Latest reviews

Marcus reviewed: Pole lathe turning / green woodworking 1-2-1 or pairs

"Excellent day learning how to shape wood with an axe and a draw knife before using the pole lathe to produce a French rolling pin. I learnt lots of skills I can use in other areas of woodworking. Lots of tea provided which I run on, and very posh biscuits. "

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

"Hi Marcus, Really glad you enjoyed the course (and the biscuits!). I’m fully expecting to see photos of excellent pastry rolled using your new pin… — Simon"

Anne Malin reviewed: Mosaic workshop at Jackie Nash Art

"An excellent day for anyone . Tutor could not be more helpful , very welcoming and friendly…. Thank you for a super day and good luck to everyone I met … all the best….Anne"

Jackie Nash Art responded:

"Thank you Anne for your lovely review.,😁"

Jonathan Richards reviewed: Furniture making course: Fundamentals of Furniture Making Part 1 (beginner)

"A great introduction to some of the basic skills in cabinet making. Jarrad ran the course I attended and he worked hard to make the workshop a very welcoming place. He clearly talked us through every step and was always on hand to help. Aidan dropped in occasionally and was always ready to offer encouragement. Its a 'hands on' course and each attendee had access to good quality, well maintained tools. Highly recommended."

Farnham School of Furniture Making Ltd responded:

"Thank you very much for your kind feedback Jonathan! It was great to welcome you at the workshop and if you have any further questions, feel free to contact us. All the best, Aidan "

Jolene Carr reviewed: Candle Making Course at Butterfly Barn Studio - Private Workshop for up to 4

"What a great workshop. Kathy was so knowledgeable and helpful and took her time to make sure we had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Was worth the 3 hour round trip. "

Anne Davies reviewed: Screen printing workshop

"I bought this as a gift for my sister. We both had a fantastic time. Kathryn was an absolute delight to learn from. Very relaxed and friendly environment. I left feeling eager to learn and do more!! I would highly recommend this workshop, you don’t need to worry if you have not done it before as Kathryn will take you through the whole process. A great way to switch off and just be in the moment, creating and experimenting with colour and design. The biscuits and coffee are great as well!!! 😉 "

Kathryn Green Textiles responded:

"Thank you Anne. It was an absolute pleasure to teach you and Sue. I think I enjoyed it as much as you did! You both produced some wonderful prints and I am delighted you were happy and excited about them and the workshop in general. I would love to welcome you both back anytime if you ever fancy learning some more. "

Chris reviewed: Dry Stone Walling Taster weekend (2 days) - Spring - Vale of Glamorgan

"A great course, where I learnt a lot over the weekend. Very good instruction and no question was too trivial, a brilliant introductory course."

Renata reviewed: Silver jewellery course for beginners in Exeter

"We had such a good time at our silver clay course. Anna was so friendly, welcoming and went out of her way to accommodate us. We learned so much in the morning we spent there. Anna is a great teacher who took her time with us and made sure we were happy and confident with what we were doing. She gave us lots of different ideas and we came out with some truly beautiful pieces of jewellery. "

Silver Jewellery Art responded:

"Hello Renata, I am very pleased that you rated the course with me so well. The time spent with you was extremely nice and you turned out to be very talented people. Thank you Anna"

Jeremy reviewed: Introduction to woodworking

"A well structured course which was well attended. Philip spent a good amount of time explaining the minimum amount of tools we could reasonably have to begin working with wood and demonstrating how to use the powered tools in the workshop. In the afternoon we got our hands on the tools, squaring off a piece of wood and making up a mortise and tenon joint. We also got to try out the powered tools. An excellent introduction from a knowledgeable and enthusiastic tutor! Thankyou Philip"

Philip Hodge responded:

"Hi Jeremy Thank you for your review which is much appreciated. Philip"

Suzanne Campbell reviewed: Learn to Spin with Michelle from The Spinning Shed

"Excellent day. Michelle was an attentive, encouraging and informative tutor. Would highly recommend."

