Latest reviews

7 Nov 16'

Celia reviewed: Friday mosaic making

"I brought my sister as a treat. We had a lovely stress-free morning. Audrey supplies a beautiful range of mosaics and ideas, and she is very encouraging. Excellent!"

7 Nov 16'

Alison reviewed: Landscapes in Fleece

"A second wonderful day with SallyAnne. We were delighted with the willow stags we made and struck once again by SallyAnne's generosity as a teacher and craftsperson. We had a day which stretched our brains and developed a whole different range of skills from the basket work we began with last time. SallyAnne is patient and sees just when help is needed. She builds confidence in those learning with her and takes delight in their learning."

7 Nov 16'

oliver and sarah perceval reviewed: Alchemy of Pigment and Pattern at SAOG Studios

"great, maybe could have got a bit more covered/done - starting times stretched somewhat, but then again that is part of the charm! Daniel was an excellent host, very generous providing coffee and healthy nibbles. lovely location. great to get back to the 'old way' of doing things i.e properly."

7 Nov 16'

Simon Sharp reviewed: Dads and Lads' Bushcraft courses with Stuart Lawrence Northyorkshire

"Really enjoyable day for both me and my 12 year old son. We covered firelighting, rabbit skinning and butchery and basic shelter building. We both came away armed with additional knowledge and an enthusiasm to put into practice what we had learned."

6 Nov 16'

Helen Harkin reviewed: Pottery making party in lovely seaside studio

"Highly recommended . Thoroughly enjoyable day . Relaxing , creative , informative and fun! Jenny is the briliant and the facilities and lunch could not be better . We can't wait to display our vases. An experience we'll never forget ."

6 Nov 16'

Shirley Mackenzie reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"Thank you Sophie for another fun filled informative day. Thoroughly enjoyed the company, the craft making and your mums lovely lunch. Looking forward to a further workshop in December. Highly recommended and great value. All the best Shirley"

6 Nov 16'

Jillian reviewed: One day leather work course - small leather goods

"My daughter and I flew in from Italy for Jason's 1-day leather course and it was 100% worth the 1700km journey. Jason is a relaxed and skilled teacher who has a way of teaching you how to work with leather in such a fun and detailed manner. The day flew by and we left feeling like we are really learned the essential skills needed to work with leather. We'll definitely come back in the future to attend the 2-day course. Thanks for a great workshop Jason!"

6 Nov 16'

Aimee Kirkham reviewed: Clay portrait weekends with Karin Ort

"I have just completed a life sculpture course with Karin Ort at Phoenix Studio and it was fantastic. Karin spent time discussing techniques, equipment, scale and proportion and different clays with us, which was great for me as a beginner and the more practiced sculptors of the group. She also spent time with each of us on a 1-2-1 basis, throughout the two day course, which meant we were able to refine our work and ask questions. I can honestly say that each of us produced a piece that we would all be proud to put on display. I can't recommend this course highly enough... I'm definitely booking onto more of their courses!"

6 Nov 16'

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

"Very well presented and instructed by Steph. Now inspired to "up-cycle" my Ducal furniture. Met some like minded folk with whom I will keep in touch and we are going to swop furniture that we don't need. Will keep in touch with Steph. and her La-di-da interiors shop and purchase more products for decorating my new kitchen. Very happy thank you."

6 Nov 16'

Irene Beckwith reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops in London

"Just done my second workshop. It's a really fun, relaxing way to spend a morning and make a beautiful piece of glass. Eva is lovely and a great teacher. Can't wait to pick up my piece."

6 Nov 16'

Peter Scott reviewed: Blacksmith Experience Day - Anvil Forge

"As a group the aim was to hammer red hot bits of metal. We did this and so much more. John and his team welcomed us their place of work and soon set the prefect tone for a great day. After a short safety introduction, we were straight into making a poker each which fulfilled the main objective of hammering red hot bits of metal. This was great fun and proved that you need less brawn and more brains than the task would first suggest. I particularly enjoyed putting in the candy twist into the poker. John had asked us to come with a project in mind and soon he had helped plan a way to translate our ideas into reality. We made between us a forge knife, a boot stand, a number of dragonflies and ocean scene. I had to weld in the afternoon, a first for me !! I never felt rushed or out of my depth with the plenty of helpful guidance, tea and biscuits. It was truly amazing what we all managed to make in a single day. The best recommendation I can give, is that this day is firmly in our calendar's to repeat next year and I will build a plant trellis next time."

6 Nov 16'

Flavian reviewed: Blacksmithing - one to one - Hammer Skills

"This hammer skills course suits in my opinion perfect for everybody who seriously wants to learn the essentials of blacksmithing. It`s a well-conceived setup based on practical experience. I really enjoyed the two days with Bob as a fabulous teacher. A great craftsman with patience and a good humour. Thanks Bob!"

6 Nov 16'

Flavian reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"As a student with blacksmithing experience, Colin had shown me in a two days course a huge amount of different forging techniques . Combined with a lot of self-made exercises a great possibility to learn and progress. I really enjoyed the two days with Colin as a fabulous teacher. A great craftsman with passion and a good humour. Thanks Colin!"

6 Nov 16'

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

"Been wanting to do this course for over a year and have lots of projects in our new house. So glad I did this course it's really shown me how to maximise the use of Annie Sloan paint... Thank you so much..."

