Right now, you can go to the Arts & Crafts Society to get your fix of handmade woodwork, pottery,…read morescarves, shirts, table runners, bottle stoppers, purses, jewelry boxes, vases, decorative plates, spoon rests, earrings, necklaces, watercolor paintings, and... I think that's about it. This month, the members have exhibited their wares - and everything's available for a very fair price. Perfect for getting that little "New England gift" for a family member. The staff is really friendly and talkative, asking lots of questions and giving you advice on how to make your own homemade things. Also, classes are available in everything from jewelry making to ceramics (hand building AND wheel throwing!), woodworking to knitting. Very nice, and perfect for those with too much energy.

I took a nuno felting class at Nicole's Art Spot and I had so much fun! I have not ever worked…read morewith fibers but have always loved the look of felting on wearable fabrics. Nicole walked me through everything in a way that was easy for me to understand. Making the scarf itself was very hands on and a lot of fun. Nicole gave me a lot of really good ideas and walked me through the steps as we went. I would recommend Nicole's classes to anyone who is a little unsure in their artistic ability and needs skilled support.

I've been a member at Artisan's Asylum since 2017, and it's been one of the most meaningful…read morecreative communities I've been part of. I started out pretty tentatively, just learning and exploring. Over time, I got more involved and eventually became the laser shop lead for four years. That experience opened the door for me to build a small business creating bamboo candle lanterns and piggy banks--something I never would have been able to do on my own without access to the tools and support there. That's really what makes a makerspace like this so special. You get access to equipment that would be wildly expensive (and impractical) to own yourself, and you're surrounded by people who are both learning and generously sharing what they know. A recent moment really drove that home for me. I needed to test out my tent system for an upcoming show, but the weather outside was terrible. I was able to set everything up in the common space and run a full test. Honestly--such a small thing, but incredibly helpful, and exactly the kind of flexibility that makes this place so valuable. These days, my focus has shifted to painting, and having studio space at the Asylum has been just as important for this next chapter. I have the room I need to work in encaustic, lay out panels, prep surfaces, and wrap finished pieces for transport. The shared spaces make all of that possible in a way that would be hard to replicate anywhere else. It's a welcoming, diverse environment with something for everyone--whether you're just curious or looking to build something serious. If you've ever thought about trying something new, take a class and see where it leads. You might surprise yourself. Time to get creative.

completed the jewelry 101 course. Fantastic instructor who led us through a series of steps…read morelearning the correct techniques on every tool in the Artisan's Asylum jewelry shop. We completed a ring (which my wife liked) over the two day 6 hour course. I have had some previous experience but this was an excellent learning process that taught me many things that improved my skills. Highly recommend taking this learning journey!! Great value for your money.

They sold a me a gift card then went out of business and never refunded the money. Don't trust…read morethem. Ever!

Something got me interested in glass blowing. I know myself, and I knew I probably wouldn't have…read moreheaps of fun... but it is something I wanted to experience for myself. After reading the reviews, I decided to go here. I took the glassblowing sampler, which serves as an introduction to the art. My two instructors were Matt and Pat. The first thing we did was go through the shop, and see what kinds of things they do. There were no visible sales tactics involved, more like a "this is what we do". Then we got to the room where the melted glass actually lives... now folks... they tell you to bring a bottle of water, bring one. Molten glass is incredibly hot, and therefore the room is too. They go over what we will be making, and how we will be making it, as well as things that could go wrong. In this glass we make paperweights. Then we go over safety and practice three times to make sure we got everything down. Yes, burns do happen, but they do everything they can to minimize the risk. When it is your turn, one of the instructors will be working with you one on one to guide you through the process, and ensure you don't get a burn from glass whose temperate well exceeds 1,000 degrees. However, this is where this place lost some stars. When it was my turn, Pat was the person working with me. While I appreciate his help, he did many things that were extra, and unrelated to safety, such as spinning the rod. While minor, and while I was the one manipulating the glass, I still felt it took away from the experience. It was more like me assisting him than him assisting me. You don't get the opportunity to "blow" into the glass in this class, but it was demonstrated to us at the end. Some more notes: Instructors were fairly chill, but no-nonsense dudes. When you have molten glass, joking around is very dangerous. The owner has a great sense of humor! And finally, molten glass is very viscous. It is not as easy to manipulate as it looks. In conclusion: if I had enjoyed glass blowing, I would return here. But, alas, I found it was not for me. Definitely worth it for the experience though!

