Latest reviews

Trish Waters reviewed: Make an African Print Lampshade

"I really enjoyed this craft course lampshade making class. Natasha was a great teacher and there was a really lovely group at the evening. The lampshades weren't too difficult to make and they all turned out really beautiful. Great value course and I would highly recommend. "

Lili Giacobino reviewed: Garden Sculpture Course

"I had such a lovely time during this one day blacksmith/ garden sculpture workshop. Billy is very friendly and knowledgeable. The settings are absolutely gorgeous as you are in the middle of the woodland and it is very peaceful. The workshop was fun, accessible and I have learned plenty of things. Really proud of what I have sculpted and was able to bring home after this class. Definitely recommend."

Bill's Workshop responded:

"Thank you Lili! Was an utter pleasure to teach you blacksmithing, I'm really glad to hear you're proud of your giant mushrooms and poppy! Hope to see you on another course again one day! All the best -Billy "

Andrew reviewed: Willow Weaving Deer

"A good course with clear instructions. Good fun. I would recommend to others "

Joelle Joanne responded:

"Thank you. Do send a photo once he is settled into his new home!"

Judith Moore reviewed: Needle felted wool landscapes or animal portraits (am/pm)

"My stepdaughter, 2 granddaughters and I did the felting course with Chrissy. She explained everything really well and we had a lovely relaxing family time together."

Chrissy Webster Mosaic & Craft responded:

"Thank you Judith for the lovely feedback, and it was great to meet you all!"

Sian reviewed: Art Spoon Carving with Giles Newman

"This was a great course. I felt really welcomed. Being taught a new skill by somebody so skilled and passionate was a total privilege. I highly recommend this course. "

Giles Newman responded:

"Thank you so much Sian. It was a pleasure to spend the day with you and to share my passion for woodcarving with you."

Liz Davies reviewed: Raku - learn the exciting art of rapid Japanese glaze firing

"Fantastic Raku day. There was a lovely mix of potters and non potters. Richard was a very good instructor and took time to answer questions. I had four pots survive the Raku kiln which is exceptional. We learned about naked and glazed Raku. I felt safe all the way through. I will definitely be going again. Thanks Richard"

Potterydayz responded:

"Thank you for coming along Liz, it was a very enjoyable day. I'm pleased you felt safe during the event and left with a few pieces. I look forward to your return visit. "

Ted Fisher reviewed: Guitar Strumstick Dulcimer 3 strings instrument

"I'm another Ted. I spent the day with this Ted making a strumstick dulcimer. It was a 70th birthday present from my family. What a great day! We talked about all sorts of things, but mainly music. Ted is a very interesting man to talk to and listen to. He's a bit of a polymath, from music to quantum theory and relativity. I love my dulcimer and have played it every day since I made it a week ago. I was useless at woodwork at school many, many years ago, but Ted brought out the best in me. It was the first time I had ever used a bandsaw! (And I've still got all my fingers). I'll ask for another course for my 71st."

Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses responded:

"Thanks for the kind words Ted you are a real gent and the strumming has just begun, hope you get many happy hours with it and hope to see you again on your 80th 😁😁😎👍👍 kind regards Ted 😎"

Janette Stewart reviewed: "Through the Garden Gate" - Machine Embroidery Workshop

"Thanks Jennifer, I had a lovely couple of days stitching, learning new techniques and extending the use of techniques I already knew. Good company and homemade cake were an added bonus."

Sew Forest of Dean responded:

"Hi Janette, thank you so much for your review. It was a pleasure to spend a couple of days with you in the studio and I loved your design and use of the techniques. I'm glad you enjoyed the cake and the company, it was a lovely couple of days. Thanks again, Jennifer"

Jo reviewed: Make a stone set ring or pendant

"I had a really fun day yesterday and made a beautiful double ring. Loucinda is a great teacher, encouraging and patient and she helped me to produce a ring that I've been proudly showing off to everyone today which has been much admired. As someone with limited artistic skills, I was a bit apprehensive but thrilled that the day and the end product were so successful-thank you. "

Neil reviewed: Glassblowing Full Day Masterclass

"I can’t encourage people enough to try this amazing course. The instructors were fantastic and made the day informative yet light hearted and fun. I was fortunate to have a great group of individuals (that I’d never met) to share the experience with and so there were lots of chuckles as we all helped each other to create our work. A fantastic day and very well organised and run. Thank you! "

Blowfish glass responded:

"Thank you very much for your review Neil. We are so pleased that you had a great day and a good laugh making your masterpieces. It was a pleasure to have you in the studio and we hope to see you again !"

Lisa Kay reviewed: Upholstery 1 day workshop - make your own footstool

"Brilliant day - Sue is a fantastic tutor with so much knowledge, would certainly recommend and I can't wait to go back xxx "

Tuffett responded:

"Thanks Lisa. Glad you enjoyed your day. Look forward to seeing you again. Sue "

Sadie reviewed: Make a Tiffany stained glass tea light

"This was a truly incredible day! I cannot recommend it more highly. 5 family members, 2 complete novices and 3 of us who have done the Traditional Stained Glass Workshop before. We have each come away with something we are immensely proud of and completely individual. Kate is such an incredible tutor, sharing her knowledge and skills and lending a guiding hand. I have attended 1 workshop in my wheelchair and 1 in my prothesis and Martin and Kate considered all my needs and it's nice to not feel like a burden and be able to participate fully. Having done 2 courses here I can absolutely assure you there is no wrong choice, you'll come away happy with your creation. "

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for such a lovely review, we hope to see you again in the future."

