosing the right colours easier. You can get uncoded starter bundles of thread for low prices online which are great for practicing with.
- Embroidery needles and pins
- Embroidery hoops/frames – these will keep the fabric taught whilst you work on it
- Embroidery scissors
- Fabric shears
- Fabric pens/tailors pencils to mark out designs
- Bits & bobs – ribbons, buttons and other little embellishments
Projects
Your imagination is the only limit when it comes to embroidery and cross stitch, but here are some projects you could take on:
- Embroidered patches
- Embroidered t-shirts, bags, socks and hats
- Embroidered/cross-stitched letters
- Embroidered/cross-stitched animals
- Custom orders
Scatter Cushions
Scatter cushions are easy and fuss-free to make, especially if you’re a dab hand on a sewing machine. You can get as creative as you want with shapes and embellishments, make a statement with a funky fabric, or even embroider on existing scatter cushions.
To add an extra layer of sell-ability – why not open up your custom order books, and make scatter cushions using peoples old t-shirts? These make fantastic presents for birthdays, Christmas, and for those who have recently lost someone.
Materials
Here’s a basic list of materials you’ll need to get started.
- Fabric
- Sewing machine
- Sewing materials
- Measuring tape
- Stuffing
- Zips or fasteners
- Embellishments (pompoms, buttons, ribbons, etc.)
Keen on making scatter cushions but don’t know how? Check out our step-by-step scatter cushion sewing guide here.
Resin Keyrings
Made popular by the video app Tiktok, making resin keyrings is a fun, satisfying craft that can produce gorgeous and sellable products without much fuss. There is quite a lot of equipment to buy up front before you can get started, so it might be worth investing in a kit to see if you enjoy the process before you commit to it.
There are thousands of videos and guides for you to look at to make yourself familiar with the process. Here is one we found.
Materials
These are the materials you’ll need to get started.
- Resin casts/moulds
- Clear epoxy resin solution + hardener
- Mould conditioner / release spray
- Stirring sticks and measuring cups
- Coloured pigment for resin
- Key rings
- Jewellery pliers
- Coloured glitter
- Decorations such as flowers
Projects
As well as keyrings, why not look at creating the following projects to sell?
- Ash trays
- Paper weights
- Good luck charms
- Necklaces
- Earrings
- Bracelet charms
Baking
Baking is an age-old profession that more and more people are turning to for a source of income. If you have a natural nack for baking and you enjoy the process, making money from it just makes sense. Whether you bake and decorate elaborate cakes, or choose simple but effective brownie traybakes – if you play it right and advertise your goodies to the right people, you will be making money in no time.
There are some legalities behind selling baked goods (or any food) from home. You’ll need to register as a food business, make sure you meet food hygiene standards and more. Read more on the guidelines here.
Materials
Here are just some of the materials you’ll need to get started.
- Baking tins, sheets and moulds
- Scales and bowls
- Measuring jugs and cups
- Spoons, whisks and sieves
- Stand mixer
- Piping bags and other icing accessories
- Baking ingredients
- Icing and decorations
Also think about what you’ll need to package your baked goods to ensure they reach your customers homes safely. Cake boxes and cellophane wrap/bags are good to start with until you find what works best for you.
Digital Illustrations
Drawing is a hard skill to learn (to a good standard), and you’re generally either great at it, or you just aren’t. Over the past year, many people have used their spare time to get acquainted with the world of art, and have invested in art tablets and software to allow them to create digital drawings. Those with a business-mind have realised the money-making potential in digital illustrations have set up businesses on sites like Etsy to make a profit from their passion.
Materials
This is one of the shortest materials lists – once you have a tablet, you’re pretty much good to go.
- Tablet to draw on
- Illustration/drawing software
Projects
- Greeting cards and post cards
- Custom illustrations
- Fan art
- Logo design
- Poster design
Where to sell
Now we’ve covered the most popular crafts to sell in 2021, lets talk about where you can sell your goods.
Online
The most obvious and easiest place to get set up selling is online. Once you have a virtual storefront that is running successfully, you can dedicate more time to your craft as the cash comes flowing in. Of course, being a successful online seller is not easy and it can take many months or years to become a success. Here are some of the best platforms to sell on:
- Etsy
- Depop
- Not on the Highstreet
- Shopify / WordPress (to set up your own website if you have the money and time to invest in this)
- Facebook Marketplace / Buy & Sell groups
Offline
There’s a lot of scope to sell your products in the ‘real world’ if you know where to go and who to talk to. If you go out looking for opportunities in your local area, you’re sure to find some. We recommend starting off in these places.
- At your local market if there are any free stalls. You may have to wait on a long waiting list.
- Church/community events
- Ask local small cafes/shops to stock your products for a cut of the money
- Visitor centres – if you can craft something specific to the area (like a postcard, for example) you might be able to sell them in a local visitors centre
- Car boot / jumble sales
Are you ready to get selling?
No matter which craft you choose, you need to be clever with your time, resources and product promotion to become a successful seller online and offline. If you’re ready to get started, don’t hold back!
Office and marketing manager for Sloane & Sons Stylish Chairs, who sell a range of high-quality tub chairs, accent chairs and more.
