Latest reviews

Samantha Wilson reviewed: Pottery throwing sessions on the potter's wheel in Norfolk

"Pat was very friendly and welcoming. My boys thoroughly enjoyed the class. Very patient and encouraging. Would definitely recommend. "

Pat Southwood responded:

"Thank you so much, it was a pleasure teaching them."

Yvonne reviewed: Stained Glass for Home and Garden

"Terrific course. Content was just right for an absolute beginner to take home something completed and really rather lovely. Anna was a great teacher. Very helpful and engaging. All the equipment and materials were provided. Highly recommend this to anyone interested in trying out a new craft. "

Anna Conti Stained Glass responded:

"Thanks so much for this Yvonne, very appreciated and I am very happy that you enjoyed it so much. Best wishes, Anna."

Peter J reviewed: An Introduction to Pyrography Wood Art with Ruth Wheeler

"A stimulating day, with all necessary equipment provided and guidance given. A thoroughly enjoyable experience in an idyllic rural woodland environment. one's pleasure marred only by the weather conditions, the course taking place either in the open air or in default under the cover of an open-sided shed."

Jorg H reviewed: Highlands cup carving (Focus on the Form)

"Excellent course, great fun, great setting and fab tuition. Tom is very knowledgeable, gives great encouragement and advice. I would thoroughly recommend this course to beginners or intermediate woodcarvers. I hope to be back for another course soon."

Mark Thompson reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"A really great weekend. Arian is a great teacher and I have a one of a kind knife for the rest of my life. Thoroughly recommend this course. I have no craft skills and made something beautiful. "

Nailsworth Community Workshop responded:

"Hi Mark, and thank you for your feedback. Pleasure to meet you and indeed you made a lovely knife. I’m sure it’ll serve you well on your adventures for years to come! Best wishes and stay in touch."

Nancy Jensen reviewed: Kate Morrell willow sculpture courses

"We had a fabulous day with Kate. We can’t believe that we came away with such beautiful and accomplished willow figures! Kate is very patient and supportive and knows just how much to help. Lunch was delicious and we got to enjoy it on her beautiful garden. I wouldn’t hesitate to do another course with Kate or to recommend her willow weaving courses to others. "

Kate Morrell willow sculpture responded:

"Many thanks for your review I'm so pleased you enjoyed your day"

Aravind reviewed: Introduction to traditional stained glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"I was looking forward to the one day workshop on the 22nd of April 2023 with great anticipation to demystify " the how is it that any one could create?" the incredible stained glass windows, which I adore in every church I visited for many years. But I did not expect to get the jackpot and that was the experience, that I received. The teacher, Kate Billington, from start to finish, was beyond excellence, who gave us clear but precise instructions which made the whole learning process easy and relaxed and most of all what I came out with at the end the day was my wonderful achievement to relish with pleasure. The proof was that when I got home, my family could not wipe the smile from me, on the other hand, I could not theirs either, seeing me full of joy."

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for the lovely review."

Andrew reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Had a great day making a key fob and a dragon coat hook rail. I have never done anything like this before so was a complete novice, but Ade and Andy gave excellent instruction and it was fantastic to get “hands on” with the fire and the tools. The sense of achievement you get from producing something successfully is wonderful. The tea and flapjack on arrival was good, the lunch superb, and the tea and cakes in the afternoon lovely. All in all a great experience which I would thoroughly recommend."

Janet reviewed: Learn pyrography - The art of drawing with fire

"I really enjoyed this pyrography class. We first used a variety of different nibs on assorted materials, then transferred a design on to wood using carbon paper and burned our first design. My favourite part was when we used a blowtorch to create an image using negative space. Lee was very patient and encouraging, and I would definitely recommend this class."

Lee Borthwick responded:

"Thank you Janet, so glad you enjoyed the class! All the best on your woodworking journey."

