Doin’ it for yourself

In a new age of austerity, people are staying in more and buying less. There is an increased interest in traditional crafts, handmade goods and quality that will last. Diana Rudd, owner of the Lower East Side’s Make Workshop, has noticed a spike in her sewing classes. “I’ve seen a big influx in people who are a little more budget-conscious and don’t want to spend $30 to have their pants hemmed,” she says. “A lot of people who are coming to sew don’t identify themselves as being super crafty. People are just thinking of it as a way of getting a fit they can’t get in the store and saving money.”

Recycling and sustainability are global-warming hot. Make your own chemical-free beauty products that are not only better for you and the environment but don’t contribute to packaging mountains. Turn a discarded door into a cool table and not only are you saving it from the landfill, you end up with an utterly unique piece. “We all know we cannot live in this consumption society much longer before we ruin the planet,” says designer Rodney Allen Trice, who was recently named one of Time magazine’s Green Design 100 and is a frequent contributor to TONY’s “Trash to treasure” series. “So in addition to reflecting your individuality, you are also taking a hand in pulling yourself out of that culture where it’s like, I’ve gotta have the latest and the greatest and the newest and the hottest. And that’s pretty awesome.”

Home
Create cool furnishings from trash

Rodney Allen Trice is launching Applied Deconstruction 101 ($350; 646-772-6697, tomtinc.com), in which he’ll reveal the secrets of “refitting” found objects into standout pieces to groups of three to seven students (private instruction is $500). As well as technical guidance in his Dumbo studio, you’ll receive advice on finding suitable materials; tools are provided. At the end of eight sessions, you’ll not only have a unique piece but the skills to continue the pursuit. “I’ve done workshops before where I supplied the project and the parts, but I found that at the end, people were not equipped to go on and do it themselves,” says Trice. “I realized, if I’m going to equip people to do this, I need to teach them the philosophy and the concept.”

On a similar theme, Williamsburg design center 3rd Ward’s How to Make Crappy Stuff Awesome (718-715-4961, 3rdward.com) is taught by sculptor Timothy Dowse. The four-session class begins August 12 and is offered again in the fall ($300 plus $80 equipment fee). In the first class, students work collaboratively on a project, then move on to their own—one student turned an old briefcase into a classy-looking night table. You’ll learn how to approach a design project, use power tools and even take on electrical wiring if you want to try your hand at a funky salvage lamp. 3rd Ward runs a variety of classes in everything from basic woodworking to screen printing. The Lower East Side’s Education Alliance Art School (646-395-4235, edalliance.org/artschool) is one of the few places in NYC where you can master the art of welding (from $360 for ten sessions). Students have turned metal scraps into arty spice racks, toilet-paper dispensers and doorstops. In October, look out for its free one-day workshop on transforming your junk mail into collages. Cosponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, it’s taught by NYFA fellow Aurora Robson.

Master upholsterer Matthew Haly teaches his art to groups of eight to ten (four sessions for $460) at his East Village studio, The Furniture Joint (212-598-4260, furniturejoint.com). The media darling and author of Matthew Haly's Book of Upholstery has a waiting list of up to 250 aspiring disciples, so you might have to wait a few months to get in (e-mail laura@furniturejoint.com to add your name to the list). Students cover Haly-built ottoman frames in their own fabric, and come away with the skills to reupholster anything.—Lisa Ritchie

Fashion
Make clothing you’d actually want to wear

The brainchild of a former fashion editor with a yen to teach, Make Workshop (212-533-9995, makeworkshop.com) has a diverse roster of courses, from shoemaking to crafting jewelry that incorporates vintage elements. While owner Diana Rupp, author of SEW: Sew Everything Workshop (a worthy self-guided alternative to taking a course), teaches most classes herself, she also employs guest teachers whose work is sold in trendy boutiques. Got a fetish for fancy lingerie? Consider the Panty Workshop ($100 plus $20 for materials; see right), taught by lingerie designer Laura Mehlinger; once you’ve mastered the technique you can whip up wispy nothings to rival minimalist $70 creations, all for the price of the fabric. Rupp’s Fashion Lab is a seven-week intensive in which students (basic sewing machine skills are a must) start with a bag and progress to a skirt and dress (Rupp is mulling over alternative items for guys, as there’s been some interest from men as well). The secret to store-quality results? “Sometimes it’s simply about picking a really great fabric and taking the time and care to make it look really professional,” she says.

