The best crafting classes in NYC

Unlock your inner carpenter in this accessible woodworking class at Craftsman Ave. In this class, you’ll get expert instruction and guidance around a real woodworking shop where you’ll cut, sand, join and build your own approximately 15 inch side table. You’ll begin with only a few pieces of wood and then, after some safety instruction and guided support, you’ll set off to create the perfect side table to complement any room. Once you’ve completed your end-table, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to determine whether you want to enroll in further woodworking classes or just keep your piece as a practical table and conversation starter.

Often associated with opulence, stained glass is actually a lot easier to make than you might think. In this intro level stained glass workshop, participants will learn the art of creating Tiffany stained glass and soldering pieces together to create a beautiful collage of colored glass. Students don’t need any prior experience to participate and an expert instructor will guide you through the process of deliberately and carefully cutting glass into the desired shapes before using wires to mold multiple pieces into a single, completed project that you can take home with you. Once you are comfortable with these basic steps, you’ll be ready to start working on larger, more elaborate stained glass masterworks.

Students can head to UrbanGlass and learn the basics of working with hot, molten glass. Participants will get access to a real glassblowing foundry where they will learn the science behind glass-blowing and the techniques employed to create stunning works of art (and practical glassware). After students are comfortable with the basic techniques and safety precautions (molten glass is incredibly hot, upwards of 2500 degrees Fahrenheit), you’ll make your own artisan glass paperweight. Then, on day two, you’ll have the chance to make your first glass cup and you can take both of them home right away.

Another practical craft that you can learn is artisanal soap-making, which is significantly easier to get into than you might expect. In this class, you’ll get hands-on experience creating your own scented soaps using natural organic ingredients tailored to your own skincare needs. You’ll have control over everything from the scent to the botanicals to the color of your soap and you’ll leave the class with your own creation ready for personal use. Once you’ve learned how to make your own organic soap, you’ll never go back to buying overly processed department store soap again.

Sewing is a useful craft to pick up because you can express yourself creatively or just save money by making repairs and alterations to your clothing at home. NY Sewing Academy offers a wide range of courses for students of all skill levels regardless of their long-term goals. If you want to learn practical home sewing skills, you can enroll in an introductory machine sewing class. If you want to learn how to make specific kinds of clothing, you can enroll in classes covering pants, sweaters, even lingerie. Finally, they offer knitting, macrame and needlepoint classes for students looking to explore the more creative side of sewing

One of the advantages of learning crafting is that you can make things that you use around the home and personalize them to your exact liking. Take for example, candlemaking. If you like to burn candles, you know that they can be very therapeutic and enjoyable, but they can also be costly (and sometimes you just can’t get the scent right). In this natural scented candle making course, participants will learn how to make their own scented candles and how to craft their own fragrances, making each candle a unique creation. You’ll get hands-on training with a professional chandler’s toolkit and you’ll learn how to source materials so that you can start making these candles at home.

Though Brooklyn Craft Company offers classes in everything from quilting to crocheting, the store’s introductory sewing workshops might be the most useful. After you learn the basics of machine sewing—including hemming, sewing a straight seam and making an elastic waistband—you’ll put your newfound skills to work. You’ll leave class with a handmade skater skirt, canvas tote, pajama shorts or another simple garment.

If you want to express yourself creatively, learning to paint is one of the best ways to offer yourself a diverse medium in which to work. In this course, you’ll learn the art of oil painting, one of the classic methods that the old masters used to create some of the most memorable paintings in the world. You’ll get hands-on instruction in everything from preparing the canvas and paint to brushstroke techniques and the art of blending colors. By the end of the course, you’ll have your first completed painting and you’ll be well on your way to refining your artistic skills and developing your own unique style.

In this introductory wheel-throwing class, you can learn to work with wet clay to make stunning pottery and dishware. Whether you are an experienced potter or just someone who remembers that one scene from Ghost, this class will provide you with the guidance and training that you need to create exactly the kind of project you want to work on. This is functionally a drop-in course, so if it is your first time, you’ll be shown the way around a pottery wheel and make a simple, small object and you’ll be encouraged to sign up for the course again to start honing your skills while working on even larger projects. Choplet will even handle the glazing and firing process for you, so you’ll be able to pick up your finished project in only a few weeks after the course.

