Over the last few years we’ve seen trends come and go, and the next few years will clearly be no different. So in order to look forward, we have to start looking back on what has been bubbling under the surface, what pieces were selected for museums, and what new products are out on the market.

90s TV References

Game of Thrones is a big TV moment, and sadly people are all too aware its coming to and end in the next few seasons, however their TV time isn’t dwindling. With 2016’s movies disappointing, people are moving back to 90s TV like Friends, The X Files, and The Simpsons. Pokemon Go has also had a massive impact with Pokemon Cross stitch really hitting it big in late 2016, which is expected to rear its head again with Sun and Moon coming out.

Kawaii/Cute

Etsy is always a good way to judge whats coming up in the trends. And currently its contemporary cross stitches. The likes of cute elephants, or witty jokes, all with a modern edge.

Art

Cross stitch seems to be branching out from its crafty routes into a true artists medium. The likes of Severija Incirauskaite-Kriauneviciene have been using it as a medium for a while, but museums and galleries have started taking note including The Met and The Victoria & Albert. This is starting to really pick up momentum in China too with their long history of cross stitch.

Glow-In-The-Dark

I’ve posted about glow-in-the-dark cross stitch a lot recently, including some key pieces that were made some time ago, however there I think glow in the dark will really hit it big this year, with new glow in the dark aida, Krienik threads getting more popular, and a big push for unique pieces in the contemporary under-culture.

Technical Drawings

Be it architecture, blueprints, building instructions or deconstructed burgers, I’ve started seeing a lot of new technical cross stitch. The lines between work and play are starting to merge for all millennials, and with it, I think we’ll see more and more of these.
A lot of museums are now looking to include larger and larger architecture exhibits, so maybe this one might move into 2018…

What do you think will be the best big hitters in the following years?