Latest reviews

Nicki Glen reviewed: Jewellery making experience day (weekdays)

""It was a great day. Working with Karen was a really good experience. It gave me confidence in using the materials and using the machinery, which is quite daunting if you have not used it for a long time or used it at all. So, I think whether you are a beginner or building on existing skills Karen adjusts her style and her support depending on what you need. It is a really good day to come out with a finished item when you started out with a very rough sketch in a book. It is just really good to have that professional support. The food at lunch was brilliant. And Karen keeps you to time. It is a lovely day and well worth doing. Thank you." Nicki Glen"

KFD Jewellery responded:

"Thank you Nicki. It was lovely that decided to book the course on your actual birthday. I enjoyed spending time with you in my workshop for the day."

Victoria reviewed: Introduction to Furniture Restoration at Craven Conservation

"I had a beginner’s upholstery course as a Christmas present, working on a footstool one to one with Bill. It was a great course, well planned and prepared, and Bill is a superb teacher, relaxed, friendly and knowledgeable. I’ve had a great time chatting and learning. Bill has been particularly flexible with dates and he couldn’t be more helpful. I would highly recommend Craven Conservation and am already thinking about my next project!"

Jenny reviewed: Basket making in Norfolk

"A very enjoyable day. Brilliant teaching and a very well structured course. Thank you."

Lisa-marie Newman reviewed: Combined 1 day beginner's modern calligraphy & brush lettering at Swallows & Artisans, Lake District

"Beautiful venue and friendly people. The course was accessible to all levels and I really enjoyed it. Will definitely visit again."

Heidi Berry reviewed: Jewellery making experience day (weekdays)

"I had a fabulous day. I brought my mum the jewellery making day as a present. My mum is quite creative but I have zero artistic talents. Despite this, with Karen’s guidance I managed to produce a one-off, self designed ring that I am very, very proud of. I even managed to stamp a personalised message inside the band to remind me of the day. Mum produced a ring and a bracelet. We both had a lovely day, a great lunch and left with great memories. We loved every minute of it."

KFD Jewellery responded:

"Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad you both enjoyed your day. It was a pleasure to have you in my workshop."

Susan McPherson reviewed: Introduction to Furniture Restoration at Craven Conservation

"An excellent day covering all the essentials. Flexible, relaxed and professional, extremely experienced. Highly recommend."

Ellie reviewed: Flower crown workshop & bubbly in Brighton

"The flower crown workshop was a fab experience! It was a lovely surprise to be greeted with some prosecco too! I loved being able to use real flowers, especially lavender which looked beautiful and smelt great and will last too! Was really fun to do but also allowed a great chat and catch up with friends too and walked away with something lovely. Thanks Charlie :)"

Helen Jones reviewed: Fused Glass Half Day

"I was looking for a new challenge and found Julies workshops on this page after reading the reviews and the description I decided to book myself and a friend to do a half day workshop . WOW we had a lovely time learnt loads , Julie made the whole experience very enjoyable. She helped us create what we wanted to do and more . Gave us encouragement. The reviews and descriptions of the workshops are very accurate worth booking. We will be going back. Thank you Julie ."

Patsy Chapman reviewed: Two day Monoprint and Collagraph Print workshop

"I feel blessed to have been able to do Ruth’s two day monoprinting and colograph course. In the peaceful and creative world of her garden studio I was able to apply myself singlemindedlly to learning new techniques with an experienced and encouraging teacher at my bid and call. Although the course is clearly structured, I felt my individuality would always shines through. Creature comforts were catered for, including delicious lunches and any amount of refreshments and I came away with a lovely bundle of prints and ‘handouts’ to remind me of what I had learned."

Rachel Gillis reviewed: Make Matryoshka (Russian Dolls) inspired Stamps, Paper Sculpture and Metal Decorations in Derbyshire

"The Slipper Studio is a light, calming and relaxing place to learn and be creative. Liz generously shares her own deep experience as teacher and maker to enable you to go away with lovely things, new skills and lots of inspiration. A thoroughly enjoyable day. Thank you."

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"So pleased that you had an enjoyable day. Your comments are really appreciated. Thank you. Liz"

Nic reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners - morning

"A really enjoyable experience. Thank you for the confidence boost!"

Kathy Rowden reviewed: Full day introduction to glass fusing course.

"My second time on this course and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time! Great tuition, resources, advice and, of course, lunch! I can thoroughly recommend this course."

Sharon reviewed: Felt picture making workshop in Rugby!

"I really enjoyed this course. I've always wanted to learn how to make felt and this was a wonderful way to learn. I've got a lovely picture that I made to take home and I'm looking forward to doing another course with Karen."

Karen Wyeth Contemporary Felt Artist responded:

"Many thanks for taking the time to leave me a review Sharon! So pleased you enjoyed the course, and what a great seascape you created! Will look forward to seeing you at another course soon!"

Ian sippitt reviewed: Basket making in Norfolk

"What an amazing one day work shop. Worth every penny and more. Having no experience whatsoever with weaving and to be able to produce a lovely little fruit basket. Should be testament to the expert teaching and guidance from Julie. The day is totally at your pace and even with asking as many questions as I did, Julie was a patient ,knowledgeable and explained what I needed to know exactly as I needed to hear it. Would go back and do it again in a heartbeat...I fact .... I will."

Alison reviewed: Wheel thrown mug workshop

"What a joy! I've been looking for something creative to do with my sports mad 13 year old daughter and the 2.5 hour throwing course with Jack was the absolute tonic. The facilities are top notch. The coffee and croissants hit the spot. The pottery experience was just brilliant. Jack was kind, attentive and encouraging - a perfect tutor. Such an enjoyable morning and my daughter is already asking when we can do it again. I couldn't recommend this experience more highly. We can't wait to see our pots once they are fired and glazed!"