Experience the thrill of creating a unique work of art in this DeCoupage class that will see you transforming a piece of glass into a vibrant decoration that is perfect for giving as a gift or hanging in your own home. You’ll use special glues and paints to work on the back side of a piece of glass, creating a collage of photos, cut out images, metal leaf and paints to create a stunning and unique piece of art that will reflect on your own personal creativity and expression.

Drawing is a simple and easy way to start expressing yourself creatively that offers a deep opportunity for growth and development for anyone who wants to stick with it and practice. In this beginner drawing class, you’ll learn the fundamentals of art, including how to work with including line, shape, shadow, and perspective. You’ll get personalized instruction and hands-on time to practice your drawing skills, since that is the key to developing your talent and improving as an artist. No matter what your long-term artistic goals, learning the basics of drawing and the associated fundamentals of artistic composition will pay dividends.

In this immersive jewelry making class, you’ll learn the art of metalsmithing as you create your choice of a necklace, bracelet or set of earrings. An experienced instructor will guide you through the process of molding the wiring, sizing the materials and beading the piece. This course is a great introduction to jewelry making for inexperienced jewelry designers and a good place for experienced craftsmen to hone their skills and get access to the equipment they need to make more elaborate and complex pieces.

Unless you inner Michelangelo (the sculptor, not the turtle) in this hands-on stone carving and sculpting class. Stone carving is arguably the oldest form of plastic art in the world (and potentially the oldest period), so there is a lot of tradition and technique to learn if you want to master the art of sculpting. You’ll learn the basics of preparing a stone for detailed work, roughing out a design, developing a final form and finishing and polishing the completed project. Students will have the option to work with soft-stone or marble and the tuition covers multiple guided sessions as you work on your independent sculpture.

If you are interested in making something with your hands, but you want it to be more practical than decorative, consider enrolling in this leather tote bag crafting class. Here, you’ll use pieces of pre-tanned leather to create a tote bag big enough to carry all of your books, papers or electronic devices. You’ll cut, sew and finish the leather, including adding buckles and straps and you’ll learn a lot about the process of creating leather and how leatherworking can be an accessible hobby for virtually everyone. Whether or not you choose to pursue more leatherworking classes, you’ll still leave the course with an impressive, stylish, handmade leather accessory.

Why spend time hunting through vintage stores and craft fairs for unique jewelry when you can just make your own? Join a 90-minute class at Alzerina Jewelry to master the basics of jewelry construction, beading, wire wrapping and looping. Best of all, any bangles, pendants, earrings or other baubles you make during class are yours to keep.

If you are looking to improve your sewing machine proficiency, you can enroll in this advanced machine sewing course at the 92nd Street Y. You’ll focus on sewing with knit fabrics, zippers, and professional seam finishes and you’ll complete a T-shirt project that you can wear as soon as the class ends. This class focuses on practical sewing skills and you’ll leave the course ready to start working on complex projects or learn more advanced machine sewing skills.

In recent years, upcycling has become a popular recreational hobby, since it is good for both the environment and your wallet.  In this course, you’ll learn how you can take old clothing and upcycle them into new outfits from the comfort of a home sewing machine. You’ll learn basic sewing skills as you create a small pillow out of repurposed materials and you’ll get tips and advice on how you can make upcycling a regular part of your fashion and home decor experience. This course will introduce you to basic sewing techniques and give you focused lessons on how repurposing old fabric can be a creative expression and an opportunity to save money and the planet.

Using sterling silver and copper, you’ll learn how to create impressive and personalized bangles to pair with your wardrobe or give as unique gifts. Students will be guided through the process of preparing the metal, forging and soldering it into the proper shape and finishing the bangles to give them the color and appearance of your choosing. You’ll leave the class having made two linking or stacked bangles and all of the materials and tools are included. You’ll leave the course with a new bit of bling and you’ll be ready to start expanding your collection of handcrafted jewelry.

