DIY crafters flock to makerspaces to create custom holiday gifts

As last-minute shoppers rush to the stores — or click the order button on their phones and computers, then anxiously await the delivery truck’s arrival — do-it-yourself gift givers are taking things into their own hands, literally.

Makerspaces — the collaborative, community gathering centers commonly found in public libraries — have experienced a surge in activity this month with cost-wary consumers and creative types looking to make personalized gifts from the heart.

The Arlington Heights Memorial Library — which operates one of the only standalone library makerspaces in the country — saw more than 400 customers walk through its doors last week during one of its busiest weeks of the year, officials say.

That’s on track to surpass the 1,231 attendance figure registered a year ago this month, as more and more people have started to find out about the four-year-old, 8,000-square-foot facility at 112 N. Belmont Ave. and all of the many state-of-the-art tools inside.

The Fox.Build makerspace, co-working and technology hub in downtown St. Charles — where people pay a membership fee to be able to use equipment any time of day — has also been busy this month. Members have created everything from wooden snowflakes — using a table saw, then cut apart on a band saw — to laser-cut and hand-painted ornaments, said manager Doug Kimber.

Arlington Heights’ makerspace — branded as the Makerplace — is home to about 40 different pieces of equipment that are available to use for free, including two laser cutters, a CNC milling machine, and a dozen 3D printers.

During a recent visit, Tanya Citron of Arlington Heights was using an embroidery machine to sew family members’ initials onto hand towels. In a similar way last year, she used a laser engraver to carve the individualized monograms onto small wood cutting boards.

Her holiday party guests “loved it,” she said.

“This’ll be special. It will not be very expensive. It just takes time,” said Citron, estimating it would take her about two hours to personalize a dozen towels. “It’s a small gift, but it’s meaningful.”

Next door in the fabrication room, Kristen Boesel of Arlington Heights was using a process called sublimation to transfer and press pictures onto a blank 8x10 puzzle and the polyester pouch that will hold the puzzle pieces. Creators can use Cricut machines to do the same on mugs, T-shirts, ornaments, coasters and yard flags, among other materials.

Since she’s been coming to the makerspace for about a year, Boesel has made tote bags, cooking aprons, kitchen cutting boards and laser-etched pint glasses.

“After years of paying Shutterfly to make similar products, now that I know how to do it, I’m like, ‘Oh, I can do that, and save a lot of money,’” Boesel said.

Kate Henry, the library’s makerspace specialist, said people who visit this time of year initially come in wanting to create something handmade, but they’ve also come to appreciate how much they’ve saved by not having to pay for a store-bought item.

“The impetus originally is, ‘I want to make a personal gift.’ It is the thought and the care that is put into the gift,” Henry said. “And then when they go to check out, it is then, ‘Oh, and I only spent $2 on this? Incredible.’”