Latest reviews

13 Jun 17'

Tony reviewed: Wood turning tuition, New Forest, Hampshire (1 day) (2 people)

"I had a very helpful and enjoyable day with Graham. He made me very welcome and feel at ease. I am a novice turner and wanted to develop my skills. Graham was very sympathetic to my needs, suggesting and demonstrating techniques that really helped me overcome difficulties I was having. He has an excellent teaching style , informative, knowledgeable, supportive yet giving you room to practice and learn by doing it yourself. Coffee, tea and biscuits on tap and a tasty lunch sitting in his lovely garden. I would certainly recommend a course with Graham"

13 Jun 17'

Bev Lindsell reviewed: Beginners Candlemaking for Two - Anglesey, Wales

"What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. I attended a workshop with Anita with my 11 year old daughter. We had a splendid time together. Anita's workshop is a lovely environment...... Truly a candle kingdom. Anita held my daughters interest for a whole 3 hours which is quite something. She adapted her teaching to accommodate both of us. We made pillar candles, scented candles and crafted flower candles. Anita has a wealth of knowledge and is clearly very experienced. We feel that we have learnt the skills required to start making our own candles at home. Totally recommend Anita's workshops be it for a family or a group of friends. Will certainly be booking again soon. Also an unusual way to spend a rainy morning or afternoon on holiday."

13 Jun 17'

Chris Gwilliam reviewed: Sculptural Needle Felting in the beautiful Conwy Valley, North Wales

"A great course. Friendly, informative and would definitely attend any others run"

13 Jun 17'

Jean Salter reviewed: Needle Felting with FURZIE at The National Herb Centre, Banbury, Oxfordshire

"A perfect day out. I really enjoyed my first attempt at this craft. Michelle is a great tutor, encouraging, friendly and very talented. I am amazed at what I was able to produce on this day course. Great value for money and I will be going again. I have received so many compliments on my "Harry Hare""

13 Jun 17'

Elaine Perry reviewed: Hand spinning for Beginners Level 1 accredited course at All in a Spin

"This innovative course is very well planned and delivered. I enjoyed the two 'taught days' immensely and really feel that I have learned a lot. The learning was more in - depth, probably as a result of the need to focus for achieving accreditation. The homework set in between the two days certainly helped me to understand the spinning process in terms of twist and drafting and I certainly understand how to achieve a 'balanced yarn'! It was nice to analyse my spinning technique as I was practising. I am looking forward to completing my file and weaving my 'swatch'. As always Dunja is available for support throughout. Her knowledge and understanding of all the processes involved in turning fleece into fibre and fabric is such a resource in itself. An excellent course, I am certainly enjoying the challenge of spinning."

13 Jun 17'

Sheila March reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"Rosie had organized the retreat perfectly! The blend of constructive "work" - gathering dye materials, learning how they work, brewing on the outdoor fires - and seeing the fascinating range of colours produced, combined with completing felted objects. That was enhanced with walks exploring the beautiful area and relaxing and interesting talks or activities in the evenings. The friends who came to help in the evenings added to the lovely atmosphere in a beautiful house with comfortable rooms and the meals were very thoughtfully prepared with great attention to my dietary needs. There was no feeling of pressure to achieve and if you wished to go and do your own thing - that was ok too. Altogether a wonderful week!"

13 Jun 17'

Julie Whitehorn reviewed: Landscapes in Wool - Painting with Fibres

"A wonderful and inspiring day's workshop. Emma gently took us through the design process in a clear and informative, easily accessible way. The small group was perfect and each one of us had brought a different type of image to create a wool 'painting', which enabled us to discuss and understand different possibilities to achieve pictures. Blocking, laying and blending the wool really 'felt' like painting! There is a wonderful, extensive array of colours and types of wool rovings and all manner of fibres to choose from, allowing endless possibilities. Emma is clearly a very experienced, generous tutor and brings her expertise as a designer and felt maker to her teaching. There was a good balance of support and instruction, with space for our own creativity. The studio is well equipped and an ideal place for this activity. It's set in a charming garden where we had lunch under the tree with the chickens clucking. We all had a thoroughly enjoyable day and we thrilled with our results. Thank you Emma!"

13 Jun 17'

Nicki Hamilton reviewed: An Introduction to Stained Glass - 2 day Weekend Workshop

"A thoroughly enjoyable two days. The course covered every aspect of leaded stained glass, from cutting to the flow of a design. Fi gave expert advice at every step of the process and, under her tuition, at the end of the second day I left with a panel I was enormously proud of. The setting of Fi's studio is lovely, such a beautiful location. Well worth making a long weekend of the course and staying in the local area to see more of it. Next time!"

