HOLIDAY GIVING: For DIYers and makers on your list
Hamilton is home to a range of stores and spaces that provide products and know-how that will appeal to any handy hobbiest.
Some people love to get beautiful gifts that they can display or put to use as soon as they open them. Some of us prefer to get gifts that we can turn into beautiful or functional things that we can then give away to others.
Here is your holiday gift guide for makers of all types – people who love to make things with their hands. And you never know, maybe the gift you give will come back to you in a new, finished form!
For the leather worker
Tundra Leather
tundraleather.ca
313 King St. E., Hamilton
Tundra Leather is a maker’s paradise, nestled in the same spot in the International Village since 1991. Started by Peter Grove but now owned by his daughter Kristi, the store is a destination for leather workers from all over southern Ontario.
The wallet weight leather (3/4oz) is perfect for crafting leather wallets and small notebook covers. It comes in 18 colours, and depending on the colour, has been tanned in Italy, Mexico or the U.S.
At $22.95/ square foot, one or two square feet should be plenty to craft a basic wallet, perhaps using one of the patterns available on the store’s website, tundraleather.ca
For the aspiring seamstress/seamster
Empire Make Space
empiremakespace.com
168 1/2 Ottawa St. N., Hamilton
Empire Make space is the newest entry into this list, having only been on Ottawa Street for a few years. It’s a collaborative maker space that offers classes on a variety of fabric and sewing techniques, along with sewing machines you can use by the hour and a wide range of fabrics and notions – many of them reclaimed from other sources.
The Master your Machine class shows you how to sew your own tote bag from fabric to finish. You’ll learn how to use the relevant stitches on a machine (including your own if you choose to bring it in), and then use those stitches to sew an attractive tote bag.
The three hour class is $75. You’ll leave with not only a tote bag, but with yards of knowledge that you can take and apply to other projects.
For the home electronics maker
NuTech Electronics
nutechelectronics.com
166 Parkdale Ave. N., Hamilton
For those who like to make things that light up, move or make sounds, making electronic things is probably going to happen at some point. That’s where the good people at NuTech Electronics come in. They’ve been in operation as a family-run business for 41 years, and cater to everyone who likes to make things that turn on and run on power.
One of the best tools they offer is the Wellen Adjustable Soldering Station (WLSK3012A). It has adjustable heat, a one year warranty, and is a powerful little unit – it can reach heats of up to 750F.
This is great for soldering cables, circuit boards, and repairing headphone cables. The Weller adjustable soldering station is $109.
Nutech is also happy to offer a student discount, just ask them for details.
For the home brewer
Brew Time
brewtime.ca
1638 Upper James St., Hamilton
One of my favourite things to make is my own beer, and for that, I need supplies, and there is nowhere better in Hamilton to get them than Brew Time. Victor Van Beek has been helping people to brew wine and beer on premises, and supplying those of us who brew at home, in a store that has been there for 31 years.
The perfect gift for someone who wants to get started brewing beer or wine is a kit with all the equipment they need ready to go. This one includes a carboy, a fermentation pail, a bung and air lock, a hydrometer and test jar, a mixing spoon, a siphon and tubing, a thermometer, some sanitizer and instructions for getting started. All for $108. Another $32 or so will get you the ingredients to brew a batch of good quality beer that will start you on the road to a rewarding and delicious hobby.