I went to see Deanna @ In Stitches to have some alterations done on a bridesmaid dress and I'm SO…read morehappy I did. She did such a great job and had my dress ready to go in no time at all! It went from being too big and too long to the PERFECT fit. I'll definitely be bringing my other 2 dresses to her for upcoming weddings I'm in!

Wow, I had so much fun Thursday. Deanna is a great teacher and the atmosphere was relaxing and…read moreenjoyable. I learned so much and I would highly recommend taken sewing classes here.

Took a glass arts class with Eric with my best friend. This was the most amazing arts class I have…read moreever took. Not only did we get to do almost 100% of the work ourselves, we both ended the class with 3 pieces!! Eric is so patient and his customer service cannot beat. Truly an amazing teacher and guy. Definitely worth the money as it is a fully private 3 hour long class. Great options of what to make. HIGHLY recommend.

My partner and I did a private 3 hour glass working lesson with Eric and it was the best…read moreexperience! Eric is a great teacher and by the end of the lesson I felt as if I had really gotten the hang of it. His lessons are a hidden gem of Boston and I totally recommend them to others who want to learn to make glass art. Eric doesn't work with full-scale furnaces but with pretty intense mounted torches. However i think this was just as cool and I would absolutely come back again.

Oh my goodness where to begin? !!! I've been doing calligraphy for years and years and in 5…read moreminutes I learned more from Liz than any other teacher. She's a joy to work with so much so that when my kids couldn't figure out what to get me for a gift they made a handmade gift certificate to study with Liz cause they knew I'd LOVE that for sure! Her styles are so much more fun, playful, varied (including romantic and modern) than anyone I've met. Her passion for lettering makes the time fly. In my first class with her there was a woman who had never calligraphied before and me - we both learned a ton and I was amazed at what a newcomer could accomplish in one class!!!! Many thanks and see you soon!!!

This review should be 2 stars but I feel bad tarnishing this page solely because I have zero…read morepatience for individuals being unable to effectively communicate via email in 2015. I will start by saying that I was perfectly satisfied with the work Liz did for me. If this review was based on quality vs. price, it would have been 5 stars. What I was not pleased with was how many times I had to poke and prod her to get an actual result. I had been working on a tattoo idea for about 3 years. Finally committed to some text and wanted a professional to draw it out in pretty font. Nothing on Microsoft word was jiving with me, so I decided to look into a calligrapher. Liz had the highest ratings on yelp. 2 stars seems really harsh, but when I write a yelp review, I think about whether I would recommend the business to a friend. In this particular case, I can't say that I would. After initially reaching out and getting no response, I sent a follow up email 8 days later to see if she was even interested in doing the work for me since it was such a small project. Frankly, overcharging someone for doing one sentence worth of work, versus hundreds of envelopes for a wedding seems kind of a no brainer to me...whatever amount she would have suggested...I would have happily paid. Courtesy is also another big thing for me--it's 2015, I know you have a smart phone and, as such, nearly 24-7 access to email. A simple "Hey, thanks for your email. Sorry I'm super swamped for the next couple of weeks, can I touch base then?" would have been more than OK. After Liz confirmed that she would do the text for me, it took another 6 days to set up a paypal transaction. I paid within half hour of receiving the email prompt and then it took another 3 days to actually get the file via email. Again, all if this would have been OK had she not emailed me that I'd have the file the next day. Again--nothing wrong with the quality--at the end of the day I got several options to work with, but I cannot tolerate this level of slowness/unresponsiveness. I can't imagine paying her to do wedding invites and then sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear back.

What a treat to have this small little space in the center of town! This new shop is such a bonus…read morefor the community. We had two awesome kids' parties hosted here just recently and loved the experience. Sue is very warm & friendly, planned super sweet activities that were spot-on appropriate for the ages, took special care to fit our themes and made it all super easy on us to carry off. I can not wait to come back here for future birthday parties. Until then, we really look forward to take advantage of the fun classes she has on the schedule.

Our daughter had a wonderful birthday party at Craft.ed. The planning went smoothly and Susan was…read moreso helpful throughout the process and during the event. The space is very charming and my daughter and her friends had so much fun! They also loved being able to bring their crafts home. Susan is so thoughtful, she even took some photos during the event to share with us. My daughter is signed up for a workshop in a few weeks and she is very excited. Craft.ed is great for events and I hope to be able to sign up for one of their workshops soon!