Best Crafty Classes In Boston

By Mark G. McLaughlin for SpeakEasy

Artists and crafts people work with all manner of materials and perform all sorts of magic, from blowing glass and brewing beer to knitting scarves and sewing dresses. They also work in many mediums, from paper and ink to yarn and clay, and much more. While not everyone is or even can be a master at these arts, there are masters who are more than willing to encourage the inner artist in others. For those willing to accept their instruction – and challenge, here are five of the best places that offer craft classes in Boston.

Diablo Glass School
123 Terrace St.
Boston, MA 02120
(617) 442-7444
www.diabloglassschool.com
Glassblowing is both an art and a craft, and the master artists and expert crafts people at Diablo Glass School in Boston not only make their living creating beautiful things from glass – they teach others how to do it as well. Classes for teens and adults are offered in a variety of disciplines. These include working in their Hot Shop, Flame Shop, and Flat Shop, to create various types of glass items, as well as sessions in casting, cold working and creating stained glass windows and displays. They hold evening and after school classes, school vacation classes and offer private lessons.

Muckykids Art Studio
1776 Massachusetts Ave.
Boston, MA 02140
(617) 354-0540
www.muckykids.com
Even the most creative kids sometimes need a little guidance to bring out their inner artist. The kind, patient, and very creative staff at Muckykids Art Studio on Mass Ave pride themselves on helping children as young as 18 months – and adults who are young at heart – in painting, sculpting, and printing works of art, and more. That "and more" includes using science to create art with polymer spheres, light and electric currents. They also offer classes in working with stencils, air-dry clay, and other materials. They have courses that last a single day or for several weeks, as well as drop-in studio times.

Bead + Fiber
460 Harrison Ave
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 426-2323
www.beadandfiber.com
When Bead + Fiber says come in and "unleash your creative spirit," they are not issuing merely an invitation or a challenge; they are also offering help in doing just that. For the last nine years they have been encouraging customers to work with their wide selection of crafting materials (which are not limited to beads and fibers) and tools to create unique hand-made items to wear, play with, decorate the home, and to present as gifts to friends, neighbors and other loved ones. Almost every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday they offer afternoon and evening classes in making jewelry, knitting scarves, stitching and crocheting all manner of items and other crafts, including kumihimo – a Japanese braiding art. Bead + Fiber provides all of the materials, and their instructors are happy to schedule private crafting events in addition to their rather extensive list of classes.
Related: Boston's Best Places To Do Arts And Crafts For The Whole Family

Gather Here
1343 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 714-4880
www.gatherhereonline.com
When it comes to selling yarn and teaching customers how to knit with it, there are fewer places in the Boston area more expert, more welcoming, and more patient than Gather Here in Cambridge. They also offer classes and sell supplies for quilting, embroidering, crocheting and sewing, and at several levels. There are classes to make everything from potholders and shawls to skirts and zipper boxbags, and they have classes that are just for kids, as well as more advanced classes for those expert enough to make button-down shirts and washi dresses.

Beer and Wine Hobby
155 New Boston St., Unit T
Woburn, MA 01801
(781) 933-8818
www.beer-wine.com
There are all kinds of things that fall under the category of "crafts," and making craft beer is one of the oldest and most popular of all. There has been an explosion in home-brewing in the 45 years since the brew masters at Beer and Wine Hobby starting sharing their expertise and love of making beer. They offer numerous classes in making special types of beer, and have expanded their repertoire to classes in not only how to make wine, but also to how to make cheese and other foods that complement the alcoholic beverages their students make.
Related: Boston's Best Local Fall Beers