Defunct: Crafting Classes and Groups at Michaels Watchung

This page is outdated effective 01 March 2019.

Michaels (the Arts and Crafts store) supports its local crafting communities in several ways:

• Sales of arts and crafts supplies
• Family-oriented crafts
  • Free MAKE Break craft classes on most Saturdays (and some other days)
  • Kids Club - Saturday morning short session crafts for children 3-12
  • "Camp" sessions - longer afternoon crafting sessions for children during Spring Break and the early part of Summer Vacation (dates and availability depend on the store)
  • Children's crafting-oriented birthday parties
• Introductory classes in drawing and painting
• Special-interest sessions in knitting and crochet ("Discover Time")
• "Reserve our classroom for free" for community crafting events

Yarn Classes

As our current yarn instructor, I'm able to offer classes on topics in knitting and crochet. "Discover: Time for Knitting" and "Discover: Time for Crochet" are offerings that allow us to work on your current project, learn a new stitch or a new technique, or even just learn how to knit or crochet. Our class descriptions don't allow space to describe the scope of any individual yarn class, so I'm going to have to post that information here and in social media (Twitter, Pinterest, NextDoor). While Michaels no longer offers the monthly informal Yarn Night, more advanced knitters and crocheters may want to take part in one or more local Ravelry group meetups.

Cricut and Electronic Cutters

While Michaels doesn't currently offer scrapbooking or cutting classes, I believe in the benefit of groups of users supporting each other. Since the classroom can be reserved for free, I'd like to start up a user group. The plan would be to meet regularly, say once or twice a month, share our projects, and help each other out with software and techniques. While I'm a Cricut Design Space user myself, the group would be open to users of Silhouette, Brother, and other home electronic cutters as well. Again, I'll need to post information here and in social media.

Other Crafts and Instruction

Food Craft (Cake Decorating)

Michaels ceased providing Wilton-certified and -provided cake decorating instruction as of April, 2018. While we have had occasional evening trend classes for decorating cookies and cupcakes, I've not seen any for calendar year 2019. A lot of information is available on YouTube and on Wilton's web site; more advanced topics can be found at Cake Central and Cake Fu.

Jewelry Craft

Michaels Watchung had not had a regular jewelry instructor for more than a year before Corporate discontinued regular Jewelry classes. Bead Night, the monthly jewelry-making user group, ceased at the same time. While we have had occasional evening trend classes showcasing simple jewelry-making techniques, I've not seen any for calendar year 2019. There is at least one group of beaders who have been occasionally reserving the classroom for jewelry-making.

Scrapbooking, Journaling, and Paper Crafts

Scrapbook classes per se have also disappeared from Michaels' craft schedule along with the monthly informal Crop Night sessions, although a few free Sunday-afternoon journaling-related craft classes persisted through the end of 2017.