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Jan. 18, 2009
Return of the 1950s housewife?
KYLIE HANSEN
December 31, 2008
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24858259-2682,00.html
SHE sews, cooks, knits, gardens and raises chooks. The housewife is
back – with younger women embracing traditional domestic crafts in
droves, new figures show.
Sewing machines have rocketed off shelves in the past six months,
with Lincraft reporting a 30 per cent increase in sales.
"There has been a definite trend happening and we have also started
to see an increase in dress-fabric sales," said Lincraft spokesman
Jeff Croft.
"Demand for sewing classes has increased – and one of the biggest
growth areas has been knitting yarn, with a 10-20 per cent increase
in sales compared to this time last year."
Spotlight spokesman Steven Carey said DIY craft kits were its booming
sector.
The new housewife also appears to be turning our backyards into vegie
gardens, with sales of vegetables and herbs surging across nurseries
over the past 12 months, according to the Nursery and Garden Industry
Association.
Tomatoes are hot, as are beans, peas and herbs.
New data from social forecaster AustraliaSCAN shows home-based
activities are the focus for people.
The survey shows a 5 per cent increase in the number of people
spending time doing crafts and a 4 per cent rise in people devoting
time to home cooking, DIY and gardening.
"There has been a substantial shift in our mindset to a more old-
fashioned, frugal lifestyle – that real waste-not-want-not approach,"
said social analyst and AustraliaSCAN consultant David Chalke.
"There are a confluence of forces - the global financial crisis,
enviromental concerns and a new cocooning - which are pulling
together to form the new homemaker.
"That's why we are embracing the domestic crafts again," he said.
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Jan. 28, 2009 - Untitled Comment
I found you on the Above Rubies list.
-Holly
www.newmexicanlibrarian.blogspot.com