Mother’s Day Gifts with Class

After all, she’s already classy–this would just make it official!

by Susan Maas

We know how much moms love handmade gifts — time to turn the tables and enroll her in a class so she can make her own! Giving Mom the opportunity to pick up a new hobby, or even improve on something she has been dabbling in for years, unleashes the creative spirit and shows you’re really thinking of her.

It’s also a waste-free way to pamper her. Whether she has a secret yen to play classical guitar, a fixation with French cuisine, or a love of letterpress design, there’s a way to nurture that hidden talent. (And hey, maybe—not that you’re the least bit self-serving—it’ll even come back to you someday in the form of a five-course feast, some new bling or a really nice bottle of wine.)

From mandolin-playing to mosaic-making to massage, there’s a class in the Twin Cities area with your super-mom’s name on it. Here are just a few ideas…

If she is a fashionista or fabric fetishist, perhaps a sewing, quilting, knitting or crochet class is in order. Local textile retailers offer classes geared toward beginning, intermediate, and advanced crafters. Check out:

CRAFTY PLANET
2833 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis
612-788-1180 • www.craftyplanet.com
Upcoming class offerings include Felted Mittens and Beginner Embroidery; most classes are in the $25-$50 range.

TREADLE YARD GOODS
1338 Grand Ave., St. Paul
651-698-9690 • www.treadleyardgoods.com
Classes range from Perfect Pillows to Zipper Strategies; they’re priced at $25 and up.

For the bookworm mom in your life, Minnesota Center for the Book Arts offers a wide array of workshops for adults, teens, children, and family groups. The current catalog includes classes on bookbinding, papermaking, and letterpress.

MINNESOTA CENTER FOR THE BOOK ARTS
1011 Washington Ave. S., Suite 100,
Minneapolis
612-215-2520 • www.mnbookarts.org
Workshops range from free to $300.

Why buy jewelry when you could enable her to design her own earrings, chokers, and bracelets? It’s cheaper, more fun, and when she wears that necklace just for you, well, that’s love. Several Twin Cities-area bead stores offer jewelry-making classes aimed at beadophiles of all abilities and tastes.

BEAD MONKEY
867 Grand Ave., St. Paul
651-222-7729
(see also Minneapolis location)
Classes, from Elements of Beading to Fine Silver Fusing, run from $15 to $125.

BEADHIVE
5458 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
612-823-1112 • www.beadhivebeads.com
Classes, including Wrapped Rocks and Peyote Stitch, range from free to $38.

When you sign the head of the house up for a culinary class—assuming she isn’t apt to take offense—everyone benefits. Options for cooking lessons in the Twin Cities are virtually endless; here’s a short, but by no means complete, list of esteemed culinary education providers.

COOKS OF CROCUS HILL
877 Grand Ave., St. Paul
651-228-1333 • www.cooksofcrocushill.com
An exhaustive array of offerings, from sushi-making to home-brewing, are priced from $25 to $365.

MOTHERSAUCES
7630 Lyndale Ave. S., Richfield
612-331-9680 • www.mothersauces.com
Chinese Supper: Wok This Way and Caramel & Cinnamon Rolls are just two of the upcoming offerings from this cooking school that focuses on fellowship and community. Prices in the $25-$50 ranges.

THE WEDGE COMMUNITY CO-OP
2105 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis
612-871-3993 • www.wedge.coop
From Fast Meals on the Cheap to Hormonal Health, classes emphasize sustainable living, cooking, and eating; prices for upcoming lessons range from $5 to $119.

WHOLE FOODS
3060 Excelsior Blvd., Minneapolis
612-927-8141 • www.wholefoodsmarket.com
(see also St. Paul location)
Classes include Love Your Heart and Into Indian; cost ranges from free to $40.

A fencing class at the Minnesota Sword Club might be the perfect gift for the passive-aggressive Mom from the hubby. Who knows, you both might just find a new way to settle those domestic disputes. Either way, the Minnesota Sword Club offers classes for all skill levels and most ages (8 and over).

MINNESOTA SWORD CLUB
4744 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis
612-825-9935 • www.mnsword.com
Fees for three-month classes range from $128 to $169 (includes practice time, bouting and facility use).

As famous dad, Homer Simpson, once mused, “Mmm . . . beer!” Whether she prefers ale or zinfandel, an expertly guided beer- or wine-crafting session at Vine Park Brewing Company will surely be a hit.

VINE PARK BREWING COMPANY
1254 West 7th St., St, Paul
651-228-1355 • www.vinepark.com
Prices, generally $130 to $175 (not including bottles and labels), vary by batch.

If music is the language of the heart, then music lessons make a loving Mothers Day gift. Does she long to play the hammered dulcimer? Or maybe the Japanese drum? Myriad Twin Cities music schools and instructors offer individual and group lessons for beginners and virtuosos alike; here’s just a handful.

HOMESTEAD PICKIN’ PARLOR
6625 Penn Ave. S., Minneapolis
612-861-3308 • www.homesteadpickinparlor.com
Specializing in folk, bluegrass, and blues; lesson prices vary by instrument and instructor.

MU DAIKO
2700 Winter St. NE, Suite 4, Minneapolis
612-824-4804
Prices for taiko drumming classes range from $35 to $150.

ST. JOSEPH’S SCHOOL OF MUSIC
450 N. Syndicate St., Suite 350, St. Paul
651-690-4364 • www.stjoseph-schoolofmusic.net
Instruction, in a wide range of instruments, for both children and adults; tuition for 9 weeks of 30-minute lessons is $202.