Toni King reviewed: Beginners Soap Making Course

"What a fabulous day. Paula is so knowledgeable and is open to sharing thoughts and experiences. I went with my teenage daughter, who learnt so much and enjoyed the experience of actually doing the processes. I cannot recommend this course enough, you will not be disappointed. Recommend you bring a pen to make notes. "

Simon reviewed: Creating a Viking knife an introduction to forging and knife making at Bearded Pig Forge

"Fantastic day spent with Spike, who is a patient and knowledgeable tutor. Great to come away with a finished piece of work too. Would thoroughly recommend."

Tracy and Chris reviewed: Make a Tiffany stained glass tea light

"Our class was at the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet which was a lovely studio. The whole day was a great experience and very enjoyable. There was good, clear instruction from Kate, with further support where needed. We were amazed with the tea light holders everyone produced. A brilliant day. "

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for the lovely review."

Antony reviewed: Cracket! 2 day beginners hand tool woodworking course

"This was an excellent experience, Andrew is a considerate and helpful teacher with a gentle and dedicated passion for his craft. The workshop site is rural and remote in the heart of a rewilded quarry with loads of wildlife around and about. I'm so pleased with my cracket stool which looks amazing even as a first time 'furniture maker'. The other two students on the course also said to have had a fab time. Can very confidently recommend this course to anyone (although there may be some accessibility issues for anyone with very limited mobility - steps and uneven ground)"

Audrey reviewed: Make a Tiffany stained glass tea light

"I really enjoyed the day and learnt lots of skills under the expert tuition of Kate, and I'm very pleased with the Tiffany Tealight that I was able to make. Thank you. "

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for the review."

Annie Garcia reviewed: Soap Making for Beginners

"Diane and her course is fantastic. I had her whole attention and I found this just so special. I could ask any question, nothing was too much trouble for Diane. It was fantastic to have such an expert running this course. I had a fun day and left feeling confident I could make soap. I learnt tons from her and am quite keen on another course like the perfume one. Thank you so much Diane!"

Aroma Natural responded:

"Thank you Annie for such a great review. It was a pleasure to teach you all about soap making and share the day with you. You certainly made a great loaf of gorgeous smelling soap which I'm sure you will enjoy using. I would be very happy to teach you how to make a Perfume and look forward to seeing you again. Once again thank you for your kind words and good luck with your soap making in the future. "

Joe Cork reviewed: Two day stone carving course at Chillington Hall

"The 2 days were a great experience! The location, the tools and set up provided, the other craft participants and of course Miranda’s patient and friendly guidance to help even the most novice of people such as myself. Came away with something to be proud of. I would definitely do it again. "

Amerton Arts Studio responded:

"Thanks for your review Joe, glad you enjoyed the weekend. Best wishes Miranda"

Louise Nadim reviewed: MANDALA PAINTING ~ Ancestors

"I enjoyed the course, it was well facilitated, the materials were good and the space and the welcome were excellent. I expected more time decorating our mandalas and being taught more about how to approach this detailed task. However, the sacred geometry and the construction of the shapes was very interesting and I don't regret spending time on it at all. Anne was a brilliant instructor and is very knowledgeable on many aspects of the spiritual nature of mandalas and related practices."

Denmark Farm Conservation Centre responded:

"Thank you for your considered review Louise. We are glad that you enjoyed the course. It was unfortunate that there was not as much time as intended for the painting aspects. I do hope that you can use it as a basis for ongoing exploration of the subject and find time to develop the painting too. Hope to see you again soon. Thanks for joining us and hope to see you again soon. Mara"

David Martin reviewed: Pole Lathing Taster Day

"A lovely day in the woods learning the art of pole turning. Everything was organised to give us maximum time on the elements we individually wanted to do. Blanks for immediate turning were already prepared on the lathes (everyone had their own lathe) plus the opportunity to also use a froe; carving axe; and draw knife later in the day. Although a mainly sunny day, the heavens opened at one point, but the way things were set up, we neither got wet nor had to stop what we were doing. Tuition was mostly on a one-to-one basis, so everyone could work at their own speed. All in all a very enjoyable day out in the woods."

Elena Winterburn reviewed: Cracket! 2 day beginners hand tool woodworking course

"It’s a two days course and I find it extremely useful as we were shown how to use simple tools in the right manner. These basic principles are the same whether you do a chair or a shelf or a box. Techniques are very useful but you need a professional to show them to you. What I learnt during two days will remain with me and I would be using the knowledge that Andrew kindly shared for my own projects."

Sam reviewed: Acrylic paint pouring - Learn the art of acrylic paint pouring using a variety of different techniques

"Unfortunately we were late due to awful traffic. Cath was very understanding and didn’t rush us to settle when we arrived. We were made a cuppa and then started a session. We had lots of fun trying different techniques. We were not rushed at all and Cath gave us time to do all the planned activities, rather than bringing the session to an end at the end of the scheduled time. We really enjoyed ourselves and couldn’t recommend this course enough! Thank you!!! 😊"

Sue Cant reviewed: Make a Tiffany stained glass tea light

"Made a fabulous tea light holder. Easy and well communication from Kate. Well stocked studio. "

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for the review."

Fran Lunn reviewed: Drawn to Still Life

"Alison and Liz build your confidence throughout the day and bring out your true potential. I learnt so much with their clear tuition using different mediums and producing a range of designs. I was so pleased with my achievements A wonderful day which went so quickly, I don’t think anyone wanted to put their chalk, charcoal down! All this was done in an amazing barn in wonderful surroundings with like minded people. Lots of tea and delicious treats, what more could you want. 👩‍🎨"

Blooming Designs - Art in the Barn responded:

"Dear Fran, Thank you so much for your lovely feedback , the progression in everyone’s work throughout the day was really impressive, you all worked so hard ! Hopefully we have inspired you to continue with the techniques you have learnt at home and your confidence will go from strength to strength. It is always a pleasure to work with you and we look forward to seeing you again! Best wishes Alison and Liz"