Catering to young DIY fashionistas, Jakks Pacific is launching a new line of needlecraft sets called If You Say Sew this fall. With the category’s sales jumping more than 50% in 2004, craft kits are a lucrative product space to be in right now. And Jakks is hoping that adding fashion elements will attract more tweens to its Flying Colors arts & crafts brand.

If You Say Sew’s first SKUs will be the Deluxe Knitting Machine (US$19.99) and related tool kits (US$4.99 to US$9.99) for making wardrobe extras such as hats, scarves and belts; the Ribbon Creation kit (US$9.99) for fashioning pillows out of brightly colored ribbons; and Patchwork Projects (US$9.99), which yields accessories such as picture frames, purses and flower pins.

Yarn textures will be updated for If You Say Sew, and hot colors such as chartreuse and tangerine will be carefully controlled in Jakks’ very own dye vats. Girls can also add embellishments like beads and cool buttons to recreate the detailing that’s all the rage at retail right now, says Tamre Sutphen, senior VP of sales and marketing for Jakks’ girls division, hinting that this is just the first of several fashion-based craft ranges in the toyco’s business plan.

For now, Jakks plans to add two more knitting SKUs to the line next spring, and another big push in fall 2006 will include crochet kits for tackling bigger projects such as bags, ponchos and shrugs.