Hot on the heels of this week’s posting about the hampers we’re making for our neighbours this Christmas, the Telegraph notes that ‘sewing machines, buttons and craft equipment are flying off the shelves as consumers start preparing a make-do-and-mend Christmas’.

So it sounds like we’re not the only ones.

Other than the baskets we don’t plan on making any Christmas presents ourselves, but it’s interesting to see what people are buying. Tesco has reported a surge in sales of shoe cleaning kits, but that’s probably got more to do with smartening yourself up when there are redundancies on the way than with cleaning your shoes in preference to throwing them out.

However:

John Lewis, despite suffering from a sharp fall in overall sales, has sold 18 per cent more sewing machines and 40 per cent more buttons than a year ago [says the Telegraph]. Dress pattern sales have shot up by 12 per cent…

Julia Dudrenec, at the Welwyn Garden City outlet of John Lewis, said: “There are many first-timers coming into the haberdashery and dress fabrics departments asking for advice on how to create their own gifts.

Now I do know how to sew on a button and repair a pocket, both of which I need to do right now (in fact, the jeans I’m wearing today have a hole in one pocket that needs some attention), so it’s good to read that we’re just two in a growing band that’s not turfing out their old clothes as soon as they start to show a little wear and tear.

I still refuse to sew my friends an off-cut tea cosy for Christmas, though. Much to their relief, I’m sure.

Related posts:

1. Frugal Christmas tree
2. Rear your own turkey for Christmas
3. Jam making on the up