Margaret Sanderson reviewed: Silver clay 2 day course for beginners - Lori Ridgway

"This was a great experience tailored to us as individuals. I have a little experience in jewellery making but none in pmc and I felt I learned a lot and would thoroughly recommend the course to both complete beginners and those wanting to extend their skills. I felt we had a generous allocation of materials to work with and we produced pieces to feel good about!"

Sara & Lani reviewed: Painting and Drawing one day workshop for adults with Penny Mason, Birmingham (NO CLASSES UNTIL MARCH 2021)

"We had a really fabulous day exploring drawing, mark making & painting. My daughter is studying art A level & this was the perfect day to introduce her to new drawing techniques under Penny’s excellent guidance. We left feeling really inspired & my daughter with new found confidence! A truly wonderful way to spend a day! And a delicious lunch too! A huge Thank You to Penny. Sara & Lani Xx"

Jason Ankers reviewed: Stone carving for beginners - one day course at Sculpture by the Lakes with John Davey

"My wife and I booked the course as a gift for Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed the course on Saturday and were pleasantly surprised with the fruits of our labour! John was a great teacher and pitched it at just the right level for us complete beginners...gently persuading us to push beyond our comfort zone! To give you some context on this, the last time I created anything noteworthy was a fire poker at school 33 years ago! The whole experience was a wonderful day, the location perfect, the food delicious, and the company in our class was spot on. We have been inspired by the course and hope to do more in the future."

Art & Inspiration at Sculpture by the Lakes responded:

"Dear Jason - thank you for your lovely words and I am sure John will be as happy as we are that you and your wife had such a good time. It's always good to hear that our students and visitors have had a good day, and even better that they want to come back! John will be running more courses this coming autumn and winter so we hope to see you again before too long."

Dy Ruddock reviewed: Textile still life workshop

"Basic still life drawing tecniques shown with a view to translating them into textiles but without the need of previous skills in this area. A really informative day where students work on individual themes at their own pace helped where necessary by Imogen who will also encourage you to maybe try things outside of your comfort zone. A pressure free day made even more enjoyable by unlimited coffee,cake and a delicious homemade lunch. I would recommend this course as a way to develop your use of colour and design skills."

Imogen Bittner Studio responded:

"Dy's willingness to learn a new technique resulted in an exciting and unique piece of work and her friendly attitude contributed greatly to the relaxed atmosphere of the group."

Andy Stubbs reviewed: Lino printing landscapes

"As a total novice, not just to Lino printing but all art since school, I was a little nervous but was soon out at ease by the friendly welcome from Lee and my co course members. The tuition was just at the right level, with my instruction being less complex than others but nonetheless I learnt so much in the day that I am enthused to continue! A really enjoyable course, with lovely people and a recognisable landscape at the end. Thoroughly recommended."

Lee Wright Artist responded:

"Glad you enjoyed the day Andy. Great to meet you and fabulous first print!"

Becky reviewed: Pottery throwing taster on The Potters Wheel (temporarily suspended due to social distancing restrictions)

"My sister and I had a lovely morning with Sharon, learning to ‘throw’. It was great to have personal tutition. We both felt like we made progress within the two hour session and had a great time! The drive from SE london was super easy - so nice to “escape to the country” for the morning. Really recommend. ps. The carrot cake is delicious!"

Sharon Pottery Classes responded:

"Thanks so much Becky and Leah. I am glad you enjoyed your morning and you certainly progressed over the time. It was lovely to meet you both and share aspects of this absorbing craft. It was good to know that travelling from South East London was easy 35 mins!"

Jack Cook reviewed: Blacksmithing - one to one - Hammer Skills

"absolutely amazing time, been a couple of times now, with both Colin and Bob and they are both patient and good teachers"

Sue Isaacson reviewed: Jewellery making experience day (weekdays)

"The course far exceeded my expectations. It was fun and very enjoyable and enabled me to try something that I have never done before and to understand and appreciate the jewellery making process. The 1:1 approach worked perfectly for me as Karen was expert in demonstrating the various pieces of equipment and the process to follow and then enabled me to do it for myself, so the end result was a beautiful piece of jewellery, in my case, a spinning ring, which was made using the skills and techniques shown to me on the day. I can highly recommend the experience to anyone."

KFD Jewellery responded:

"Thank you Heidi. I really enjoyed spending the day in my workshop with you and your lovely mum, Valerie. You were both a joy to teach and both of you produced beautiful pieces of jewellery. Karen"

Ann reviewed: Paper Marbling Class Full Day at Portsmouth Museum

"I've done two 2-hour workshops with James, both times sharing a 'tray' with someone else, which is a great idea. I thoroughly enjoyed both workshops and James is a fantastic teacher, first giving you the basic techniques, then allowing you to 'freestyle' and create your own designs. At the second workshop he guided me through creating a piece of artwork which I was very pleased with. A class in Ebru is something anyone can try and it's great fun... and you don't need any particular artistic talent beforehand - try and be surprised at what you can do!"

James Mouland Ebru Studio responded:

"Thanks Ann, your progress was brilliant, your final piece was a real triumph!"

Annie Hay reviewed: Alien spoon carving

"An excellent day, informative and thoroughly relaxing in Alan's lovely conservatory, looking out over the garden, alive with birds and even a fox basking on a shed roof. We all enjoyed the day and in addition to the good company, much appreciated the wonderful food and calm ambience. Great to learn a new and useful craft. Having been taught how to use the equipment safely, I can now get on and practice at home."