The Spinning Shed responded:

"Thank you Suzanne. It was a pleasure to start you on the wonderful journey of spinning!"

GeeB reviewed: Ceramic Garden Seed Head and flower Ornaments - Emma Godden Ceramics

"Really enjoyable day with Emma with a lovely group. Emma was professional and patient with us all ranging from beginners to 2nd timers. Would thoroughly recommend. Only downside was that time went so quickly."

Emma Godden Ceramics responded:

"I’m so glad you enjoyed the day! And yes, time flies when you’re having fun!"

Yvonne reviewed: Shibori Stitch Cushion Covers

"A great course that raced by with Fran and Mary as excellent tutors planning the whole day course now."

Fran Reilly Textiles responded:

"Hi Yvonne Thanks for your lovely feedback. It was great to meet you yesterday and see all the lovely work that was created. I will send details of the full day course as soon as possible. In in the meantime I wish you a Happy Easter weekend. Best wishes Fran & Mary"

Wendy Greenwood reviewed: Explore 1 & 2 colour lino cutting and printing in Derbyshire

"Very enjoyable Lino cutting course with Liz on 1st April. Lovely setting and a very knowledgeable tutor. Would highly recommend. I was a novice but still came away with prints to be proud of. Thanks."

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"Hi Wendy, Good to hear about your time at The Slipper Studio and thank you for letting me know. It was a pleasure working with you, seeing you explore the process and understanding the potential of what can be done with lino cutting and printing. With all that lovely time opening up ahead of you, just imagine the fun you’ll have exploring this lovely, addictive process! Best wishes and happy printmaking. Liz Wellby "

Anne-Marie Bannister reviewed: Seaglass jewellery workshop at Sea & Solder, Dorset.

"Fantastic one day tuition with Jules at Sea & Solder learning to make a ring from sea glass and silver. A new, fun, amazing experience! Jules was so friendly and went through each step slowly, and was infinitely patient if she had to repeat instructions three times! Being part of a small group of four was perfect as we got individual attention and enjoyed learning together. I was amazed at what I achieved and am thrilled with my ring - and now want to make plenty more! Will definitely return. Thank you Jules!"

Mary reviewed: An Introduction To Making Hardened Fabric Jewellery Making

"A lovely, enjoyable afternoon making jewellery with Diane. I came away with a lovely jewellery set to gift to a friend, complete with gift boxes. Diane is very bubbly and patient. She explained the steps very thoroughly and I've been looking out remnants of material to have a go at making more jewellery when I get a chance. "

Diane Taylor Textile Designer Maker responded:

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mary and I'm really glad you enjoyed the workshop and that you are inspired enough to continue working on more jewellery ideas ! x"

Karen O reviewed: Shibori Stitch Cushion Covers

"A fabulous introduction to Shibori workshop, Fran and Mary were excellent teachers; I'm looking forward to seeing the end results and hope to do the one day course they run."

Fran Reilly Textiles responded:

"Hi Karen Thanks for your lovely feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed the course. It was great to meet you and see all beautiful work that resulted at the end of the morning. I will send details of the full day course as soon as possible. In the meantime, have a very Happy Easter. With best wishes Fran & Mary"

Suki reviewed: Glass blowing course - taster

"Fantastic experience on the 3 hour glass blowing taster course. Chris was great and very knowledgeable and helpful. I was amazed to have successfully made three vases and a bowl and a plate, and have a lot of respect for glass blowing as a profession! Wonderful day which I would definitely recommend. "

Chew Valley HandMade Glass responded:

"Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Suki, very pleased to hear you enjoyed your time with Chris and made some nice piece's of glass. Kind regards The team at chew valley handmade glass "

Elaine Joy reviewed: One day fused glass course at North Norfolk Stained Glass

"This is a very relaxing, informative and enjoyable one day course in the basics of fused glass. Paul is a great tutor with a huge knowledge and experience of glass art. I would thoroughly recommend this day and I look forward to returning in the future to learn more."

