These traditional skills are making a comeback, and younger generations are seeking our knowledge on it

There’s a quiet movement brewing — and it’s not coming from flashy new gadgets or the latest social media trends. It’s coming from sewing rooms, home kitchens and backyards where skills many of us grew up with are being rediscovered, revalued and revived by younger generations.

From sourdough starters to hand-knitted jumpers, today’s young people are looking backward to move forward — and they’re turning to older Australians for guidance. The practical knowledge many over-60s take for granted is now seen as something special, even a little magical.

Sewing, knitting and crocheting

Once upon a time, knitting a scarf or mending a shirt was just something we did to save money. Now? It’s also a lifestyle choice.

Younger Australians are buying second-hand sewing machines and learning how to work a thread and needle — either from online tutorials or their parents and grandparents. Besides being a money saver in this high cost-of-living economy, these habits emerged alongside a generational shift in what’s considered fashionable.

With vintage pieces coming back into trend and op shopping becoming a regular habit, many younger people are embracing the homely skills of clothing creation, alteration and restoration — skills that we grew up with before fast fashion and mass consumption.

Baking and kitchenwork

A habit that emerged from COVID-19 and stuck around, baking is something many younger generations have picked up. A whole subculture has emerged in cultivating your own sourdough and sharing it with loved ones.

Many younger Australians are also getting into cooking, including discovering (or rediscovering) family recipes and adding to the generational cookbook in their own ways.

Gardening and self-sustainability

Food delivery apps and convenient grocery shopping have done away with the era of homegrown fruits and vegetables — or so we thought.

Thanks to an unfortunate combination of COVID-19 mandated self-isolation and rising costs of living, younger people have turned to the old garden pots and planters that we once used (or still do!). Alongside a movement towards greener living and waste reduction, gardening has become more widespread and is embraced as a thoughtful and socially responsible hobby.

DIY skills around the house

A rental crisis is affecting almost everyone in Australia — one that forces renters to be extremely careful with how they live.

This means that there’s been an emerging revival in interest around home repair skills and DIY fixes. Whether it’s flaky paint, scratch-marked walls or a leaky tap, youths of today are learning to handle these themselves.