Photo: Courtesy of Textile Arts Center.Your creative muscles need just as much of a stretch as, well, your muscle muscles. And, taking a class can be an excellent way to get in that artistic workout. But, you may feel a little reluctant to hand over money to instructors you've never even heard of. How do you know if they'll be any good? Relax. We've got the answer: Brooklyn’s own Textile Arts Center's faculty roster reads like a Who's Who of the outer borough's coolest designers.
At TAC you can learn the basics of machine knitting from Lindsay Degen (of Degen) or make marbled hankies with Ilana Kohn. Knit-accessory superstar Erin Considine teaches courses on making coiled baskets and fiber jewelry. Rachel Rose — of hand-painted silk-top fame — will teach you to make the very thing she’s known best for in her silk-painting class. Of course, taking instruction from familiar, celebrated names is not only more motivation to pay close attention, it's also sure to provide some truly solid how-tos.
Multi-session classes will cost you between $150 and $300; single classes run around $75. If you think about it, that's comparable to some of the goods you’d buy from these design upstarts anyway. Instead, you’ll come away from the courses with a new killer skill to boot. Talk about a crafting win-win.