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Learn more about NextFab, our services, and the future of making.
Makerspace
A place with all the tools you need for your creativity and hands-on-learning.
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NextFab’s North Philadelphia makerspace is where makers’ dreams become reality. Put your creativity to work. Here, you’ll craft beautiful, hand-made creations with support from our Sewing and Textiles department. Our textiles department provides everything you need to create your next masterpiece.
As led by expert craftspeople with a wealth of training and experience, you’re learning from the best here.
Our classes to learn upholstery, digital embroidery, costume making, sewing with denim, and making furniture are holistic. They are designed to make you a better creative. They combine lecture-style discussion with plenty of hands-on opportunities.
Each class centers on a particular skill or medium. And each is designed to help you evolve into a more capable craftsperson.
We offer sewing, digital embroidery, upholstery, and machine embroidery classes. Here you’ll learn the skill sets you need to use sewing machines, digital embroidery machinery, and leatherworking tools. At each course’s end, you’ll have everything you need to carry your creativity forward!
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At NextFab, all you need to bring are your ideas. Our sewing classes in Philadelphia bring the rest. We have all the tools, experts, community, and classes to turn your dreams into something you can touch.
Our textiles department will teach you practical skills from sewing basics to intricate designs. Each course is expertly designed to provide foundation and skill-based learning. This way, you’ll have a full palette of approaches and tricks at your disposal.
As you build your knowledge by taking courses, you’ll get access to our high-quality machines, pushing your craft forward even more. Truly, our sewing and embroidery classes near Philadelphia are designed for the maker in all of us. Novices and advanced practitioners who simply want to push their capabilities are welcome here!
Sewing enthusiasts just starting out may enjoy our popular level I courses, including Machine Sewing, Industrial Sewing, and Leatherworking. Each course is designed as an introduction to the tools and tricks proficient textile workers know and rely on each day. You can even bring your own material and use the course as a means of completing a project you’ve been wanting to start.
Our leatherworking, hand and machine embroidery classes near Fishtown are inviting and foundational. They are the perfect jumping off point for any would-be maker.
More advanced creatives may enjoy our regular rotation of hands-on workshops. This includes recent favorites like Sew Your Own Jeans or our Make Your Own Stool workshop. As the names imply, these courses cover all of the intricacies of a particular medium. This allows you to complete a tangible piece by workshop’s end.
Regardless of medium and goal, we’ve got your back. If you want to learn how to sew leather or fabric or to make a piece of furniture, NextFab can help you achieve it.
Rebecca Kanach is a Philadelphia-based costume designer, who utilizes the shops, machines, and large sewing tables to construct intricate pieces with materials such as tulle, rhinestones, pleather, leather, and more to create costumes. Unlike other spaces, she wouldn’t have the space to lay out her large designs or the machines to work through those tougher materials. With NextFab’s machines, she can work simultaneously on different parts of her designs. With renting a private studio space right in NextFab’s spaces she’s able to store her in-progress work or work on some of her hand-stitching in the quiet of her studio.
Think of NextFab as your hub for creativity and inspiration. We’ve assembled the tools, the experts, and the like-minded creatives just like you to foster a hive of passionate, hands-on making. All you need to do is show up ready to learn and ready to get your hands dirty.
NextFab offers all the tools and materials you’ll need. Create confidently with fabric in each of our sewing classes in Philadelphia. Members expand their textile skillsets in our classes, and then are free to make anything they can dream.
Our spaces are open 24/7 (upon application-approval), proctored, and designed to help you form a community. Artists, hobbyists, and simply those with a passion for creation are all welcome here. Truly, anyone with an inspired glint in their eye is sure to find a welcome bench and a like-minded neighbor here.
While some use our space purely as their studio, NextFab is so much more. Others enjoy expanding their skills and their medium knowledge in our in-depth classes. And really, neither is the right or the wrong way to rely on NextFab. The choice is yours as you seek to push your craft even further.
Paige Sato the founder of M.A.B.E.L (Makers Always Bring Extra Love), which is a cut-and-sew business that transforms damaged, old quilts into clothing and project bags for makers who knit, hand-stitch, or enjoy handwork. Her coats and tops have a workwear vibe, while the project bags are designed for makers with all sorts of needs, offering easy-to-use solutions for storing supplies. She utilizes heavy-duty machines that can easily work through the quilts, while the large table has a cutting mat. The bonus is a lot of our users and artists utilize our large-format printer to print out sewing patterns up to 40 inches wide.
NextFab members have access to our wide variety of professional machines and tools. Our professionals will maintain the equipment, answer your questions, and teach you how to use the machines. You’ll also have a community of like-minded makers to create and learn with.
Our industrial machines can process materials that home sewing machines can’t handle. These include denim jackets, jeans, upholstery, or heavy costumery. Because our tools are industrial grade, they will make sewing layered or thick fabrics much easier.
You’ll also have access to our specialized tools for sewing leather, including our leather sewing machine. Our leather-working classes will teach you how to use these to emboss, polish, rivet, and split leather. From laser-cutting to sewing leather by hand, we’ll help you excel at the craft. And we’ll help you learn how to sew leather like a seasoned pro.
Of course, heavy duty sewing isn’t all we do in our textiles department. We also have a variety of other sewing machines for anything you want to make.
Join our diverse community of makers to access our makerspace: the ultimate place for innovation. Our collaborative community of professional makers share inspiration and knowledge. Here you can expand your skills, find your passions, and turn ideas into reality.
To begin your sewing and embroidery journey with us, become a NextFab member today. Our tools, courses, and resources are all at our member’s disposal and are sure to light a fire inside of you.