Latest reviews

Dave Strange reviewed: Wood turning courses in the Midlands

"A great introduction to woodturning. Mark has an infectious enthusiasm and a wealth of knowledge which he shared with patience. This amazing day was bought for me as a present by my son, who was fed up with me saying how much I enjoyed woodturning at school some 50 years ago and wanted to take it up again in my retirement. He cleared out the junk from my cabin at the end of the garden, bought me some woodturning tools, two books and now the course with Mark. After the course I was sent a shopping list that included lathes. No excuses now!!"

Kate Marshall reviewed: Necklaces, handmade beads, ancient fresco-style, papiermache recipe

"We enjoyed a relaxing day, as a group of friends, making unique and beautiful jewellery from egg boxes. Eleanor and her partner were both hospitable and inspirational. Their knowledge of their respective crafts is second to none. Thank you!"

Katy Munn reviewed: Felt Pod Vessels

"Emma was a great teacher - patient, encouraging and informative - and I really enjoyed the morning. I am delighted with my pot!"

Blacksmithing Day reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"What a wonderfully enjoyable day! Learning more about the art of being a blacksmith (and it is most definitely 'an art'!) and having a go yourself. Warm welcome on arrival sets you up for a great day under the guidance of Adrian and Andy - there were 10 in the group on the day, plenty of space to work, good craic and always on hand to offer great advice (and put it right when you went off track..'Well that looks a bit different to when Adrian did it..'). Clear instruction and nicely paced you sensed you were clearly learning as you go. The whole experience was topped off wonderfully by the food on hand - tea/coffee on tap, great lunch and a double portion of crumble (always a winner in my book) - Debbie will be appearing in the Yorkshire 'Good Food Guide' soon in her own right. Great value and highly addictive ( - the Blacksmithing that is....)Very welcoming and relaxed. Thanks again for a great day. My 80 yr old Father in Law loved it - as did I. Thanks again - and we look forward to coming back again later in the year. Cheers!"

denise reviewed: A complete introduction to wet felting

"I took a course with Olga 3 weeks ago and spent a fascinating day with 4 others learning how to 'make felt'. I LOVED it and we had such fun. Olga is an excellent teacher and her work is inspirational... I have my felt place mat in pride of place and look forward to the next session. I was nervous as I have never done anything like this before however it was easy and fun and I had a great day out."

Michele reviewed: Silver Jewellery - Ring Making

"Silver ring making course was brilliant! Jenny made it very relaxed and easy to follow. Came home with a lovely hand made silver stunner. Very happy ? Would go on another course, definitely. Maybe come home with some earrings to match next time. Thanks Jenny and thanks Jacquie for finding it and coming with me."

Wendy reviewed: Silver Jewellery - Ring Making

"Thanks for a fantastic course, Jenny is a great teacher, calm, patient and encouraging. I am delighted with my finished ring. Can’t wait to do another course. ?"

Sue Winter reviewed: Wheel thrown mug workshop

"Booked the 2.5 hour beginners pottery course for my husband and two daughters who really enjoyed the whole experience. They could not have enjoyed it more, making 3 pots each under the excellent supervision of Jack in beautiful surroundings. Highly recommended!"

David reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"Sebastian welcomed us to his lovely site and introduced me to my fellow pupils who soon became friends as we shared coffee and lunch. I was advised and helped when needed and left to work alone when able. We interacted as a group and discussed our work as we progressed. I choose a simple piece and came away with a nearly finished piece. However I have been inspired to tackle a more complicated work and Sebastian sold me a block on stone to bring home ( at a very reasonable price). I am in my mid 70s and feel that this course can be undertaken by all ages."

Michelle Shields reviewed: Plaster mould making for slip cast ceramics with Ed Bentley

"Ed Bentley is a relaxed & patient teacher, his expertise & methodical approach made the weekend at Ed's studio at Spode, Stoke-on Trent, the most invaluable making/learning experience. I studied metals at the RCA a number of years ago & have since returned to the materiality of clay & now i'm developing slip mould designs. I spent a weekend, under Ed's tutoring, to develop a lathe turned shape which was then taken through the process of creating a one piece dropout mould to a three piece mould - Ed's practical intelligence is hugely inspiring, full of top tips & tricks - i've now got myself a RAD gauge set for the lathe. Ed is supportive, inspiring & a highly skilled craftsman. Thanks again for a wonderful making weekend & imparting your knowledge so generously. See you soon for Jigger Jolly training. Thanks again, Ed."

Anne Leadbetter reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"I have attended four of Beatrice Hoffman's Clay Sculpture workshops and have enjoyed every minute of each one. I have been to weekend workshops and one-day ones, and in those few sessions I have learnt a massive amount about working with this fabulous material. This is mainly because Beatrice is an inspiring teacher, who allows her students to develop their own creative ideas whilst working alongside them to teach relevant skills and techniques. It is also a very relaxing and therapeutic pastime - the time just flies! She is painstaking in her advice and instruction and makes the sessions fun and enjoyable. Her enthusiasm is infectious and I have become very keen myself to produce more clay sculptures and improve my skills. I am looking forward to the next one, and would recommend her workshops to anyone, beginner or the more experienced student - you will enjoy it!"

