Why ‘grandma hobbies’ are making a comeback and where to do them in Atlanta
Lexi Bynum of Atlanta Craft Club has been crafting since she was a kid learning heirloom crafts like sewing from her grandmother.
Most of those hobbies went by the wayside when Bynum went to college and graduate school, but she said she picked them up again in the past four years or so. She has had such a good time with crafting that she decided to start a club where she could meet fellow craft lovers.
“I feel like getting back to crafting, and then taking it a step further and building a community around crafting, I was really able to get back to who I am as a person … and the things that I like and the things that bring me joy,” she said.
The popularity of crafting and heirloom hobbies like sewing, crochet, needlepoint and quilting, also known as “grandma hobbies” on social media, have grown in recent years as younger generations seek ways to pass time that offer community, a remove from technology and stress relief in an overwhelming world.
The rising popularity of handicrafts and fiber-based art can be seen in the opening of new specialty shops, especially after the closure of craft store chain Joann Fabrics in 2025.
According to Grand View Research, a market research platform, the knitting yarn ball retail market size was around $6.21 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $9.89 billion in 2033.
“E-commerce platforms and influencer-led craft tutorials are fostering a new generation of hobby knitters who value creativity and personalization. Moreover, the increasing presence of independent yarn retailers and subscription-based yarn clubs is enhancing consumer accessibility and engagement,” the research firm reported.
Google Trends also reported that search interest for the term “how to make my own …” reached an all-time high this year since Google started tracking its search data in 2004.
Emily Sullivan of Statham discovered needlepointing as many people nowadays do, through a viral TikTok video. She practiced it as a hobby for a couple of years, but became tired of road tripping to Atlanta or Athens for supplies. She opened her own shop, Blue Willow Needlepoint, in her town in May.
She said she stocks a mix of traditional canvas designs that have been around for decades as well as new designs that attract a younger audience, especially collegiate and sorority designs for students at the nearby University of Georgia.
Needlepoint really took off again during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s sustained its fanbase, Sullivan said, so much so that she had trouble keeping the hundreds of canvasses in stock those first couple of weeks after opening her store.
“Still those canvas designers, the thread distributors, even accessory distributors — I mean, no one can keep up with the demand,” she said.
Therapeutic perks of grandma hobbies
There are also mental health benefits that come with returning to these hobbies of yore.
Chelsea Harris is the director of Art It Out Therapy Center, a practice that combines talk therapy with creative therapy techniques. She’s been teaching art therapy for about 13 years, and she said the popularity of grandma hobbies seems like a response to “modern burnout and probably some screen fatigue.”
“You’re engaging your senses, your attention and your creativity all at once, and I think that in and of itself serves as a bit of an escape but it can also be a low-pressure form of mindfulness,” Harris said.
The repetition and focus required to practice hobbies like crochet and stitching can offer people a mental break from a society that demands a constant stream of thought. And for those who don’t have an innate artistic affinity, creating something without the pressure of it needing to be excellent can be particularly freeing, Harris said.
Harris said she also sees it as filling a generational gap. Our grandparents and parents may have stopped passing on those traditional skills, but the growing popularity of practices like mending and sewing can help balance the old with the new.
“If we’re not getting that balance generationally and kind of passed down to us, we’re kind of initiating those processes to have that balance for us where we have the trade skills as much as we have all these advanced technological skills, too,” she said.
Which craft to choose?
If you’re not sure which craft to pick up, Bynum recommends returning to what you loved as a kid. For her, that meant starting with bracelet-making kits.
“I feel like it’ll make that little connection, that little spark, and kind of creates the interest that you once had to go then figure out,” she said.
Where to practice your grandma hobbies in Atlanta
For Atlantans looking for crafting communities or to learn a new grandma hobby, check out these spots.
Atlanta Craft Club
Bynum’s club brings Atlantans together for crafting extravaganzas that span all sorts of themes and skills. She hosts monthly bring-your-own-craft nights where community members can work on their projects and hang out together as well as ticketed craft workshops to learn new skills. Bynum said the events can get as large as 100 people, but usually sit around 60-80 participants.
Multiple locations. instagram.com/atlcraftclub
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
Take art classes inside the historic Callanwolde estate, which was first owned by the Candler family. The Fine Arts Center provides arts education with a variety of fine arts classes and workshops each semester at a range of prices. Sort through classes like painting and drawing, pottery and ceramics, gardening and creating textiles with a loom.
