In the last ten years, the number of designer makers has increased and we are seeing a continuing trend for handmade items as opposed to mass manufactured items. With online marketplaces sites such as Etsy and Folksy giving people the opportunity to sell their handmade crafts both in the UK and internationally; the number of crafters is building. Crafts allow people to express their personalities with many items inspired by pop culture including TV programmes, films and comic book characters. Many people find that craft gives them a satisfaction that they cannot necessarily find in their day to day job and they find pleasure in creating items that will be enjoyed by others. All these creative projects require high quality craft supplies and Calico Laine is a UK Craft Supplier used by many home craft business owners to create their products. I, myself, have a craft business selling handmade jewellery through Etsy and local craft fairs. It is important to me as a designer maker that I use a UK Craft Supplier to create my jewellery in order to keep crafts and businesses thriving in the UK. In 2013 it was estimated that there were 23,050 contemporary craft-making businesses in the UK with an estimated total income of £457 million which has no doubt increased further in the last couple of years and this is great to hear as a creative myself. The growth of UK Craft businesses was particularly significant in the recession. With many people out of work, having to reduce their hours or simply needing to supplement their salary, craft businesses were an ideal way to earn money for people with a bit of creativity and this in turn has increased the turnover for many UK Craft Suppliers. Crafting is no longer simply seen as 'make do and mend' and is something that can be taken very seriously as well as be an enjoyable hobby. A large amount of crafters admit that they use crafts as a way to relieve stress and find it an escape from a hectic home life or stressful working environment. I personally find satisfaction from hand-making something that someone would see on the Internet and buy from across the other side of the world. It is amazing to think that my jewellery is being worn by people in Japan, Switzerland and even as far as Alaska! For those people who are not particularly creative, they can still be involved in the craft revolution by purchasing from a UK Craft Supplier whether that be from online marketplaces, buying handmade goods or giving crafting a go themselves and buying from like Calico Laine. With the help of programmes such as The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down encouraging more people to give crafts a go, I can see the trend for handmade items carrying on for quite some time.