Sew Fast Sew Easy (212-268-4321, sewfastseweasy.com) is known citywide for its well-stocked sewing-supply store and comprehensive classes—recently, members of the Ellen Tracy design team attended its five-session Beginners Sewing class, according to vice president Gregory Garvin. Those with some experience can try the more advanced classes on offer. In the one-session Leather Clutch, you’ll get experience sewing leather, fur or pleather for $95; the six-session Perfect Dress ($418 ) includes pattern making for frocks with and without sleeves. Online versions of several classes are a snip at $7.99.

The 92nd St Y’s Jewelry Center (212-415-5564, 92y.org) offers numerous courses; one of the most popular is Quickie Bling Bling, created by the center’s director, Jonathan Wahl, whose work is represented at the Museum of Arts and Design. After attending the seven-session course ($260), which starts October 3, you’ll have mastered pierce cuff bracelets and bezel-set rings.

Spending a fortune at the tailor to take up denim that’s been designed for stork-legged models? Enroll in the three-hour class Hemming Your Jeans for a Store-Bought Look at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan (646-505-4444, jccmanhattan.org), taught by costume designer Cindy Chock (Nov 30) , and it won’t take long to recoup the $60 fee.—Jackie Bischof and Lisa Ritchie

Food
Re-create a restaurant and bar at home

It’s one thing to pretend you’re eating out by ordering something in, but it’s quite another to pull off a quasi-restaurant at home by whipping up quality dishes and serving them yourself. The recreational division of the Institute of Culinary Education (800-522-4610, iceculinary.com) offers a wide variety of courses that arm you with the skills to be your own personal chef. Its Favorite Chinese Takeout Recipes (Sept 18) delivers the know-how on putting a healthy spin on Chinese-American staples like potstickers, General Tso’s chicken and orange beef. Signature Dishes from Classic American Steakhouses (offered regularly) delivers actual restaurant recipes and is far more eclectic than it sounds, with the likes of a chopped hearts-of-palm and artichoke salad with blue-cheese dressing alongside hobo steak and crab cakes. Great Signature New York Dishes (Sept 17, Dec 20) lets you re-create a dream meal of some of Manhattan’s best-known culinary creations (see right). If you’d rather keep it simple, try the Hands-On Pizza Workshop & Walking Tour of Little Italy (Sept 20) at the Astor Center (astorcenternyc.com). You’ll shop for the freshest ingredients on foot, then make your own pie from scratch with the assistance of pizza guru Mark Bello, quaffing some perfect wine pairings along the way.

Or maybe you’d rather play barkeep. If you’re a complete novice to mixology, you could show up at the New York Bartending School (212-768-8460, newyorkbartendingschool.com) on a Tuesday at 6pm for a trial class, crafting the likes of a chocolate martini or Sex on the Beach, then go for its 16-session certificate Cocktail Recipe course if you love it. Before the cool weather sets in, learn how to make hand-infused liqueurs from seasonal herbs—like limoncello and its basil- or mint-infused cousins—on a rooftop patio, sponsored by Italian catering company Bomba Cucina (Sept 20; 646-416-4341). Or become a microbrewer via ICE’s Beermaking 101 (Oct 10), taught by beer expert Samuel Merritt, which takes you through the history, processes and flavors of hops alchemy and equips you with the knowledge to brew it yourself. —Lee Magill

Beauty
Groom yourself

Concerned about the chemicals that go into commercial beauty products (never mind their cost)? The Herbal Bear School of Botanical Medicine (212-532-9322, herbalbear.com) has courses on herbal soap making in its New York office, and on February 20, program director Ursula Basch will be hosting an Herbal Spa Workshop at the New York Botanical Garden (718-817-8747, nybg.org). You can learn to make your own clay masks, lip balm, body scrubs, moisturizer and more at this afternoon course ($60). The New York Open Center (212-219-9635, opencenter.org) offers a five-session workshop in Handcrafted Soap and Lotion-Making ( $155).

Cutting back on luxuries like blowouts? Invest in plush Madison Avenue salon Oscar Blandi’s Blowouts and Bellinis class ($250) and you can skip costly salon sessions in the future—plus, it includes a free product recommended by the stylist. Classes take place once a month on a Wednesday at 5:30pm; call to add your name to the list, as classes are scheduled when a minimum of ten people have signed up (212-988-9404, oscarblandi.com). —Jackie Bischof

Panty Worshop

As I prepared for my panty-making workshop at Make, my roommate told me, “You look like the type of person who would sew your own underwear.” I didn’t exactly take it as a compliment. Yes, I sew. Yes, I loathe forking over pounds of quarters ’cause I’m out of underwear. But I never imagined sewing my own as a solution.