North Norfolk Stained Glass responded:

"Hi Elaine, Thank you for coming on the class and your very kind review - I enjoyed our day and was (am) very interested to learn of your teaching endeavours!. Hoping to see you again before long. Best wishes Paul"

ken mathews reviewed: Beginners spoon carving

"A very relaxing and enjoyable day. Spoon ended up somewhat rustic. Maybe my skills need some refining!"

Gosman Spoon Co. responded:

"Thank you Ken! If you need any further advice or information, please contact me."

Tracey reviewed: Beginners half-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"My son had the best time at his second woodturning workshop with Simon. He got so much out of his first session that he couldn't wait to go back again! In this workshop he made a bowl, which he is super proud of. He loved trying different techniques and using different tools in making his bowl and it has really inspired him to continue with learning woodwork. I highly recommend the workshops at blended monkey for young people and teens, Louise and Simon are brilliant teachers, knowledgeable, friendly and engaging. "

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

"Hi Tracey, Thank you so much for (another!) lovely review. Your son was such a great pupil and very attentive and I do hope this encourages him to take the craft further. -- Simon"

Elaine reviewed: Half Day Potters Wheel & Clay Hand Building, Heskin Chorley

"I can highly recommend this half day course. After a warm welcome, and expert tuition, we had so much fun building our pots on the wheel and by hand. As absolute beginners, we felt really comfortable. I wouldn't hesitate in returning."

The Crafty potter responded:

"Thank you Elaine for your fab review, you did awesome. They are drying nicely. See you soon Sharon"

Audrey Haffenden reviewed: Paint pouring with tea & cake

"I really enjoyed the course and learnt such a lot of techniques to try at home. Dina and her Mum were delightful, very supportive and helpful. It was a lovely afternoon of creative joy! "

Jo reviewed: Woodwork Hand tools, basic joints (1 day)

"Many thanks for an interesting and exciting day Mark. I started the day with very little experience in woodwork and even less about joints. With Mark's expert guidance and range of quality tools I came away from the day really chuffed with my handywork and a real can do attitude."

2 Rivers Tool Training responded:

"Hi. It was great to meet you and I'm glad you had a good day cutting woodwork joints. I hope you enjoy the use of your new skills in your future woodwork projects. I look forward to teaching you again in the future. "

Jon P reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"Alex is an excellent teacher, brimming with knowledge and knows just how to pass it on. I had never done anything like this before and by the end of the day I was extremely pleased with my creation and at the experience as a whole. Thoroughly recommend him to anyone considering having a bash, you will not regret it."

Chalk Pit Forge responded:

"Thanks for your great review, Jon. It was a really pleasure getting to meet you. All the best Alex "

Good but short reviewed: Gel Plate printing with Jane Fellows : luminous leaves

"Good course However it started late, finished early and lunch was well over the 30mins from the description (more like 1hr+). So basically the 4h30 minutes workshop was in fact barely 3h. It was also supposed to be for a maximum of 6 people and we were 8...not quite as advertised and as as such not good value for money. "

Haddenham Arts Centre C.I.C. responded:

"Hi, sorry to disappoint. I've spoken to the tutor and she said she'd taken a bit too relaxed approach - so we will tighten up on timings for future courses. The course size is 8 but we had only put a maximum of 6 places on craft courses (we'd already had 2 people booked in) so we will make this clearer. Your feedback is helpful in making sure we improve where we need to. Kind regards. The Arts Centre team. "

Jacinta reviewed: Needle Felted Easter Eggs - Gloucestershire/Wiltshire/Oxfordshire Border

"A really enjoyable morning. Kath was very knowledgeable and helpful, with numerous good ideas and lovely resources. I am really happy with my Easter decorations and feel confident to have a go at making some at home."

Lechlade Craft Barn responded:

"Hi Jacinta It was lovely to meet you. I'm so glad you enjoyed the workshop and hope to see you again. Karen Lechlade Craft Barn"