Latest reviews

Karen Smith reviewed: Berry Basket

"My dad and I attended the berry basket workshop and it was an amazing day. We both enjoyed the activity as every step was explained clearly and Daisy gave support when needed. It was a thoroughly productive, educational and relaxing experience and we are incredibly happy with our baskets. It was a wonderful introduction to willow weaving. The supply of coffee and biscuits were a real treat too. I look forward to arranging another workshop session later in the year. 🙂"

Vine Willow Wood responded:

"Thank you Karen for your kind words, I'm really glad you and your dad enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing you again soon. "

Isobel R reviewed: Pre-felt Collage inspired by Braque & Matisse or make some word art with Purr & Wag It, Tabletop Workshops

"I booked a class with my friend as a gift, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Heather sent an email well before the class with additional info and instructions on finding the venue and was very welcoming on arrival offering tea and biscuits. The instructions for the class were clear and the materials were good quality. The atmosphere was relaxed and we both came away with something we made that we really liked. Ideal!"

Michael Hawes reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"Such an enjoyable day -as a novice it didn’t feel at all intimidating, but friendly, relaxed and really informative. I made a couple of great pieces as well. Thanks, Simon. I’ll be back for the half day tool sharpening course! "

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"Hi Michael, So pleased you enjoyed the session and look forward to seeing you again soon! — Simon "

Mike reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"Had an excellent day on the beginners blacksmithing course. Alex is a great teacher and despite having no experience at all I came away with a knife and a poker for the fireplace. It was a really well-received xmas present for my dad and a really different day out for us. Fully recommended!"

Hammer and Hound Forge responded:

"Hi Mike, I'm really glad you enjoyed your time, and I hope your dad did too! All the best Alex"

Faye Mear reviewed: Lino printing landscapes

"My partner bought me a place on Lee's Reduction Linocut printing course for my birthday as it is a technique I wanted to learn. I had a brilliant day in the studio with two other students and worked to produce my first 3 layer print. Lee is a great teacher, friendly and patient, and I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I hope to go back and learn more!"

Lee Wright Artist responded:

"Glad you got a lot from the day Faye. Well done on making such a good print and look forward to seeing you future work. Lee"

Debbie reviewed: Candle making workshops for beginners - St Albans, Hertfordshire

"Great course. I had a very enjoyable morning learning the techniques and producing 4 candles "

Margaret reviewed: Wet felting (abstract or landscape) - full day - Feather Felts

"This was my second workshop with Jane, having already completed a half day felting a picture. I had another lovely day creating a felt picture and lengthened skills. Jane is very talented and experienced and provided plenty of support with an abundance of patience. As there were only 5 in the workshop we had plenty of individual tuition to learn new skills, nothing was too much trouble. Lunch was an additional excellent bonus. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn a new skill. "

Steve reviewed: Bladesmithing experience day

"What an amazing day, did the 1 day bladesmithing course with my son, we both had a great day, Steve is an amazing teacher and has a great attention to detail, he wants you to have a blade you will be proud of and he definitely achieved that with us, my son and I have several knives in our collections but there is something special about a knife you make yourself, well with a lot of help and guidance from a master bladesmith, we would highly recommend going."

White Tiger Knives responded:

"Hi Steve Thank you very much for your review. It was a pleasure to host you and your son on the one day course with me. The blades that you made were rather special. I hope to meet you and Brian again at the Military Odyssey in August if you're both not too busy. Kind regards Steve Nowacki White Tiger Knives"

Jodie Pritchard reviewed: Candlemaking for Beginners

"I thoroughly enjoyed the candle making session with Rob on Saturday. I was part of a group of 5 and throughout the morning had the opportunity to make 6 candles and some wax melts using a mix of techniques. Rob shared his knowledge and skills very generously, answering all our questions and both explaining and showing us the stages of candle making so we all felt confident in what we were doing. The session was great fun and definitely suitable for beginners. We hadn't got much experience as a group but all came home with 6 creations we were very proud of. Thanks Rob!"