Before arriving at Make’s cozy studio, I was wary; in my years of sewing, I’d never worked with stretch fabrics. But teacher Laura Mehlinger, whose lingerie line, Lola Haze, is sold at small boutiques and Victoria’s Secret alike, was both welcoming and informative. By the time we each shook out a pouch with straightforward instructions, take-home pattern pieces and precut fabric, I was excited. A chatty, girl’s-night-in atmosphere quickly ensued. I had expected to go home with what would amount to a party favor. But instead of a little showpiece, we got a practical, pointed sewing lesson. As we followed Mehlinger’s instructions for a pair of low-rise stretch mesh underwear (when men enroll, they make a basic cotton brief), she suggested techniques that work best with the mesh to accommodate the class’s various levels, from measuring out our pins to picking the right machine settings, until we each had before us a cotton-lined panty. Next, we moved on to the trim.

As Mehlinger laid out our color options for elastic, she discussed her favorite suppliers. We then undertook the not-so-simple task of stitching stretch-to-stretch. And while the stitch work on our first piece looked like a seismograph, she explained how we’d improve, adjust sizing, and get creative on our next pair. And uneven or not, we each had one perfectly wearable pair of undies.

Am I going to start churning my own butter and darning my own socks? Probably not. But if you’re in an uncreative job, the workshop is a good outlet. Next time I’m in the Garment District, I just might stock up on some stretchy supplies.—Genevieve Ernst

Fix things

If your attempts at home improvement have escalated into Tim Allen–worthy scenarios, you might want to drop into one of Home Depot’s regular free workshops (homeimproverclub.com). Subjects are determined by customer demand, and usually include basics like painting and tiling; others tend to be seasonal. Instructors go through step-by-step demos, then invite participants to come up and try techniques out themselves. Makeville Studio in Gowanus (917-873-5542, makeville.com), run by lighting designer and 20-year woodworking enthusiast Robyn Mierzwa, offers intro classes to woodworking tools like the router and lathe, furniture making and DIY architectural woodwork (molding, trim et al).

Whether you’re a commuting biker or a Sunday cyclist, knowing basic maintenance will save you money (and maybe even your ass). Environmental-action group Time’s Up! (times-up.org) offers free repair workshops, including one especially for the ladies. You’ll learn such valuable skills as fixing a flat and replacing broken spokes. Check the website for schedule.—Lisa Ritchie

Great Signature New York Dishes

When I read the course description, my first thought was, Why would these restaurants divulge their secrets to me? Here were star dishes from some pretty revered eateries—Craft, Babbo, Le Bernadin, Balthazar, Gotham Bar & Grill—and the promise was that we’d make them. Well, we did.

When a dozen of us gathered one Sunday evening, Chef Banco wasted no time explaining what tasks needed to happen first. Those beets would have to get in the oven right away; they’d be julienned and become part of the Balthazar salad. Those vegetables for the bordelaise sauce too—wait, vegetables for a red wine reduction to accompany Craft’s hanger steak? (Yes.)

I signed up for the table doing both the salad and the steak, so we were under the gun. We chopped onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and shallots in short order and got the sauce going. We got the dirty, bulbous beets more or less clean, wrapped them in foil and popped them in the oven. Given my comrades’ intense interest in the steak, I turned my attention to the rest of the salad’s 19 ingredients, starting with a piece of brioche. Thirty-five minutes later I had a small bowl of convection-oven-toasted, finely food-processed bread crumbs. No wonder that salad costs $14.

I got pulled away from my work about four times to watch our chef demonstrate how to get a criss-cross effect on the steak; what order to fold together the melted chocolate, egg-and-sugar mix and whipped cream for Gotham’s flourless chocolate cake; how to make ravioli from scratch (Babbo’s “mint love letters”)—all incredibly useful insider methods without which you’d fail on your own. I kept going on the salad, thinly slicing ricotta salata; slivering the still-warm, glistening beets; washing, trimming and spinning mâche, frisée and romaine—lots and lots of it; and finally, with some help, arranging it all on a platter. Then we cleaned up and sat down to eat. Loved the love letters; loved the chocolate cake, which had the faintest taste of espresso. And that salad? In more ways than one, unforgettable.—Lee Magill

INDEX Continuing Education 2009
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