Bev Holmes reviewed: Felt Making Pictures (Halifax)

"Have just had a very enjoyable day wet felting. Went with a friend for her birthday and both of us really enjoyed it. Jo was very knowledgeable, explaining the process and different techniques we could use. There was an amazing range of resources, so the range of colours and effects we could include were pretty much unlimited. I would really recommend this course, Jo is really encouraging and patiently allowed us both time to experiment - even though we took much longer than expected!! Thanks Jo, it was fabulous."

Phinefibre responded:

"Thank you Bev and Jenny for your prompt and lovely review. Very happy you enjoyed your day of felt making and my extensive stash of fibres and materials. "

Liz van Zyl reviewed: Beginners Pottery Day Course

"Really great day! We were so impressed by Mathew’s teaching style and methods. We did not envisage being able to throw three complete pots on our first day. We were both complete beginners. We definitely will be booking again a course with Mathew Dimbleby. "

Dimbleby Ceramics - Studio Pottery Courses responded:

"Hi Liz, thank you for taking the time to leave a review about your experience on the course. It was a pleasure to teach you and see you progress throughout the day. You created a range of lovely forms. Best wishes Mathew"

Craig Walker reviewed: Guitar Strumstick Dulcimer 3 strings instrument

"This is an absolute must do for anyone who would like an introduction into the world of crafting a musical instrument. Ted is an excellent host, a real gent, who guides you through the process with skill and patience, while keeping the conversation flowing. The day slipped by so quickly that it was hard to believe that I’d made a fully functioning and lovely sounding + looking 3 string dulcimer in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Also learned so much about the woodworking tools and techniques involved, and the why and how of each process. Absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much Ted!"

Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses responded:

"Thanks Craig I hope you have many years playing your instrument on top of Ben nevis 😎👍👍 your method of working was excellent and very physical indeed. Looking forward to seeing you on another course soon. 👍👍👍🙂 Ted "

Tim Wilson reviewed: Green Wood Creative Seating - 6 Day Course in South Devon

"What a week! Peter is a superbly skilled craftsman, which is such an understatement. He is also an extremely accomplished teacher who was so patient with us as we produced our pieces. I came away with skills, wonderful memories and a nice piece of heirloom furniture! "

Peter Lanyon Furniture responded:

"Thanks Tim, you were actually on the chair course, you just went "off piste" a little! Great to have you back. Thanks for your company and for making such a great piece. "

Rozana reviewed: Making silk flowers workshop

"I have just completed the workshop with rose making cherry blossom. I was a bit apprehensive to start with as I have never made any silk flowers before and I didn’t think it will be easy to make from scratch, but I needn’t have worried. Rose was excellent at explaining the process step by step. She made sure it was an enjoyable as well as an informative experience for us. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Time went so quick and I ended up with a beautiful display. It was definitely worth the 90miles drive to attend this course and will definitely do it again. Thanks a lot rose for a most enjoyable day x"

Made with Rose responded:

"Thank you Rozana, your finished cherry blossoms were beautiful and you really mastered the techniques very quickly. This is definitely a craft that you would enjoy developing further and I look forward to creating more flowers with you in the future. Rose"

Katy Pearson reviewed: Wax Sculpt a Floral Ring or Pendant Workshop; with Lindsay Forbes of Laconic - Sedgefield

"Excellent workshop, learnt lots of different techniques of how to use wax to mould and adorn a ring. Can’t wait to see the finished silver casted ring"

Bench Box responded:

"Thanks Katy, I'm glad you enjoyed learning the various techniques. I can't wait to see the finished rings in silver either! "

Paula Fletcher reviewed: Stained Glass Workshop at the Warehouse 2nd & 3rd September 2023

"I loved this course completed over a weekend. Jo was so friendly and knowledgeable. I love the piece I created and feel able to tackle further projects at home. Thanks Jo, I would absolutely recommend this course. "

Jill White reviewed: Candlemaking for Beginners

"This course was a lovely way to spend a morning. It was productive and informative and worth every penny. Rob was both knowledgeable and patience and he gave clear directions for finding the place. I thoroughly enjoyed experience. Thank you Rob."

