We’ve skipped through London’s edgy hangouts to bring you the coolest craft courses in the capital right now. From bamboo bicycles in Canning Town to a welding workshop in Walthamstow, here’s where to get the creative juices flowing.
14 June, 2022
Read more in Volume 37: Craft.
If
any city is likely to ignite your creative flair, it’s
London. We’ve found the capital’s best crafting workshops, including
candle-wax building in King’s Cross and the ceramics courses
guaranteed to make you a devotee of all things handmade.
Maybe you’re a renaissance man (or woman) looking to add another
string to your already rather well-strung bow. Perhaps you’re a few
dates in and looking for a romantic gesture – something tender to
seal the deal – or you’re simply hankering for some creative
stimulus to lift you out of a funk. Whatever your motive, we
believe there’s never a bad time to try your hand at something new.
From eco fabric dyeing classes in Limehouse to welding workshops in
Walthamstow, these are the coolest craft courses happening in
London right now.
thingstodo
This humble craft won’t earn you much street cred – there’ll be
no sparks, elbow grease or flames here – but regular dinner party
hosts will get endless mileage out of the wooden salt or serving
spoons that course participants take home. Hew a chunk of wood
(bark still intact) into a pretty but functional sculpture, an
abstract expressionist one perhaps…
thingstodo
It might be having a moment – every home in north London is
decorated with at least one ceramic pot plant cradled in macramé –
but this craft has centuries of history behind it. Knot your thing?
Knithub24’s workshops cover the full gamut of knitting niches,
including machine knitting and sock making. There’s even a men-only
class.
thingstodo
Forget your sturdy carbon and feather-light graphene frames, all
the DIY kids about town are riding bicycles made from humble
bamboo, thanks in part to the Bamboo Bicycle Club. Construct the
bicycle frame during its two-day workshop or choose to piece the
whole thing together (wheels, cogs and all) over four days.
Address
Bamboo Bicycle Club, Unit 8, Caxton works, Jude St, London E16 1FF
thingstodo
How to define the Earl of East? It’s both a shop – one filled
with exquisite little knick-knacks and things you didn’t know you
needed – as well as a community space and a workshop where you can
learn to make all manner of modern luxuries, including bespoke
scented candles, all-natural face masks, bath salts and more.
thingstodo
This contemporary workshop is housed within a cluster of
primary-coloured freight containers in Walthamstow – former home to
arts and crafts pioneer William Morris. Nab a place on its
weekend-long metalwork course to make a small coffee table, or take
a few woodwork evening classes and emerge with a modernist oak
shelving unit.
thingstodo
You’ll find Turning Earth’s two pottery studios on the top floor
of an old hardware factory in Leyton and hidden under the train
viaducts between Hoxton and Haggerston. The latter is delightfully
Hackney – think stray bicycles propped up against exposed-brick
walls and more beanies than you can shake a stick at.
thingstodo
2022 marks the return of fun-loving, free-spirited patterns –
and we are absolutely here for it. So, what better way to shake up
the wardrobe than to DIY your own summer staples? Step forward, CND
Studio. Visit on a Saturday to sneak into the two-hour eco printing
masterclass, set to take you through dyeing and fixing cotton and
linens. Don’t expect to leave without a tote bag brimming with
funky garms.
Discover more stories from the Craft issue here. This article was updated on 14 June
2022.
