The Best DIY Spots In Toronto

There's something so satisfying about having someone say to you, "I like your t-shirt/bag/earrings" and being able to respond with, "Thanks, I made it myself!"

And sure, you look like a huge keener but still.

The Do-It-Yourself mentality is wide-spread these days. The internet has been a big part of that (especially recently, with monster blogs like Craft: and Make:), but DIYers start (and grow) in real-life communities.

And Toronto has built a great DIY community. From hobbyists to those who subscribe to a whole DIY lifestyle, do-it-yourself-ers keep coming together to pool their resources, skills and ideas.

Keep reading to discover some of the best DIY spots in Toronto.

The Knit Cafe took home our top honours (and surely, took them home in an adorable knitted handbag?) Their West Queen West location is known for its fun, themed window displays - like having knitted hearts (the real kind, with aortas and ventricles) for Valentine's Day.

Lettuce Knit and The Purple Purl, two more knitting shops, also made our list, along with a sewing spot, a few jewelry workshops, and my new personal favourite: Popfuel, where you can do small and large-scale screen printing. (You know, just in case our Best T-Shirts post didn't give you enough options for pithy-sloganized shirts, you can now just make your own.)

Not to be overlooked is Bike Pirates. Although they're not arts and/or craft themed like the rest of our list, they're still a great DIY spot, and being able to fix your own bike is damn handy.

Photos by Confetti Snowstorm, Knitting Girl and courtesy The Workroom, Popfuel and the Organic Metal Gallery.

The Knit Cafe

For almost four years now, the Knit Cafe's bright orange exterior has been like a beacon, inviting anyone passing by to come in, grab some needles, and have a cuppa. It's this relaxed and cheery atmosphere that made it number one with our readers. More »

The Devil's Workshop

Probably best known for their Wedding Band Workshop, where couples can, yes, make their own wedding bands. You can also learn things like Silversmithing, and Metal Printmaking, and other cool stuff that you'd never have the resources to experiment with on your own. More »

Lettuce Knit

Kensington Market's too-cute-for-words knitting shop not only has lovely yarns and a full schedule of classes, they also offer a specialized studio for dying or hand-painting your yarn. More »

The Workroom

Billing itself as 'Toronto's first sew and craft by the hour space', they have sewing machines, sergers, and other crafting supplies available for use. They also regularly host craft-related events and have become a real gathering space for Toronto crafters. More »

Popfuel

A membership fee of $345 buys you a year's worth of access to a full studio of screenprinting equipment, for both textiles and paper. More »

Organic Metal Gallery

Classes, workshops, resident artists and a full studio make this spot a favourite with DIYers as well as those who'd rather have an artist do the work for them. More »

Bike Pirates

Bike Pirates is a totally volunteer-based, cooperatively run, by-donation place where you can learn to fix your own bike. Lots of tools and supplies available to use, and lots of (very friendly!) brains to pick if you aren't sure what you're doing. More »

The Purple Purl

The place to get wrapped in yarn and knitting-related activities in Leslieville. The Purple Purl offers classes in knitting, crochet, spinning, rug hooking and a whole lot more. Tuesday is their stitch-in night. More »

Margie Jewellery Studio

Located inside the Purple Purl, Margie Jewellery Studio offers classes in metalsmithing, glass frameworking, glass fusing and beading. It's also possible to rent a bench or tools starting at $15 an hour. More »