Latest reviews

Richard reviewed: Intro to Joinery in Yorkshire

"Spent a wonderful weekend being taught by Tom. Tom is a fantastic teacher who has so much enthusiasm for his trade, he has the ability to show you wood making skills in a chilled and effective way. I learnt so much in two days and would definitely recommend it to anyone starting out in wood working."

Trina McDonald reviewed: Half-day 1-2-1 sharpening (woodturning gouges) workshop for 1 person

"Really enjoyed our afternoon with Simon. Thank you. It was just what my husband needed to renew his enthusiasm, advise us on what equipment we needed and the fact that it is already ordered bears witness to how effective and appropriate Simon's tuition was. We might even find ourselves working in the wood shed together!"

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

"Hi Trina, So glad he enjoyed the session. I’ve sent over my notes; any questions, please do get in touch. — Simon"

Anita Davidson reviewed: Beginners Stained Glass Course, Copper foil work

"I have just completed the beginners copper foil stained glass course with Brenda a most patient tutor, at Kingfisher Glass. I cannot recommend this course enough! I came away with a lovely finished piece of work that I am extremely proud of. I am looking forward to trying another course - Lead Stained Glass course. Brenda and her husband welcomed us into their beautiful home in the countryside, and provided refreshments - tea, coffee, lunch, plus cake with our preferred drink in the afternoon. A very relaxed atmosphere, whilst producing lovely work, thank you Brenda!"

Kingfisher Glass responded:

"Thank you Anita!! I am very glad that you enjoyed your course with me!! And the piece you produced was indeed lovely!! Look forward to seeing you again sometime!"

Gwyneth Owen reviewed: Mosaics for the home and garden

"This was a enjoyable course. We were made very welcome. Excellent instructions, Lots of choice of subject, plenty of beautiful materials to choose from plus delicious biscuits too 😁. Perfect. Good for all abilities "

Mosaic Mania responded:

"Hi Gwen. Thanks for this lovely review, it was an absolute pleasure to have you! Your finished mosaic looks great. Thanks so much for coming on my course. Frances"

David Marklow reviewed: 2 day blacksmithing courses

"This was a great course to do, Aaron was an amazing talented tutor explaining each stage of the smithing process. I rarely have enjoyed such a craft course as this one . Top draw training from a super talented Master blacksmith. If your unsure about doing this course put any doubts to one side, it was a fantastic two days working in the forge…I made a coat hook rack, a pair of fireside tongs and a Rams head poker absolutely chuffed.. Thank you Aaron "

A and T Petersen Ltd responded:

"Thank you for your review, We are delighted that you enjoyed your blacksmithing experience."

Alex reviewed: Card Making and Paper Crafts with Ali Reeve

"A really interesting and fun day. Lots of new techniques learnt and great to have the opportunity to play with lots of different print making tools and inks."

Nicky reviewed: Upholstery workshop at Huntlands Farm B&B

"We had a lovely time re upholstering dinning chairs We were new to upholstery but now with three chairs completed we plan to finish two sets of six Lucy has a kind relaxed teaching style we all had fun and took home creations we were proud of. We highly recommend this course"

Huntlands Farm Bed & Breakfast and Upholstery responded:

"Thank you for your kind words; it was a fun weekend and everyone achieved a lot in the 2 days. Happy upholstering! Best wishes Lucy"

Peter Noblett reviewed: Key skills for converting vans into campervans 2 day course

"Scott provides a great overview of all the processes and problems encountered in undertaking your own van conversion. He is obviously very skilled and experienced in the area and has a great knowledge which he is able to pass on to others with both patience and humour. It is well worth attending and will make the whole process seem less daunting for the inexperienced."

