Pick out your next quarantine craft project with the help of these artists and makers, near and far.
DIY Masks
Many Minnesotans have joined the mask-making army, either for others or themselves. Check out our resources on how to make your own, or join one of these two online workshops. Anita Costello of Bacah is hosting a class on Zoom for sew or no-sew masks on April 25, and she lists all of the materials and gives the PDF pattern right in the event description. A few days later, on May 4, Menlo Park Library is hosting an online workshop led by Lanajean Vecchione that will go through steps to make a mask with a sewing machine, by hand sewing, or with a no-sew method.
Community Education Classes
Complete your first leather project with the help of Dan Horan from Merchant Leather. Choose from a field note cover, wristlet, or long wallet. While the class is on April 30, make sure to sign up for the St. Paul community education class before April 28 so your supplies can be delivered in time. If you can’t make the class, peruse the Merchant Leather site for hand sew kits.
Another example of community ed is St. Louis Park’s Fix-It Clinic for knitters. Every Wednesday from April 22 through May 13, the formerly in-person group is open to people at all stages of their knitting projects.
Embroidery and CraftJam
The people at CraftJam, a New York-based craft workshop group, have been busy. In the next two weeks, they are running more than a dozen workshops, from watercolor lettering to macrame plant hangers. While I am personally drawn to the floral embroidery WebJam (April 23), make sure to check out other embroidery options such as their T-Shirt Embroidery WebJam (April 29). No matter which one you sign up for, they will send you all of the materials you need. You can also book a private streaming session for a quarantined get-together with friends.
Oh, and for people who are up for a lot of stitch learning in a short amount of time, New York-based Jade Scarlett is offering a recurring Zoom class that teaches 12 embroidery stitches in 2.5 hours. Luckily, she’ll also send the video of the class once it’s over, so you can refer back to it.
ARTea Session No. 3
Even farther away than CraftJam, ARTea for E-Connection has online craft workshops funded by a student experiences grant at the University of Edinburgh. (Isn’t internet during quarantine amazing?) Session No. 3 (April 21) has Daniela Lara Espinoza leading you through sashiko stitching, an art that looks meditative in its process and beautiful in its completion.
Minnesota-Made Etsy Projects
For the quilters, check out full kits (fabric and instructions included) such as the beautiful Got the Blues Quilt Kit from Gathering Friends or the batik-heavy Sweet Hearts quilt featuring two giraffes from Crystal Monson Studio. Other local shop options include Lady Jay Crochet, who sells crochet and knit patterns for tops, hats, and more, or Woolly Bear Knits, who sells similar cozy products as well as Make Your Own faux fur pom poms. If you’re more interested in weaving and knotting, check out these two Etsy options: The first is a rope bracelet kit by What Knot Shop, and the second is a variety of looms by Oake and Ashe.