Latest reviews

Hilary Gooding reviewed: Stained glass garden panel workshop - Hampshire

"Rachel is a bubbly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable tutor. You will have such a fun day. We have come home with garden ornaments that we are thrilled with and have been showing all and sundry because we are so proud of them."

Swanwick Studio responded:

"Arh Hilary, Thank you for your kind feedback - much appreciated :-)"

Kristie Beddoes reviewed: Beginners Silver Jewellery Course

"Me and my mum went on this course today for a treat and had a great time! We started off making our own rings with Mark's guidance before starting our own projects. The quality of the finish we were able to achieve is beautiful. I made a lovely pair of leaf drop earrings (which I'm wearing now!) and my mum made a pretty bangle with a charm - she's always struggled to find one that fits as her wrists are so small but now she's got one made to measure. Mark and Terri were really patient, friendly and welcoming and we would definitely recommend a trip to them for this course!"

Dandelion Silver responded:

"Thank you Kristie, lovely to meet you both, I’m so pleased you enjoyed your day, both of you did amazingly well. Hopefully see you again in the near future, Mark"

Karen reviewed: Ecodyeing - a full day introduction to leaves, rust, heat and fabric alchemy!

"Excellent value for money , good tutor who is very talented at what she does , fab soup and cake ! An unexpected bonus ! Will definitely want to learn more ! "

Judy P. dye - print - weave responded:

"Thanks Karen, and your scarf looks great. We did cover a lot didn't we? Lovely to meet you! "

Jan reviewed: Stone carving for beginners - Weymouth

"John provided excellent tuition and encouragement in the perfect setting. A fantastic experience."

Sculptor John Davey responded:

"Thanks for that Jan. You carved a beautiful relief sculpture with a lot of depth and fantastic curves. You are a natural stone carver. I hope you keep it up. Feel free to contact me if you need any advice. Take care, John."

Vanessa reviewed: Blow a bauble at Chew Valley handmade glass

"Fun and informative"

Chew Valley HandMade Glass responded:

"Thank you for your review."

Jenny reviewed: Natural dyeing - a taster day

"A really brilliant day. Judy was infinitely patient and conveyed her own enthusiasm and love of plants to us all. Her knowledge was huge and we left with a good understanding of the subject and eager to learn more. "

Judy P. dye - print - weave responded:

"Hi Jenny, thanks for your comments. I’m Glad you enjoyed the day. I didn’t need to be patient, you were all eager excited learners, it was a pleasure! Judy "

Joanna Leeuwerke reviewed: Candle & diffuser course

"A thoroughly enjoyable course, right from the warm welcome through to the comprehensive coverage of making candles. Even lunch was included! I feel a lot more confident in my approach to making candles now, added to which the knowledge that John continues to be available for queries beyond the day's training. The venue is superb - it always helps when parking is available right outside. It also happens to be in a an idyllic part of Carmarthenshire. I'll certainly be booking on to other courses that Eden Soap school provides. "

Edensoapschool responded:

"It was lovely to meet you Joanna, glad you enjoyed your day with us at eden soap school. Hope to see you again Sue & John Macadams "

Katrina Rainbow reviewed: Found Poetry Play Session

"Just wanted to say I would thoroughly recommend the art courses with Carrie. I did the found poetry course yesterday and really enjoyed it. Carrie is an excellent teacher and made me feel really welcome. I was nervous about meeting the other people on the course, but they were lovely also. We had a laugh while we were learning, and encouraged each other all the time. I came away from the afternoon feeling so much better and can't wait to try another course with Carrie "

Crafts for Wellbeing responded:

"I'm so pleased your enjoyed the course, Katrina, and that you got so much from it. It was a real pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it. Look forward to seeing you again soon."

Kevin Rawson reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"Absolutely fantastic. I throughly enjoyed every minute. Alex is an excellent tutor, patient and encouraging during every step. Was over 55 years since I was in a forge at school and I was 14 again, reliving every moment and came away with a passable Rams Head poker which stands pride of place next to my indoor log burner. Grateful thanks for the memories Alex. "

Chalk Pit Forge responded:

"You're very welcome, Kevin. Thank you so much for coming, it was a real pleasure meeting you and sharing the skills that you enjoyed all those years ago! Alex"

Kumiko reviewed: Introduction to Coppersmithing - make a copper candlestick

"This was a perfect workshop to experience many skills of copper smithing, while making a useful and beautiful candle holder. The workshop teacher Lizzie was super friendly and so full of knowledge and experience. I’m very happy I came across this workshop, and would 100% recommend to anyone who is interested in making something with your hands from a sheet of metal. It’s magical! "

Henry reviewed: Blacksmithing and Forging Workshop, making copper wrist bands and steel coat hooks.

"Absolutely brilliant day. Learned so much and have some fantastic things we've made during the course. Would definitely recommend!"

Grace Forge responded:

"Thank you so much!! "

Claire reviewed: Beginners' pastel painting workshop at fabulous Glasfryn Hall, North East Wales

"I enjoyed this course very much indeed and learned far more about the art of painting with pastels than I would expect to pick up in a one-day course. The day started with an introduction to the materials and the types of pastels artists use for different effects. We were given a demonstration of techniques before we set to creating our own works. Everyone went away with a lovely unique pastel painting of Snowdonia. The course was carefully prepared, we each had our own work station with materials all set out, and the learning was delivered by our tutor with patience and encouragement. I am looking forward to taking the ‘improvers’ course in the near future. "

Oriel Glasfryn Gallery Limited responded:

"Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review, Claire. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the day and look forward to seeing you on an improvers course! All the best. Dave."

