Creative Spaces
Welcome to Creative Spaces at BPL!
Access tools and resources to expand your critical thinking, collaborative, creative, and entrepreneurial skills. Our Creative Spaces are for all members of our community.
Whether you are a DIY expert, looking to learn a new skill, or just curious about making - all are welcome. Embrace your creativity and learn a new skill in an innovative and fun way! Create your own gift, tackle that DIY project, or learn about a new tool.
Plan Your Visit
Drop in when the library is open to try out the tools in our Creative Spaces and get creative with some hands-on fun. Looking to make use of a specific tool or equipment? Be sure to look at the Available Tools listed for details about availability and location. See our library hours for times to visit.
The use of all of our equipment is free of charge, and we invite members of the community to explore and learn with many of our materials. For those who are looking to do projects or large quantity creation, please bring your own supplies to make use of with our equipment or speak with staff about associated costs.
Never used the equipment before and not sure how to begin? Take a look through our instructional guides or watch our online tutorials on the BPL Digital Library Academy to get started. We encourage everyone to embrace their inner adventurer and be willing to go boldly into the unknown - there is no such thing as failure with DIY, just learning and fun!
Available Tools
3D Printing is currently available only at our Downtown Location.
Our Ultimaker 3D Printer prints 3D objects using plastic filament. Get creative and print anything from figures, phone holders, and jewelry to key chains and basic prototypes.
Patrons will need to prepare their 3D design and then finalize the design using Ultimaker’s Cura software – which is available on all public workstations in the library. Final products need to be saved to a USB and brought to the 3D printer to run the print job.
Printing time is limited based on library operating hours – all print jobs must finish 30 minutes prior to closing. Patrons are responsible for their print jobs from start to finish; there will be no queuing of jobs. Filament spools will not be changed out for a preferential colour.
Most prints will be available free of charge, though the library reserves the right to add a charge to large print jobs or heavy usage – please speak with staff prior to the start of your print.
Ultimaker-3 Instructional Video
Design and make your own 1 inch buttons to add some flair to your wardrobe. Available at the Downtown location.
Button Maker Instruction Sheet
Button Maker Instructional Video (coming soon)
The Cricut is a fun cutting machine that is great for scrapbooking, crafting, hobbyists, sewing and quilting projects. Come try it out and make some fancy greeting cards, designs of iron-on transfers using heat transferable vinyl, or use the Infusible Ink markers to sublimate designs onto almost anything!
Cricuts are available at all locations on a first-come, first-served basis.
Patrons are invited to come and make use of the library’s basic supplies and materials to discover and learn how to use the technology and equipment. For those wanting to work on personal projects and for heavy usage, please bring your own supplies to use with the library equipment. When working at the library on any designs, patrons can make use the library’s subscription to Cricut Access.
Not sure how to get started with the Cricut? Book a Cricut Coach for a one-on-one session with a BPL staff member to learn the basics.
Cricut Maker Instruction Sheet
Cricut Maker Instructional Video
Create stunning and professional quality mugs using the Infusible Ink markers or bring your own infusible ink sheets. Your finished project will be dishwasher safe!
The Cricut MugPress is available at both our Downtown and Painswick locations and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Standard mug projects require the use of heat-resistant tape to completely seal designs on the mugs. The mugs will then ‘bake’ for roughly 6 minutes, and then need to cool down (untouched) for ideally 20 minutes.
To successfully use this equipment, you will need to use a special type of mug called a ‘sublimation blank’ for the ink to transfer and adhere. Sublimation blanks can be purchased at various art-specialty stores or online. The library also has blanks available for one-off purchases – no large quantities; please speak with staff for details.
Cricut MugPress Instruction Sheet
Cricut MugPress Instructional Video
Learn to hem your pants, fix a seam, or make your own t-shirt. You can repair instead of replace in a few easy steps!
Our computerized sewing machine is ideal for beginners, with a bright LCD display with easy navigation. Some supplies like basic thread colours will be available, but we encourage you to bring your own fabrics.
Learn how to sew by watching a Creativebug craft video class.
Janome Sewing Machine Instruction Sheet
Janome Sewing Machine Instructional Video
Learn and Discover
Expand your skills, explore your interests, challenge yourself and learn something new!
- LinkedIn Learning provides a ton of training tutorials ranging from a few minutes to hours of tips and advice. That’s what makes it so great - there are in-depth courses if you want to devote time to learning something, or you can do a search and dip quickly into a relevant chapter. Learn more about LinkedIn Learning.
- Creativebug puts creativity at your fingertips. This easy-to-use, instructional video platform is updated daily and has a library of well over 1,000 projects. Once you’ve found the video project you want to dive into, you can also view the transcript of the video, grab any templates, patterns or recipes needed, and go from there. Learn more about Creativebug.
- Visit our BPL Program Portal to view a variety of maker programs created by BPL staff.