980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta. 404-872-5338, callanwolde.org
Fabricate Studios
Head to west Midtown to find this shop offering classes in a variety of fiber art disciplines. It offers quilting, sewing, alterations and needlework classes, plus courses for children. Fabricate Studios also hosts free monthly craft nights for adults to bring their own crafts to work on as a group.
1537-B Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-981-4665, fabricatestudios.com
Fibers & Fiction
Sincerely Yours, a romance-focused bookstore in Smyrna, is launching a new needlepoint book club held at Labors of Love Needlepoint Shop in Atlanta. Attendees can bring their latest project to work on while discussing the chosen book. Needlepoint is recommended, but any kind of fiber art is welcome.
445 Plasamour Drive NE, Atlanta. sincerelyyoursbookstore.com/events
Namesake Sewing
Justen Parker, an Atlanta fashion designer and creative, hosts sewing classes at his workshop in Atlanta’s west Midtown area. Parker offers beginner and intermediate classes that focus on sewing fundamentals, improving techniques and making clothing alterations. All equipment needed for the class is provided.
West Midtown. 864-279-5572, justenparker.com
Scraplanta
This business is a crafter’s heaven with store locations in Adair Park, Tucker and Duluth. The shops offer affordable and gently used art supplies and sliding scale craft workshops. You’ll find a wide variety of workshops from junk journaling to crochet classes and coil weaving.
The Scrappy Sewing Circles offer people of all sewing levels the chance to practice skills like hemming pants and attaching buttons. Participants can also learn to use their sewing machines. The workshop provides fabric, rotary cutters, scissors, needles and thread.
Prices for the workshops vary with five pricing tiers to choose from.
ScrapTucker, 2130 Henderson Mill Road, Atlanta. 470-716-0750, scraplanta.org
Scraplet, Inside of CreateATL, 900 Murphy Ave. SW, Atlanta. 470-716-0750.
Cool People Scrap, 3112 Main St., Duluth. 770-315-4991
Stitch Club Atlanta
Whether you’re looking to get into needlepointing or just find a community of like-minded stitchers, this club offers time to gather at rotating venues, usually one of Atlanta’s needlepoint shops, to work on projects while socializing.
The club aims to stay low-cost or free to attend. In addition to monthly meetings, they host special outings, including needlepoint retreats.
Multiple locations. instagram.com/stitchclubatlanta
The Craftivist
This local yarn shop in Inman Park hosts a variety of knitting and crochet classes. Crafters will find introduction courses, crochet sweater lessons, sock-making lessons and more. Prices often range from $50-$200 per class. For a free option, the Craftivist also hosts Open Tables where knitters and crocheters can hang out and socialize at the shop with their current project.
743 Edgewood Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-330-8023, thecraftivist.com/collections/knitting-classes-atlanta
Top Stitch ATL
Learning how to sew can feel intimidating, and with fabric prices, it’s not always cheap. Top Stitch’s Decatur studio hosts a variety of classes to teach interested sewers the ins and outs of this handy hobby. Classes range from beginner to advanced levels, with instruction on making skirts, pants, home items, mending projects and even multiweek series.
People looking for a more social environment can join in on Top Stitch’s Sewcial Nights which are free to attend and allow uninterrupted time to work on existing projects in a group setting.
2969 E Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. topstitchatl-classes.com
V. Hand Stitching
Hand embroidery artist Virginia Noyes of V. Hand Stitching hosts multiple craft- and embroidery-focused events and classes. For a more relaxed option, check out Noyes’ weekly open studio gatherings at Sincerely Yours bookstore in Smyrna on Monday evenings. Attendees are encouraged to bring whatever art project they’re working on for a few hours of social time and casual crafting. Noyes also hosts Craft & Yap workshops where she teaches attendees how to make various embroidery and crafty projects.
Multiple locations. vhandstitching.com/events
Wylde Center
This nonprofit operates several neighborhood gardens with its main site in the Oakhurst neighborhood. Wylde Center runs camps for kids and works to connect the community with greenspaces. Through Learn Wylde, it offers classes open to adults and older teens on topics that touch on building your own garden to the basics of birdwatching.
435 Oakview Road, Decatur. 404-371-1920, wyldecenter.org/eventcalendar
Your local library
For more free and affordable events that involve hands-on skills and crafting, check your local library’s calendar to see what’s available.