12 Jun 17'

Rhiannon reviewed: Mini Felt Floral Wreath Kit

"This was one of the nicest courses I've ever been on. Lyndsey was so welcoming, and really receptive to my crafting needs, she was also kind enough not to cancel the course when only I booked onto it, which was fantastic, and we had a nice chat as we crafted. The ABBA and homemade brownies were the icing on the cake for me, and I've told several of my friends about the workshop and they all want to come with me another time. It was also excellent value for money, and so thank you so much for such a great workshop...I'm really excited to put my new skills into place for my wedding :-)"

12 Jun 17'

Ed Hollis reviewed: Wood turning courses

"I had a fantastic time on a one-day course with George. I arrived having had some limited experience on a lathe, although my efforts to date left much to be desired, which George will vouch for! George and Susan were very welcoming from the outset, and we spent a little while chatting before cracking on with it! Immediately, I was learning all sorts of tips which would make my future woodturning better, beginning with the origins of the timber and sourcing and treating timber blanks. We then spent the morning running through the series of tooling and finishing processes, to form the bottom of the bowl. After lunch, we flipped the bowl and played around with some decorative techniques before finishing the top of the bowl. George was a great teacher and made the whole process clear and memorable, giving brief demonstrations before letting me develop the techniques myself. I left with a big smile on my face and my wife was very pleased with her bowl! Obviously you can only learn so much in a day. However I have come a long way from where I was and am eager to get practising my newly learned skills."

12 Jun 17'

Bridget reviewed: Creating shadows and light in your collagraph prints, course in artists studio near York

"This is as an excellent introduction to collograph, ideal for beginners. As I had not used this technique before I learnt a lot and enjoyed experimenting, producing a variety of outcomes. Emily is very well organised and her studio set up to make it easy for a number of different users. There is also opportunity to pick Emily's brains about materials and suppliers which was helpful."

12 Jun 17'

Jean McCluskie reviewed: Bespoke candle making workshop - Edinburgh

"A really interesting and enjoyable workshop. Really enjoyed my morning and Kerry a lovely lady and very easy to get along with. Nice to meet other participants as well. Would thoroughly recommend it to everyone"

12 Jun 17'

Gill Lee reviewed: Kate Morrell willow sculpture courses

"I had a brilliant day. It is really inspiring to create a sculpture from willow wands. With Kate's excellent tuition it was amazing to see my heron develop. Kate was very helpful and on hand for some of the trickier bits. The 6 or so hours sped by with a break for a lovely buffet lunch provided by Kate. We were also kept well watered with tea and coffee all day; willow weaving is thirsty work! This is a great way to spend a day and to have something creative to show for it at the end. Highly recommended for a really enjoyable day! Thanks Kate"

12 Jun 17'

Michelle Kinniment reviewed: Nuno felted scarf with lace online class

"I enjoyed this workshop very much. Leana is very knowledgeable on the subject, and I felt I acquired the skill to allow me to take it further. I was pleased with the samples I made and the opportunity to try several different techniques."

12 Jun 17'

Geoff Solomon-Sims reviewed: Bookbinding using leather and marbled paper, Frome - Somerset. Private Tuition

"I approached Stephen with a sentimental favourite book to rebind and he suggested it might be a nice project to rebind it myself. Stephen has a great way of encouraging creativity in the process and has a great eye for what will work best with the document. I enjoyed every moment of working with him in his studio and watching his own work was incredibly inspiring. The whole process felt less like learning a process and more like exploring a sea of options and possibilities, with an able navigator at the helm. What began as a single book has grown to a small library of 15 and I look forward to binding some more in the near future."

12 Jun 17'

RooNovak reviewed: Table Loom Weaving Workshop - Dobby & Rose

"I had a fantastic morning of weaving on this course. I felt slightly overwhelmed when I first looked into the loom but before I knew it Rebecca had explained the main technical bits and I was weaving. As soon as Rebecca saw that I needed some help or a tip that would help she was there…I also enjoyed asking her a myriad of other weaving questions which she was more than happy to answer. I have booked my next lesson already!"

12 Jun 17'

Hilary and Ian reviewed: A stool making day

"Really enjoyed the day, many thanks for all the help, patient teaching and encouragement, very satisfying making a useful piece of furniture from scratch."

12 Jun 17'

Emma Collins reviewed: Introduction to Frame Loom Weaving

"What a wonderful day spent in Alice's studio! I highly recommend Alice as a teacher, patience, skill, knowledge, enthusiasm and gentle encouragement were all in plentiful supply. I was really impressed with the quality and abundance of materials and delighted with the beautiful wall hanging I was able to produce in such a short time and with no previous experience. Thank you Alice and I look forward to learning more from you in the future."