The Wax Studio responded:

"Hi Jodie - thank you for the kind review. It was great to have you on the course! Best wishes"

Kay Fellows reviewed: Weave an alpaca scarf in a day

"We totally enjoyed our day with Caroline weaving scarves last week. Meeting the Alpaca's was fab despite the not so good weather. Lunch was great even the Gluten Free choice. Will definitely recommend, thank you again"

Clivewood Alpacas responded:

"Thank you"

Yewande (Babi) Dixon reviewed: Chocolate making workshop - Bean to Bar

"I had a marvellous time yesterday, you made it so interesting. I have now booked the truffle course for 17th March. I also told all my friends and neighbours. Thank you."

The Chocolate School responded:

"Thank you Yewande You were a great participant and your chocolate bars looked amazing. I hope they tasted as good as they looked. Can't wait to see you again on 17th March - I'm sure that you will love this one too. All best wishes Karen "

Ann & Gill reviewed: Weave an alpaca scarf in a day

"Fantastic day with excellent tuition from Caroline throughout. My friend and I completed our beautiful scarves with Caroline's guidance and are now proud to wear them. To make a fabulous day more exciting we visited the Alpacas and were told which ones the wool came from that we used. Lunch was delicious. Can't praise this course enough."

Clivewood Alpacas responded:

"Thank you. "

Trefor reviewed: 2 Person Full Day Woodturning Tuition from Registered Professional Turner in Dorset, South West

"Fantastic day, both myself and Neil enjoyed it very much and are keen to do it again "

Joe Creed-Kaile responded:

"Hi Trefor and Neil, Glad you both enjoyed the day, great pleasure to teach. "

Sue L reviewed: Candle making workshops for beginners - St Albans, Hertfordshire

"Really enjoyed this workshop, nice location, the three hours flew by! Anne provided a lot of interesting and helpful information in a friendly relaxed atmosphere. A very 'hands on' practical session, clear instructions and guidance given, good range of equipment and materials. Great to bring home 4 lovely candles too. Highly recommended. "

Nic Bassinder reviewed: Mastering Pen Making.

"We had a brilliant day making pens with Derek, he is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We learned a huge amount, had a very enjoyable day and came home with pens to die for. Highly recommended. Thank you so much Derek!"

Assynt Pens responded:

"Great fun with great students, and Rosie says hi! Thank you Nic&Paul. Glad you enjoyed the day. You rocked it!"

Jah reviewed: Sea Glass Jewellery Making Course - One day course (Reading)

"Everything was well planned and prepared before we arrived. Carol gave a really clear demonstration and we were able to make lots of amazing jewellery. My child has autism and came with me and they also had an amazing experience. Carol’s instruction and tips on where to buy products from will also enable us to make more things at home. "

La Jade responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review I’m pleased you both enjoyed the course 🤗"

Jane Savory reviewed: Garden Stained Glass Panel Workshop

"A very enjoyable day. Ruth gave good instructions and assistance and I left with a piece of glass artwork that I am impressed with. I have also had positive comments from neighbours who have seen it. Would definitely recommend "

Ruth Mullan Stained Glass Artist responded:

"Thank you Jane for your lovely comments. I am pleased that you went away with a piece of artwork that you are impressed with. It's great to hear your neighbours approve too! :) Hopefully when the weather improves with a lot more sunshine it will really shine on the lovely iridescent glass you have used. "

Judith reviewed: Introduction to simple Ink Drawings

"It was a thoroughly enjoyable course. Lots of things were covered as well as ink drawing. Nina is very enthusiastic about her course which is very refreshing "

JO reviewed: Introduction to Off-Loom Weaving Workshop, Salisbury

"As a true newbie to the world of weaving this was the perfect introduction. Ellie was so supportive, generous, and knowledgeable. The day was filled with learning, fun, creativity, and laughter. A great way to spend a Saturday and I went home chuffed with my projects and look forward to discovering more about this ancient craft from such a wonderful teacher, Ellie."