Marty reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Got the course as Christmas present from the wife and my dad came along as a present from my mam. All we could say all day was best Christmas present ever! We had an absolute blast all day and it’s so nice to get an insight into a true art. We enjoyed it so much we are booking onto the rams head poker course in September!"

Hazel Young reviewed: Making a mosaic with slate

"The Slate mosaic class was excellent. Rachel was a great tutor and the set up was super with a good range of materials to work with help on hand and inspiration from many of Rachels pieces."

M. S. reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"I first came to Beatrice with my husband and daughter (all total beginners) for two private sessions. We all got completely absorbed and produced pieces that we were proud of. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed handling the clay and how calming it was. The studio and garden environment is very inspiring and I found Beatrice’s teaching style really effective, with gentle guidance and support that puts you in control of the process but with lots of support when needed; her eye and advice is invaluable to help point you in the right direction. I have now got hooked and have been coming to a regular fortnightly class for the past term. I am gaining so much from these sessions, both about shape and form but also about myself and the way that I work. Sculpting helps me to slow down and pay attention to detail in a way that I am finding very therapeutic."

Sculpture Workshops Oxford responded:

"Thank you , Anne! that is very encouraging!"

Diane reviewed: Bird sculpture - clay, paper, mixed media craft workshop

"A fantastic day. Went with my two children and my daughter was so delighted to have made something herself just like she might have seen for sale in art gallery."

NIKKI SZABO responded:

"Hi Diane, Thank you for coming onto the workshop, it was so lovely meeting you all. You and your children did a fantastic job and created some gorgeous pieces of art work. Well done! Because of your interest in the lantern workshops. I shall be adding it onto the website, sooner rather than later. So keep your eyes peeled and hopefully see you all again very soon! Best wishes, Nikki x"

Natalie Rowe reviewed: Have a Go Pottery: throwing

"I bought a 1-1 with Mary for my partner who has always had an interest in pottery but never tried it. Mary was so lovely, she had a real way of explaining things (and making it look amazingly easy with her demonstrations). She has great attention to detail and plenty of patience. As a complete beginner Mary was fabulous, but looking at some of her beautiful pieces, I don't doubt that she'd be a great inspiration and teacher to those just looking for the next step or a refresher course."

Emma Briscoe reviewed: Intro to 3D wet felting; make a small vessel using a resist with Purr & Wag It, Tabletop Workshops

"We had such an amazing day with Heather creating our 3D pieces. She explained the technique really clearly and gave us support, advice and the confidence to develop the basic method and try out our own designs all fuelled by Heather's delicious cake and soup. Highly recommended."

Emma Briscoe reviewed: Felt Pictures-Painting with fibres - intro to 2D wet felting/felt making

"We had such an amazing day with Heather creating our 2D pieces. She explained the technique really clearly and gave us support, advice and the confidence to develop the basic method and try out our own designs. Highly recommended."

Joanne reviewed: Inspired by Nature II

"Having attended Sabrina natural botanical dye talk, I can’t wait to attend the workshop to get some hands on experience. I loved the whole sustainability connection to nature and was surprised at how so much vegetable and plant kitchen waste can be used to make living colours. Sabrina is very knowledgable and passionate about the natural dying process and being environmentally friendly. I found the whole process intriguing how avocado stones and skins can make lovely pink dyes. Sabrina shared lots of samples to show how her botanical dyes can produce very different colours and effects depending on the natural fabrics used. The talk was very informative, relaxed and friendly."

Stephen Porter reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Thanks for a great day! Everything about it was good. A wonderful experience. Highly recommend it. Thank you! Steve Porter."

Shona reviewed: Beginners 2 sterling silver stacking rings jewellery course

"I had a wonderful few hours learning how to make my stacking rings. Sarah is a patient, encouraging and enthusiastic teacher and she made everything seem very straightforward. It was great to be able to leave with two rings that I made myself. Would thoroughly recommend this course!"

Shelley Kalewski reviewed: Annie Sloan Method with Chalk Paint for Upcycling Furniture at La Di Da Interiors - The Basics

"I really enjoyed this course. It was full of really good information and gave me the confidence to have a go at a few projects myself. Steph was really patient in answering all the questions. Already booked myself onto another course!!"

Jackie o'kelly reviewed: Necklaces, handmade beads, ancient fresco-style, papiermache recipe

"A Thoroughly enjoyable day making the bead necklace from eggboxes. With step by step instruction of how to do each stage, the final results were beautiful, all very unique necklaces and earrings! Our tutor Eleanor was very interesting and very hospitable!"

Lucy Grant reviewed: Painting with wool & silk fibres - Feltmaking

"Fantastic day. Learnt such a lot and Barbara was super. Thank you so much. Will definitely be returning to learn some more skills."

Feltworld - Creative Arts responded:

"Thank you Lucy, Looking forward to teaching you the next level of feltmaking techniques. Barbara"

Liz reviewed: Small needle felted animals or pictures

"Had a splendid day and created what i consider to be a very good hare. Very relaxed and supportive atmosphere with all you need provided and as much or as little guidance as you need. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Barbara as a teacher."

Feltworld - Creative Arts responded:

"Thank you Liz :-). Loved your cute hare. If you want any advice on refining the detail, please let me know. Barbara"