12 Jun 17'

Kelvin reviewed: Blacksmithing, bladesmithing and metal craft

"In order to review it is very hard to come up with words that haven’t already been used by other reviewers! My course was a birthday present from my partner who has given me many very lovely and thoughtful gifts........this was simply the best ever! As soon as we met Nigel the night before (we stayed in a Shepherd’s hut on site) it was clear this was going to be a fun and informative experience. He had stayed on after hours to wait for our arrival and took us on a tour of the forge and grounds which are an excellent showcase for some of his work. Nigel is a man with great talent, boundless energy and a very generous nature, clearly putting back a lot into society. After a great night’s sleep in the shepherds hut the day began with safety information (but presented in a non boring way) followed by a little chat on history, some advice on anvil height, choice of hammer and how to hold it. Nigel then demonstrated some technique then we were immediately able to try it out on our own anvils. If anyone had any fear of “failure” that would have been immediately dispelled by Nigel making comments such as “there are no mistakes, only design changes”. If the work didn’t go as planned Nigel was always on hand to help correct it. Once we had experienced hand forging we were introduced to the use of the power hammer (of which there are many in the forge)........I had been worried that my arm would be aching by the end of the day but a combination of being taught the right technique and use of the power hammers meant that my arm was fine.......but I went home with aching ribs as a result of laughing more in a day than I normally do in a month! Nigel has a seemingly endless fund of stories and anecdotes from his rich and varied life, they just keep coming during the course of the day. I came home with several items I am proud of and it won’t be long before I book for another course. If you are still reading this, don’t spend too much time thinking about booking yourself on a course, just do it, right now!"

12 Jun 17'

Nereida reviewed: Bookbinding using leather and marbled paper, Frome - Somerset. Private Tuition

"My colleagues and I booked Stephen to come and do a book binding workshop for us at out school, so that we could get together and spend some quality time learning something new, purposeful and artistic. This opened our eyes to the beauty o book binding, such a traditional craft that can sometimes be given for granted. It was very nice to connect to the process of making a book from beginning to end, and I really enjoyed each one of the processes. Stephen held the space in a patient, professional, gentle way, giving clear instructions and individual support when needed. He had a great selection of different materials that could be used, and allowed us to explore different methods including Marbelling the paper, Stamping with an old press, Hand stitching the paper together... all of which was great fun! We all left with a stunning, unique, artistic and useful book that holds many beautiful memories. What I love about this course, is that it gave me the skills to be able to carry on at home. Stephen is also able to take you further, and help you to restore really old books. What an art! Thank you Stephen for this wonderful opportunity to learn to book bind. Many Thanks. Nereida"

11 Jun 17'

Geoff Mitchell reviewed: Willow Piglet workshop

"An interesting workshop, lots of work making my piglet. Victoria was on hand whenever I needed help, she was great."

11 Jun 17'

Lynn Mitchell reviewed: Willow Dragonfly Workshop

"Had a great day. Victoria is a really enthusiastic tutor and very helpful. Came home with a wonderful dragonfly."

11 Jun 17'

Lesa reviewed: One day silver pendant and earring workshop

"Such a great day!!!! Jolene is excellent. So knowledgeable, experienced and was on hand to help throughout the day. I loved this course and came out with a lovely pair of silver earrings and two fantastic silver pendants, all handmade!!!! Jolene showed how to treat the silver to get different effects which was excellent and helped with those challenging bits that novices struggle with. Her studio is a creative haven and inspires. Jolene is a lovely person and I will most definitely go back. She does a course on recrafting old jewellery into new pieces which sounds great. Thanks Jolene for such an enjoyable day!!!!! X"

11 Jun 17'

Joy Griffiths reviewed: Mini Willow Weaving Lesson

"I attended Chrissy's glass mosaic afternoon at Barton Grange Garden Centre today. It was an absolutely great course. Chrissy took the time to explain and show us various techniques when cutting glass, she supported us with designs, cutting difficult pieces and she was very encouraging and inspiring. I brought home an A4 glass mosaic of a butterfly and flower, and I'm not artistically creative! With Chrissy's tuition, her people skills and the variety of glass and beads available, I thoroughly recommend this course ... also, it was only £28 for the three hours and no extra charges for resources, excellent value for money."

11 Jun 17'

Ellie reviewed: Two day needle felting a wired armature animal

"What a fantastic way to spend a weekend! The workshops were great fun but also really informative and very well supplied with quality materials and tools. Karin made sure everyone got to create their own character and took special care to ensure we all felt supported with our ideas. The workshops are well structured so you quickly build your confidence. This was my first foray into felting but I'm looking forward to doing another workshop weekend."