The best crafting classes in NYC

If you are interested in learning how to create practical and visually impressive clay pots, mugs and vases, then a pottery wheel throwing class is a good place to learn. In this program, you will get all the materials and guidance you need to start your own personal clay pottery project. Regardless of your experience level, this course is an ideal way to start working on real pottery projects and develop the skills necessary to start working on even more complex artistic creations.

If you are a fan of perfume and you want to learn how it is made and how scents are customized, this course is a great introduction to the art and science of perfumery. In this class, you’ll learn how bespoke, artisanal perfume is made and how scents are added to the mixture to give it the qualities that make it perfume. Then, you will be given access to the entirety of Bios Apothecary’s collection of over 130 aromatics, oils and other fragrances to create your own signature scent (that you will leave with your own bottle of). This is a course that you might find yourself taking over and over as you experiment with different combinations to eventually discover your perfect fragrance.

Floral design is an art form that spans across virtually every culture that developed in a location with easy access to flowers and, as such, is an excellent type of crafting for someone looking for a multicultural experience. In this course, you will learn several different styles of Japanese floral arrangement and you’ll learn how they differ from American and European traditions. Using native Japanese flora, you’ll create your own beautiful arrangements that you can take home to put on display.

If you’re looking for a gift for the creative in your life, a gift card for craft classes will allow them to learn fun mediums like candle making, jewelry making, or pottery wheel throwing. While you could always just give them the final product, like a finished vase or piece of jewelry, you’re giving them the joy of creating something unique with their own hands. Combine this with no expiration dates on the card and no rush to select what class they’d like to take, and you’ve got a gift that’s thoughtful and guaranteed to fit into their schedule.

Jewelry making can seem like an intimidating task reserved for the wealthy and well-connected, but it is far more accessible than you might think. In this one day diamond ring making course, you will learn how to work with precious metals like silver, gold and copper to create a band and setting. Then you’ll learn how to use the setting to place a precious stone in the ring and, viola, you’ll have your own hand-crafted diamond ring to add to your ensemble or to give as an unforgettable, personalized gift.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Figure drawing is a useful skill for any artist or craftsman to learn, because if you work with any kind of representational art, you will benefit from understanding and drawing human anatomy. In these live-model figure drawing classes, you will have a chance to get practical training and experience drawing models from a wide range of different angles and perspectives. In addition, you will be able to get assistance and feedback on your work from skill artists.

The Brooklyn Craft Company offers a wide range of different crafting classes for students of any interest or skill level. Regardless of whether you are an experienced crafter looking to get more studio time working with a pottery wheel or you want to enroll in your first knitting class, the Brooklyn Craft Company is sure to have an accessible and hands-on course that will help you reach your crafting goal.

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.

Aspiring artists will always benefit from more training and practice, regardless of the kind of artistic projects they are working on. In these classes, you will get hands-on training and the opportunity to hone your craft and develop your unique style alongside a cohort of fellow artists working under an experienced instructor. They offer classes in drawing, painting and the plastic arts, as well as guided visits (and drawing opportunities) to some of NYC’s most famous museums.

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.