Learn the basics of making simple jewelry in this introductory course that will equip you with the skills to make bands, pendants, bracelets and brooches. In this course, you’ll get hands-on experience working with metals, stones and wires and you learn basic techniques of jewelry fabrication; sawing, forming, texturing, soldering, polishing and basic stone setting. This course is a great way to learn how to make your own stylish accessories, set-up a side hustle selling your work or make personalized gifts that everyone is sure to love.

At this point, you’d be surprised to learn that there are arts and crafts events that don’t offer an “and sip” offering. For example, Nyah offers this option alongside their soap making courses for students who want to learn a practical, DIY home skill while also enjoying the company of friends and the taste of a good glass of wine. Students will get the materials they need to create two bars of scented, artisanal soap and they will be guided through the process in an accessible and fun manner that will let them continue making soap at home. This event (like most sip events) is a great way to go out for an enjoyable evening with friends, coworkers or family and it is also great for date nights and singles looking to mix and mingle.

Working with glass may seem like one of the more difficult plastic arts, but with a little training and the right tools, anyone can make expressive and evocative stained glass pieces of their very own. You’ll learn how to design a piece in advance to guide your work and you’ll learn how to safely and effectively cut, sand and solder colored glass together into a desired shape. Students will create 2D and 3D stained glass pieces and have the option to oxide the metal in order to give their piece the desired tint and level of shininess. By the end of this class, you’ll be ready to work on more advanced projects, including large designs using hefty pieces of glass.

Once you are comfortable with sewing, it’s time to hone in on textiles. In this afternoon, one-day workshop, you’ll learn how to create sustainable and toxic-free dyes by extracting and processing the petals, stems and roots of plants that have been used in dyes for centuries. This course aims to provide students with the skills they need to start making their own dyes, so you won’t leave with a finished bit of textile, but you will be ready to start using studio time to create your own perfectly dyed fabrics and materials for future projects.

If you are looking for a good way to give your kids a chance to express their creative sides, consider enrolling them in this kids art exploration class. This workshop is open to children as young as 6 years old and will give students hands-on time to work on projects like mask-making, puppet-making, & and papier mache. Students will be encouraged to express their creativity and experiment with different approaches to art. It is never too early to start letting children explore their creative sides and this class is a great place to let them start experimenting.

Overseen by a master chandler with nearly a quarter century of experience, this premium candle making workshop is a great social event that will see participants making their own colored and scented artisanal candles. Everyone will receive melted wax for two candles and be guided through the process of blending scents to create unique fragrances. Participants will also add botanicals, colored dyes and other additives before pouring their wax, affixing a wick and letting their candles set.

Customized display sneakers have become very popular in recent years and sneakerheads go out of their way to expand their collection of unique artistic footwear. In this seminar, you and your party will join the wave and make your own custom painted sneakers to show off (or wear, if you are so inclined). You and your team will learn simple painting techniques, including how to detail images using acrylic paints and an experienced instructor will guide you through the process of using something as unique as a shoe as a canvas. Students will leave the course with a personalized pair of painted sneakers that they can put on display for the world to see.

Looking for another unique crafting medium that will have your guests exploring new and exciting ways to be creative? Consider enrolling in a terrarium workshop where everyone will craft their own living pieces of art out of succulents, mosses and stones. This version of the course will see everyone crafting their own, unique piece of wall art out of rocks, moss and faux succulents and they’ll be instructed on how they can go back in to add soil and living succulents to create a more authentic ecosystem. Participants will also seal their piece and prepare it to be hung on a wall or displayed on a mantle.

Wood burning is a fascinating craft that combines the subtle precision of drawing with the permanence and detail of woodworking. In this seminar, participants will start by doing a series of exercises to become comfortable with the tools and familiar with how they work. Then, they will learn to prepare the wood (options including natural tree wood, smaller wooden coasters and carving blocks are all available) and set-up their design, which can be the same for everyone in the group or unique for each participant. Then, they will take to burning the image into the wood as everyone works with various nibs to create a stunning work of art that they can take home with them at the end of the event.