Black Paw upcycle project responded:

"Hi Peter thanks for a lovely review and glad you found the course helpful Scott"

Clare reviewed: DIY Workshop: Power Tools Course

"Brilliant course! Richard was really knowledgable and made it really interesting. We were able to get our hands on the tools and carried out practise exercises which will help me with my next diy project. I have recommended this course to friends and can see it being very popular! "

Ruth A reviewed: Oxfordshire Introduction to Linocut One Day Workshop

"I had such a great day printmaking with Gerry in her lovely studio. She struck just the right balance of instruction and leaving us be to try it out for ourselves (always on hand when needed). I really appreciated hearing her story of how she became a printmaker and seeing the wonderful work she produces, and picked up lots of tips for setting up my own studio at home over time. The preparatory instructions she provided about creating an image to bring and work from were really clear and helpful, as was the array of books and examples around the studio for our reference. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to start out or learn more about lino printing - worth every Penny and really good value too. "

Gerry Coles Prints responded:

"Thank you Ruth for taking the trouble to leave such a kind and wonderful review. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the workshop. Best wishes Gerry"

Anne reviewed: Basket making for beginners using traditional willow basketry techniques

"My friend and I attended course in January Becky had been very kind in rearranging this numerous times due to us both having caring roles On the day Becky was very kind and patient with us and we both came home with a useable basket "

Lisa Tomlin reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"What a brilliant experience, a birthday gift from my partner to make a stool. Ian was friendly and welcoming and provided excellent guidance and instruction. Ian was both informative about Green Wood Carpenter and patient and happy to answer my questions. I gained so much confidence and experience while working with the wood, and managed to make a beautiful Elm and Oak Stool which now sits proudly in my living room. It was such a great day and I came away feeling inspired to start making more furniture! I would definitely recommend this course. Thank you Ian. "

Jacqueline reviewed: Painting Workshops in West Pembrokeshire with Kate Freeman

"I thoroughly enjoyed the full-day Composition course with Kate, spending it working in her wonderful and spacious barn studio, surrounded by her colourful collages and paintings, which are hung around the walls, giving inspiration! Kate is an excellent teacher and extremely knowledgeable, and illustrated her teaching with books from her wonderful library in the Coach House. During the workshop, I learnt about colour-mixing and mark-making and by the end of the afternoon, had created several collages. I’m a coeliac, and Kate had gone to the trouble of making some gluten-free cakes for our mid-morning break and a delicious soup for lunch, which we ate in her charming farmhouse kitchen. It was a great day, and I would definitely recommend taking this course. "

Coach House Studio responded:

"It was a pleasure to spend the day with you, sharing my favourite painting techniques! I'm very glad that you returned for more, after the colour mixing class. Just the sort of validation needed at this difficult time of year - your enthusiasm has inspired me as well! So thank you 😉 "

John reviewed: Container candlemaking course and wax melts with afternoon tea

"My wife bought me the Container Candle Making workshop as a birthday gift because I had recently developed an interest in reusing the residual wax from used candles, with mixed results. Jools and Janet gave a warm welcome to all attending. Jools delivered the course at a pace to suit all and made sure none of us were left behind. Her knowledge and experience with an extensive choice of materials and fragrances was evident. The afternoon tea was lovely and presented beautifully on trays and we all made some fabulous candles and wax melts to bring home. A thoroughly delightful and productive experience, which I would highly recommend. "

Jacqueline reviewed: Painting classes and workshops with Kate Freeman

"I really enjoyed the half-day colour-mixing course with Kate in her wonderful barn studio. Kate is an inspiring and informed teacher, and it was fun to paint a colour wheel with its primary colours, different hues and their complementaries, and interesting to learn about the many different tones and contrasts in colour-mixing. I would recommend this enlightening course to anyone who is interested in colour."

Coach House Studio responded:

"Thank you Jacqi 😊 it was delightful to meet you properly, after our initial beach encounter several years ago! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Colour Mixing day - it's a class I love teaching. You produced an impressive array of lovely nuanced hues. I hope this system of making your own 'colour charts' continues to be useful on your art journey! "

Mattia reviewed: Create a mosaic in a day in Yorkshire with professional mosaic artist Sue Kershaw

"It was a lovely experience. Sue was incredibly professional, competent, and kind. She generously provided a wide array of materials and tools, which truly empowered us to create some stunning mosaics that we will proudly display in our living room! The entire day was incredibly rewarding and relaxing. Time simply flew by."