Karen Austin reviewed: Introduction to Lino Printing in Cambridgeshire

"I completed this course last Saturday and really enjoyed it . Judith was very supportive. Her instructions were clear and informative and I left feeling I wanted to carry on experimenting at home. I'm sure I will be back to the centre to do another course! "

print paper stitch experiences responded:

"Thank you Karen, lovely to meet you and I really enjoyed seeing how experimental you were with your gorgeous colour combinations!"

Susan reviewed: Create with a gel printing plate in Derbyshire

"Hello. What a fun and inspiring day we had yesterday. We four friends booked a day with Liz to do her gel printing workshop hoping to be able to transfer our new skills to our textile work. Liz is a skilled tutor who broke down the steps of this new technique to us and we all said made us see new pathways in our art explorations. The environment in her studio was warm and inviting. Thank you for a wonderful day and we hope to see Liz on another workshop. "

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"Hi Susan, Good to hear from you and thank you for telling me about your time here at the studio. I had such a great day working with you all. You were all so interesting and engaged, which makes for a lovely working atmosphere. There’s so much potential for using gel printing with textiles, so I’m sure you’re going to love your investigations. Happy printing Liz Wellby"

Sarah J-D reviewed: Create with a gel printing plate in Derbyshire

"Liz's Gel plate printing course was a revelation to me! As an experienced painter who was very out of practice with printmaking, this was the perfect course to re-ignite my curiosity and enthusiasm for it. Liz's spacious, light-filled studio is super well organised and Liz herself is refreshingly upbeat and a joy to learn from. Her knowledgeable instruction took me where I needed to go artistically and as her only student that day I felt even more special as she tailored her lesson to suit my many, many questions about everything from printing equipment to design and colour choices. I can't wait to try this new medium in my artistic practice and I've already booked the advanced course scheduled a few months from now! I would highly recommend this course to any artist who would like to broaden their artistic practice or even to a beginner, as Liz's many years of teaching experience gives her the ability to make learning fun, whatever your level of skill. I'm determined to get a lil cuddle from her unbelievably gorgeous studio cat Bert next time ;-)"

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"Hi Sarah, I have a huge smile on my face, as I tap out my reply to you. Thank you for taking the time and putting so much thought into your feedback - I really appreciate it. You are clearly going to find gel plate printing a really useful addition to your already extensive skill set. It’s a great process for a warm up, it will also help provide decisions re colour and pattern for your painting, plus you’ll be able to create a range of prints pieces that complement your paintings and explore ideas at speed. I’m looking forward to working with you again a little later in the year, to try out your larger plate. Best wishes Liz Wellby"

Lynne Cunningham reviewed: Stained glass suncatcher workshop - Full Day

"A really enjoyable copper foil workshop. Jo is a very encouraging and patient teacher and with her guidance we all came away at the end of the day having made ourselves a lovely sun catcher. And Jo also gave us lots of information about working with glass - altogether a highly recommended workshop. Thanks Jo!"

Seaview Studio responded:

"Lynne, Thank you for the lovely review. It was an absolute pleasure to teach you. You were a fantastic student and made a beautiful flower sun catcher with really lovely thought out colours. I am so pleased you enjoyed your day. "

Fiona and Mark reviewed: Spanish and Mexican Tapas

"We had lovely session with Phil covering Spanish and Mexican Tapas. Phil was very kind and engaging. We prepared various dishes and had a lovely lunch overlooking the garden. We would really recommend the course and we hope to come back for the game course in the autumn."

Elisabetta Fordiani reviewed: Scheduled Jewellery Taster Class

"Alison has been a superb teacher! Welcoming and with a witty sense of humour, she introduced us to the fascinating art of silversmith. We had the opportunity to experience the steps that led to the creation of a sterling silver ring that we love. We can not help but recommend this course!"

Alison Flanders Studio responded:

"Elisabetta, thank you so much for this wonderful recommendation. It was lovely to have you both at the bench to introduce the fascinating world of metals."