6 Nov 16'

Lisa le Roux reviewed: Crochet for Beginners (Adults) in Putney

"Great friendly teacher. Breaks down the basics really well. Very patient. Very knowledgeable. Emailed me follow on suggestions immediately. :)))"

6 Nov 16'

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

"Best birthday present ever. A day with Graham left me with a wealth of knowledge and confidence on the lathe. From health and safety through sharpening, stance, tool angles, machine speeds to different wood types and uses and turning and polishing. A very full yet well paced and comfortable day. Will definitely be back for further courses and advice."

6 Nov 16'

Nerys Osbourn reviewed: Beginners Hand spinning - 'From fleece to fibre’ - at All in a Spin

"A really enjoyable workshop. We went through the process of preparing the yarn from washing the raw fleece to spinning and plying the yarn. Dunja is very patient and explains everything clearly. The handout containing a glossary of spinning terms was very useful. After just a few hours I'd spun a small skein of yarn and I went home with a sense of achievement and lots of enthusiasm to carry on spinning. I'll certainly be booking more workshops with Dunja in the future."

5 Nov 16'

Anne reviewed: Needle felting course with FURZIE at Trumpet Corner Tea Rooms, Ledbury, Herefordshire

"An excellent day! Michelle very attentive and encouraging everything provided and coffee and cake, a very relaxed and productive day, I shall return thank you!"

5 Nov 16'

Sue Bradbury reviewed: Creative Spring /Christmas Gift Wrapping Workshop with Lunch

"Huge fun......Jo is a lovely lady who passes her (considerable) skills on with enthusiasm, patience and tact. It was very relaxing and friendly and the time flew by. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone, it would also make a great friends day out/present."

5 Nov 16'

Julia and Irene reviewed: Hand Spinning For All - Norfolk

"I would recommend Theresa very highly, as complete novices she took my mum and me through all the processes from raw fleece to washed skeins of wool. She is extremely knowledgeable and a really flexible teacher. We laughed A LOT while learning all day. The whole set up is perfect and I am about to buy my first wheel and launch into spinning in preparation for getting my own alpacas and possibly angora goats next year. I can't imagine a more enriching experience which has filled me with excitement about spinning everything from silk, alpaca, mohair, cashmere to wool, all of which I had a go at on the day."

5 Nov 16'

Andrew Pinkus reviewed: Full day leather craft workshop

"I attended a days course with Rosanna, I found it to be a very compact day, learning how to hand stitch, machine stitch, for both material and leather. Learning about using button fixings and studs. It is a relaxed working environment with great hospitality. I came away with a hand stitched card holder, trinket tray and a tote bag. After a day with Rosanna i came away filled with the knowledge and the confidence to now start broadening my horizons for making different leather products. Highly recommend a course with Rosanna. Thank you"

5 Nov 16'

Chrissie Clarke reviewed: Needle felting course with FURZIE at Trumpet Corner Tea Rooms, Ledbury, Herefordshire

"Michelle is an excellent tutor and ensured the day was enjoyable I had never attempted felting before but was very pleased with the outcome !The venue was good ..easy to find and plenty of parking . The cake was very nice!"

4 Nov 16'

Anne Kember reviewed: Creating ceramic animals courses - with James Ort & Alison Pink

"I completeled my course 5 months ago but have only just been able to get to James to collect the two dogs I made. Wow!! They're great, I'm so happy with them. The studio and surroundings are lovely, it's a friendly, make a cup of tea anytime type of relaxed atmosphere mixed with times of intense concentration. At the end of the course you'll have such a sense of achievement. James is an inspiration, his work is stunning and with his techniques and his willingness to pass those on you come out with two great pieces of art. James lets you get on with it but is always on hand to help when needed, Alison is lovely, really helpful & has a great eye for detail, she gave my dog a brilliant & realistic nose for me. Give it a go you'll be amazed what you go home with. Our class was a mixture of ages with some people who had done pottery before and some who hadn't and we all made clay animals to be proud of. James has given me some great advice recently and is a genuinely kind person with a real passion for the artistic world."

4 Nov 16'

Beverley Bruce reviewed: Firebird Forge Blacksmithing School

"I had the best time ever today. Mort is a brilliant teacher, spot on with that balance between getting you to do it for yourself and jumping in when necessary to ensure you have something amazing to take home at the end of the day. I had been nervous beforehand (I am a 59 year old woman) but Mort put me at my ease. He is clearly a genuinely nice man and very very good at his job. I'd always wanted a go at making something out of metal so this was a very thoughtful birthday present with the bonus of being near a cosy fire on a cold day and being able to knock six bells out of hot iron. Strangely satisfying. Anyway, I can thoroughly recommend this course - go for it!"

4 Nov 16'

Sue Richardson reviewed: Pottery throwing course in the South Downs National Park (one day - one-to-one)

"What a fun 2 hours!! My daughter brought the 2 hour experience for us as a gift as I expressed an interest in trying pottery after seeing a pottery programme on the television. We were both absolute novices but Rowena the tutor put us at ease immediately. First she helped me create a bowl while my daughter watched and then we switched roles and I watched on. She explained things very clearly and demonstrated what she was saying making sure we understood what we were trying to achieve at each stage of the process. When it came to the second pots we made Rowena talked us through what to do each stage and sat between us ready to lend a hand when needed and happy to sit back and encourage us when we were doing ok. We never quite mastered the art of centering but luckily we had the brilliant skills of Rowena on hand to help with that stage and when asked she stepped in again to sort out some wobbly sides but otherwise she really let us go for it. At the end of the session it turned out Rowena would glaze and fire the pots for us for collection in a few weeks. Really would recommend this course, such a sense of achievement when we created a real pot that looked like a real pot thanks to the excellent tuition!"