Sue Kershaw responded:

"Thank you Mattia for your very kind words. It was lovely to meet you both and share our appreciation for Ravenna. I do hope that you both have the bug and continue to mosaic as you were naturally very gifted. It makes me happy that you enjoyed the day."

Fran reviewed: Evening Woodcarving Taster Workshop

"Great introduction to woodcarving. I liked the relaxed atmosphere and that we were away working with the tools in no time (instead of lengthy explanations at the beginning). Would definitely go back for another course."

Clunie Fretton responded:

"Thank you Fran. It was great to teach you, and I thought you did brilliantly! Looking forward to teaching you again in future."

matei reviewed: Printing photos on textile, ceramic & polaroid transfers-Alternative Photography Taster Course

"The workshop was incredibly insightful and inspiring. I enjoyed it a lot, and I am happy that I could experiment with printing on canvas. I want to thank Magda for broadening my perspectives on ways of printing images, and I am grateful to have been part of the group."

Marianne reviewed: Evening Woodcarving Taster Workshop

"A great two hour workshop! Bought this as a gift for my husband. Clunie, the course leader was brilliant and giving us all the instructions we needed to make our first attempts into the swirls of carving. She was very patient and had so much to tell us about the skills she had learnt over the years and showed us some of her amazing work too. "

Clunie Fretton responded:

"Thank you Marianne! It was a delight to have you both in the class, and I'm so pleased you enjoyed it."

Beccy S reviewed: Wild flower and copper foiling workshop

"Such a lovely workshop, Ffion broke the process into easy to follow steps, even the soldering was easy with her guidance. I would highly recommend this class and woukd definitely do another workshop. The extra bonus was seeing some of her beautiful miniatures in the studio. "

Caroline Gowler reviewed: Knitting for beginners

"Thank you Julie for a wonderful course. The venue is great and Julie is inspiring. She is an excellent teacher and very gifted crafter. As I complete beginner she taught, explained and helped and I came away having an achieved a complete project. I have immediately begun two projects at home and feel very proud - all down to clear patient teaching. Will def book another course. Thank you Julie and thank you too for the tea and biscuits. "

Circular Sock Machine school responded:

"Thank you for such a lovely review. It was a pleasure to teach you and so glad you had such a good experience. I will be adding some more advanced courses for knitting. Glad you are starting some projects. I would love to see some pictures. "

Áine Musgrave reviewed: Couple's Rose forging day in Grassington

"What a fantastic day my husband and I had. Richard was amazing at coaching us and helping us to get the most out of our day and also end up with a beautiful memento to treasure. Will definitely book with him again 😊"

Jo Woodland reviewed: Mosaic Your Heart Out!

"We had a wonderful morning with Denny. She is very patient and knowledgeable. We managed to produce some lovely mosaic hearts. We would definitely recommend this workshop to everyone. The cake was delicious too! Thank you so much Denny. "

MosaicXandMe responded:

"Hi Jo Thanks for your lovely review! So glad you enjoyed your morning and delighted to hear you’re wanting to come back for a full day! I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Best wishes Denny"

Sam reviewed: Mandala hand lino print workshop

"We had a great afternoon Lino cutting and printing with Diana. We hadn’t printed before and Diana explained everything so well. She provided a relaxed atmosphere and great guidance whilst letting you have freedom to create the unique patterns and designs you want. We love our prints! I would highly recommend to anyone who is looking to create something unique and switch off for a few hours (even if it’s something you’ve never done before). Thanks Diana "

Heddfan From Narberth responded:

"Thank you Sam. I had as much fun. Will post the plates. Would love to see the prints on the wall in your home. "

Tommy reviewed: Introduction to Leatherwork

"As an introduction to a new craft/skill, this course was absolutely outstanding. Attention to detail and care for the projects being undertaken we're top notch. Technical skill levels were taken into account and we both came away with fabulous, handmade items. Many thanks to Cathy for an excellent and inspiring introduction to the art of leatherwork."