Antony Rodgers reviewed: Blacksmithing Experience in Grassington (3 hours)

"Really great day. Really welcoming, knowledgeable and patient. Catered for all ability and understanding levels. Left feeling confident with a good level of knowledge. I would definitely return and recommend. Great day"

Amanda reviewed: Crochet - Intermediate - Tuesday - Bicton Inn

"Brilliant course. Bryony explained things really clearly and was very patient … much needed for a rusty crocheter! The written resources to take away were really helpful too. Thank you very much."

Claire reviewed: Handmade books - Introductory workshop

"We had a great time. It was so informative, we came away with a collection of notebooks and there were lots of resources to use. Suzy was really generous with her time and her expertise as well as making sure we got the best experience possible. "

The Leaf Press responded:

"Thank you so much for your review Claire. I'm really pleased you both enjoyed the workshop and the books you made were lovely!"

Michael Nudds reviewed: Kate Morrell willow sculpture courses

"Thank you Kate. A brilliant day and a squirrel at the end👌 "

Stuart Smith reviewed: Basic woodturning half day

"Great day out with Chris. Very knowledgeable and a good teacher of basic techniques. Lots of patience from Chris and a warm welcome. Thanks a lot"

Chris Parker Woodturner responded:

"Glad you enjoyed your tuition ,all the best with your woodturning. Bw Chris Parker "

Mikkel reviewed: 2 day axe making course

"Having finished first day of the 2 day axe making course and it's been brilliant. Now in my hotel room and can't wait to get back there tomorrow to finish my axe. Highly recommended."

Miles and Catherine Hitchcock reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day for 2 students

"We had a really fun day learning the basics of bowl turning. Les was very patient with us and was excellent at setting the pace as each new skill was explained, demonstrated and put into practice. Les was happy to answer any questions we had about equipment and techniques and showed us how to maintain the tools and just generally impart his own love of the skill. His good humour and clear explanations made for a very enjoyable experience with the added bonus of taking home two lovely bowls (and a fir tree) made by ourselves under Les’s supervision. Would recommend for anyone, either to learn a new and fun skill, or tap into a wealth of experience with an excellent tutor."

Pren responded:

"Thanks so much for that lovely review. I'll be catching up with emails etc tonight, so I'll send you the information sheets that we talked about. Regards, Les."

Helen reviewed: Mosaics for the home and garden

"We enjoyed the whole day. From learning the techniques, mastering tool and materials to Frances' ability to create a relaxed atmosphere, in which we both made pieces we are delighted with. Photos to follow Frances! Thanks again. Recommended to beginner or someone with skills. Frances will adapt."

Mosaic Mania responded:

"Hi Helen, thanks so much. It was lovely to have you and I am so glad you enjoyed it. Your mosaics are great. Looking forward to the in situ, grouted photos!"

Sara from Liverpool reviewed: Two day Leaded Stained Glass panel making.

"We attended the two day stained glass course this month, Aug 2023. Laura is a fantastic tutor. We both received really good one-to-one instruction & support. The pace of the course was just right, not too fast that we felt rushed, with Laura keeping us total beginners on track to complete our pieces on time. Totally recommend this course. Sara from Liverpool. "

Laura Barnes Crafty Fox Studios responded:

"Hello Sara, I was showing your work to new students today and they loved it, too! Really good choice of colour to suit the design. Thank you so much for your review, it means a lot to me. Laura "

Sarah Battams reviewed: Mosaic Making in the Cotswolds

"My daughter and I did the mosaics course with Jennie. She provided a huge range of mosaics for us to use and then guided us through the process, giving artistic advice too. We absolutely loved the day and our finished mosaics. Many thanks. X"

Jolly Super Things responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind words Sarah. It was pleasure to meet you both and your mosaics looked fantastic! Jennie"

Julia Bleakman reviewed: Bookbinding for Beginners and Improvers

"A very enjoyable five day bookbinding course. Mark Cockram is an excellent teacher - knowledgeable, patient and organised. We learned a good range of solid basic skills and also explored individual projects. A great combination of expert demonstrations and hands-on working, and the time flew by. The accommodation was simple but clean and quiet, at the beautiful Flatford Mill. The whole class intends to go back next year, which is a pretty good indication of how much we all enjoyed it!"

Field Studies Council, Flatford Mill responded:

"Thank you very much for your kind review. We're so glad you enjoyed the course and look forward to welcoming you back soon."

Shirley reviewed: Silversmithing Jewellery Half day workshop at Brightsmiths: One to One tuition

"An excellent course, thank you. Rosie made the session a lot of fun and was very encouraging. She was clear in her explanations and helped us make beautiful pieces of jewellery. "

The Brightsmiths Workshops responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review Shirley it was a pleasure to teach you both such fantastic designs and you worked really hard to achieve amazing results. I hope you and Kate will wear your beautiful Silver Jewellery with Pride! "

Jenny reviewed: Paper Making - Hand Made Recycled Paper

"A lovely way to spend a Birthday morning! Wendy guided us through the essentials of making paper, step by step, in a relaxed and unhurried way. Delighted to leave with three pieces of my very own paper! And loads of ideas for trying this relatively inexpensive craft at home. The helpful booklet given at the end of the course is really useful for reminding you of the steps and useful tips. Would thoroughly recommend this course!"