FROM seasonal paper chains to handmade baubles, crocheted Christmas cactuses and Yuletide gifts like jewellery, cosmetics and knitted scarves and gloves, this year's festive season is all about crafts.

This weekend an estimated 6,000 people were expected to make a now annual pilgrimage to Glasgow's Etsy Made Local fair – a Christmas crafting mecca organised by volunteer makers under the banner of the e-commerce website that allows individuals and small businesses to sell handmade or vintage items all over the world.

Queues of craft enthusiasts were round the block for the fair – which is now in its third year – at the Briggait yesterday afternoon with over 2,000 people through the doors by 2pm.

The Christmas craft trend has been driven by a huge rise in demand for unique products that come with provenance and a story attached, and was made mainstream by shows like Channel 4's Kirstie's Homemade Christmas, starring Kirstie Allsopp. Now online platforms such as Etsy has made crafting more accessible than ever.

Katherine Pentney, one of the four Glasgow Etsy volunteers organising the event, said people from across Glasgow and beyond were attracted by the "exceptional quality" and unique nature of the crafts on offer. "A lot of people plan what they are going to buy online before they come," she said. "If they can't make the event they can also buy the products via the Etsy shops."

Pentney, who taught herself to make her trademark animal-embroidered cushions, iPad covers and glasses cases at evening classes, left her job as a magazine designer four years ago to set up the Canny Squirrel. She now combines her business with freelance graphic design work. "It is tough but at fairs like this you find that though many people may have started out crafting as a hobby they are now running their own businesses," she said.

At the back of the hall, under a quirky "Deck the Halls" banner, sisters Julie and Claire Sheridan are doing just that. They set up Paper Street Dolls after friends starting requesting their own versions of the beautiful handmade paper garlands and decorations that the two made for their Christmas parties. They now run the business part-time, combining it with careers in community arts, and their stall is full of festive fare from paper chain making kits, to Christmas themed lettering kits featuring slogans from the Christmas classic film Elf to packets of reindeer dust.

"We love celebrating and we are always making decorations," said Claire Sheridan. "It's also a nice thing to do together." Made of card and paper and often hand-painted or bespoke, the garlands appeal to the millennial market looking for one-off gifts, the sisters believe. "There is definitely a trend of supporting small local businesses rather than going to chain stores," she added. "People are also more interested in making. Our DIY tassels are doing well, along with the packs of paper chains. At this time of year people are looking for something lovely to do over a glass of mulled cider."

Near the front, selling brightly coloured crochet cactuses, Emily Sian Hart is an photography graduate who learned enough crochet stitches from her mother to make herself a blanket ... and found herself hooked. This plant lover, who says her flat is like a jungle, started making the cactuses for fun and soon requests were pouring in not only from friends but via Pinterest.

"I also run crochet workshops and they've had a great response," she said. "People are interested in making whether that's pottery or macramé. I also think it's great to see so many people here today staying away from the high street and supporting small businesses when they are doing their Christmas shopping."

Sarah Henderson from Aberdeen, who now lives in Glasgow and runs Squid Ink Co, taught herself how to weave by watching YouTube videos on repeat and now makes her living running weaving workshops and selling weaving kits with carefully chosen yarns in contrasting colours. "So many parents are buying them for their kids," she said. "Lots of them want to get back into traditional crafts."

Customers Ammie Johnstone and Fraser Gilmour, who both live in Glasgow and are admiring Henderson's stall are Etsy fans and agree that textiles are currently having a moment. "I've just started weaving a wall hanging," said Johnstone. "It's the first time I've done anything like that for ages but I'm renting a flat so I can't paint and wall hangings are 'a thing'. I've been inspired by the colours and things I've found on Pinterest."

Fiona Logue, Craft Scotland director, claimed the growth of online sites like Instagram and Pinterest have helped to make Scottish craft more accessible. She added: "For many makers, fairs like the Etsy Made Local fair become the first step in giving them the confidence to focus on their practice and get direct feedback from customers. The interest in craft fairs is a positive sign that craft is valued, recognised culturally and that there are opportunities for makers to engage with customers when starting their making journey."