Latest reviews

Ben Harrold reviewed: Axe making course

"Thank you for the education with an axe to show for the experience, Andy is very knowledgeable and experienced, the workshop is fantastic space most of the tools/machines are bespoke, all I can say is i will be booking some more of this as soon as I can, the wife couldn’t wait to get her hands on my new chopper."

Richard Whittle reviewed: Blacksmithing Experience

"Athelstane Forge's 'Blacksmithing Experience' is much more than just an experience, it is an excellent introduction to blacksmithing techniques. Blacksmith Alex McBain is a born teacher and is friendly, informative and attentive. If you want to learn basic blacksmith skills in a well-equipped workshop (and use an awesome power hammer!) then this is the course for you. I booked two places – they were worth every penny."

AthelstaneForge responded:

"Hi Richard, Thanks for your review! I had a great day teaching the boys to make their own pieces. Hopefully, I will see you all again soon! Sandy"

Tsveta reviewed: One Day Mosaic Workshop - Direct Method Technique.

"Great intro course that can be done without any previous experience in mosaics. It teaches the direct method and is enough to give you good understanding about all the tools and materials that one needs to start with mosaics. It is hands on: you are learning by working on a model that is chosen from a few options. Giulia is very knowledgeable, attentive patient and an outstanding instructor. Overall I had a really enjoyable day and would recommend the course to anyone who want to get started in mosaics. "

Hema reviewed: Jewellery making with silver clay - one day beginners workshop

"I had a pleasant day with Charlotte making pendants and earrings. She explained the processes and allowed me to create and practice my designs using the vast amount of design materials she has. I am very impressed with my finished pieces of keepsake jewellery. I would recommend the one day course. Thank you Charlotte for the experience, I will make some more pieces now that I have some experience."

Felix & Reuben Jewellery School responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review Hema! You should be really proud of yourself - your pendants and earrings are beautiful. Thank you for attending our workshop! Regards, Charlotte"

Julia Quick reviewed: Two day (consecutive) stained glass starter course at North Norfolk Stained Glass

"Excellent two day course thoroughly enjoyed it. Would highly recommend it. Paul is an excellent teacher explained it all very well. Never done Stain glass before but loved the whole experience will certainly be booking again. Thankyou Julia "

Zerina Gollop reviewed: Two day (consecutive) stained glass starter course at North Norfolk Stained Glass

"A delightful two day course with Paul, who was great company as well as an expert tutor. All areas of the work was covered and explained as we went along. I was totally happy with my first attempt at stain glass and will treasure my art deco geometric designed panel. Thank you for great experience"

Sara & Helen reviewed: Powertex Hare Sculpture

"What a great day we had with Gill, making our hares. Totally love the results and well worth going - we will be back to do some more. Thanks Gill - Sara & Helen"

The Powertex Port responded:

"Thank you Sara and Helen for your review, was so lovely to meet you and so pleased you enjoyed your workshop."

Gary Brandon reviewed: A whole day beginningers woodturning for 2 people

"A really enjoyable day. Chris was informative, easy to get on with and very patient. As beginners, we learnt a lot and left wanting to do more. Thanks for everything!"

Chris Parker Woodturner responded:

"Hi Gary Really glad that you & your father inlaw Nigel enjoyed your day , You both where a joy to teach and both went home with finished pieces & a introduction to texturing. Chris "

Jennifer Jones reviewed: One day stained glass workshop London for beginners and enthusiasts

"My son and I spent a lovely day yesterday doing a stained glass workshop with Tejal in her beautiful garden studio. My son made a suncatcher using one of Tejal's designs while I provided my own design. The time just flew by as we became engrossed in learning new skills and having second or third goes when the first attempts weren't quite up to scratch! Everything we needed in terms of materials and equipment were provided, we just needed to bring aprons, packed lunch, our enthusiasm and a willingness to break glass (which is counter intuitive until you get into it). It was so refreshing to spend a day not looking at the clock and have a personal creation to take home at the end. Many thanks Tejal for being a kind and considerate teacher and sharing your knowledge with us."

Brian reviewed: Five day woodwork course - tools

"Brilliant course, where I learnt an awful lot. Masses of help and advice given by very knowledgeable and friendly tutors in a lovely, relaxed environment. Can't recommend it highly enough"

Beryl Furey-King reviewed: Introduction to wet-felting: handbag, iPad case or something else!

"Had a wonderful day today with Cathy. We made a wet felted hat which is perfect for my requirements. Learnt all the techniques and Cathy was super helpful getting me through the whole process. Would highly recommend. I hope to be back for another session later in the year as I now feel the need to learn needle felting!"

Tanyard Studio responded:

"Thank you Beryl…it was really lovely to spend the day with you too! Really looking forward to seeing the finished hat. Please do send me photos….and absolutely come back to do some needle felting sometime…I think you’d really enjoy it. Love Cathy xx"

Andrew reviewed: Chair making course at Sallerton Wood

"This was an excellent course. The tuition was superb, Andy’s approach was supportive and patient. He effectively combined group demonstrations with one-to-one guidance. As a novice to green woodworking Andy pitched things at a level that he knew was achievable for me but also sufficiently challenging allowing me to create a chair that I feel proud to have made. The drinks and lunch breaks in the woods allowed everyone to get to know each other and fostered a wonderful supportive environment amongst the participants. The woods are beautiful. I chose to ‘wild camp’ on site which again provided the opportunity to chat and get to know other participants giving the course more of a retreat atmosphere."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks, Andrew, for that very positive review of your recent experience at Sallerton Wood. We are very pleased that you enjoyed the course so much, and also appreciated the company of others on the course. Thanks also for commenting on the woodland itself, and the wild camping available there. We hope that you enjoy the chair that you made for many years to come, and we look forward to seeing you again at Sallerton Wood if you choose to visit again. "

Anthony C reviewed: Spoon carving workshop with Fazey Woodcraft

"My wife and I did this course with Jack at the beautiful Carey's Secret Garden. The venue was stunning and we both really enjoyed the course. Jack is a great teacher and gave us both the confidence to make decent spoons as well as a lot of interesting information about wood and sculpting. The pace of the course is really good, and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone."