Janice reviewed: Introduction to traditional stained glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"Excellent day course and Kate an excellent tutor who provided personal attention to each person as they needed. Ran over a little so all could finish piece. Really enjoyed it. "

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you."

Alison reviewed: Block printing on Fabric

"What a lovely day out, block printing with an old friend of mine. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and look forward to applying all these new techniques to print up a lampshade of my own. Highly recommend the course. Alison"

Blooming Designs - Art in the Barn responded:

"Hi Alison, Thank you for your feedback, it was great to work with you both yesterday and it was lovely to see how your designs developed throughout the day. Hopefully you can both apply what you have learnt to begin designing your lampshades. I will keep you posted on dates for lampshade workshops. Happy printing! Alison "

Janice reviewed: SAORI creative weaving day

"Two of us joined a lovely supportive and creative ( 4 students in total) group to try this weaving for the first time. It was a lovely day, very relaxing and calming. Amanda was really helpful, constructive, and keen for everyone to do their very best and to enjoy the day. She was really generous with her wool etc, knowlege , not to mention refreshments. Thanks for a great day Amanda, couldn't have enjoyed it any more, and will definitely be back for more."

BEAUTIFULcloth SAORI Studio responded:

"Thank you Janice for your kind words. You produced a beautiful piece of cloth, fully embracing the SAORI principles, It was lovely to share the joy of SAORI weaving with you and I hope to see you again soon for some more weaving."

Malcolm Bowe reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Well organised, engaging day"

Karen Riding reviewed: Pen making and wood turning introduction

"I really enjoyed the course. I made 1 pen and 2 candle holders. Now I need a shed and a lathe. I would highly recommend this course. Phil was friendly and really knowledgeable. He made it look easy, although it wasn't, but it was fun!"

Maureen reviewed: SAORI creative weaving day

"I had a lovely day with Amanda, learning Saori weaving and becoming totally absorbed in the task. Amanda has an extensive knowledge of the art of Saori weaving and explained the basic technique, answering all our questions and showing us additional ways to produce different effects. I was pleasantly surprised to have completed a wall hanging of almost a metre in length in one day. "

BEAUTIFULcloth SAORI Studio responded:

"Hello Maureen, Thank you for your review. I am so pleased you enjoyed your day on the loom. Your finished piece was lovely and I hope you find the perfect place to hang it. Warm wishes Amanda"

Heidi Cook reviewed: Stained glass mosaic garden bird stakes in the Cotswolds

"I really enjoyed the day making garden bird stakes. Yvette is a friendly and relaxed tutor which made it a relaxing day. The studio was easy to find thanks to her directions with photographs. I would love to go back again and make some more things over the summer. A very tranquil place. Thanks Yvette."

Baobab Tree Mosaics responded:

"Thank you so much, really glad you enjoyed it. "

Tina reviewed: Resin crafting for beginners

"Was a great course learnt a lot and made sense of stuff I had read in books. Scott a great teacher always open to questions. Created various shapes using moulds and also practiced finishing techniques on some precast pieces. Only slight disappointment was we didn't make any of the items using wood and resin as illustrated in the course blurb. But maybe this a separate course? Highly recommend for beginners, "

Black Paw upcycle project responded:

"Hi Tina, I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed our day together. I just wanted to address the concern you raised about not being able to use wood with the resin. I apologize if that was something you were hoping to incorporate into your project. During our initial discussion, I presented you with various options for moulds, effects, colour combinations, and additional materials like clock parts and flowers that we could focus on. At the time, I may not have emphasized enough the use of wood with the resin, and for that, I'm sorry. Nonetheless, I'm glad that we were able to create some beautiful pieces together, and I hope it's something you'll cherish for a long time. Scott"