Fazey Woodcraft responded:

"Thanks Anthony!"

Chris Houghton reviewed: Blacksmithing experience in Grassington (5 hours)

"What a fantastic day. Thank you so much Richard for being so welcoming, helpful and for not laughing at the size of my final knife. I genuinely cannot recommend this course highly enough. Honestly, the day flew over and I'll definitely be booking on another course. Once again, thanks ever so much Richard for being so brilliant."

Suzanne reviewed: Sculpture workshop two days with Jo Garden Art in beautiful rural Norfolk/Suffolk border setting

"A wonderful birthday present for me, a two day workshop with Jo, absolutely loved it. Pure refreshment for the soul. It’s such a relaxing environment, lovely garden studded with Jo’s sculptures for inspiration and a lovely light studio (blessed with air con for the record breaking heat). Jo and Andy are warm, friendly and welcoming. Our group created four amazing hares that reflected how well Jo not only demonstrates the techniques but coaches each person to create the individual character they want in their sculpture. I’d agree no previous skills necessary and it’s so creatively satisfying, you’ll be more than impressed with your sculpture. Thanks Jo and Andy (and the adorable Tula and Mia)"

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you Suzanne - I really enjoyed the workshop myself and could not believe how large the hares became! I also loved the different finishes everyone chose. The air con has been much appreciated over the last few weeks ?. Jo x"

Tom reviewed: Fused glass day course - beginners/intermediate

"I arranged for my wife to attend this as a birthday present for her and she absolutely loved it. Nicky was patient, accommodating and very friendly throughout. My wife is a very creative person and was very impressed at how much Nicky was able to let her bring out that creativity in such a short time. In the end she created a piece that she was very pleased with, despite never having heard of glass fusion before and is very keen to go back and give it another go. "

Arthur Hocking reviewed: Chair making course at Sallerton Wood

"Just finished the 8 day Large chair making course. Had a great time! Met some lovely people who i really got to know over the 8 days. Was a lovely way to slow down from the crazy pace of modern life. The atmosphere and setting is welcoming to everyone and you are fully submerged in the wilderness. You are shown what is capable to do with a froe, your hands and a little bit of patience. Andy was a brilliant teacher and his wife Jane makes the best home made elderflower cordial! "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Arthur, for your kind comments. We're very pleased that you enjoyed the course, its tuition, and the natural woodland environment in which it took place. Jane will be very pleased to see your comment about the elderflower cordial too! We look forward to seeing you back at Sallerton Wood if you choose to visit us again in the future. In the meantime, enjoy the lovely chair that you made. "

Claire Fuller reviewed: Large outdoor plaster hare sculpture kit

"Myself and 4 friends purchased the home kits from Jo as we live in France and really wanted to make the sculptures after seeing a friends giant hare she had made. We ordered the Wire small hare, clay hare and cat kits. One of us was in the Uk so able to drive them back to france for us. Utterly fantastic service from the first point of placing the order to finishing our sculptures and sharing our work with Jo. We were thrilled with how everything in the kit was organised and the video to guide us. I particularly loved moving the wire frame to create a unique hare (I thought I was going to have to create the whole wire frame so what a bonus it was complete!) and applying the plaster band aid. We were all overwhelmed with how they were when finished. My advice for anyone thinking they couldn’t do it is … GO FOR IT! We all had so much fun especially making them in 42c heatwave working in the shade in France and they all still turned out fabulous !! Excellent communication with Jo from the onset."

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you so much for this wonderful review Claire ? And for sending me photos of your finished fabulous sculptures. I got a huge buzz out of knowing you were making them in France and very happy all the kit components behaved themselves despite the heat! Jo x"

Eliuzabeth reviewed: Alcohol Ink Painting

"The course was a lovely way to spend a day. Barbara is a very knowledgeable tutor and showed us lots of examples of her own to give us inspiration. She talked us through the techniques and gave us a demonstration, then we did a practice piece and our main piece. "

Feltworld - Creative Arts responded:

"Thank you Elizabeth. Your pictures looked fabulous and I look forward to seeing them framed :-) "

Lindsay reviewed: Paint pouring with tea & cake

"I absolutely loved this class! Dina and her mum were so lovely and really great teachers. I had watched lots of videos previously to try and learn how to paint pour myself but I am so glad that I went to this class! I learnt so much, I had such a fun afternoon and I came out with 3 beautiful paintings. I think if I'd have not gone to the class and tried to teach myself through videos then I would've ended up wasting so much money on materials as it would not have gone as well so I am really happy that I went. I highly recommend it, thank you both! "

Paul reviewed: Beginners Epoxy Resin Workshop Part Two - Resin Finishing

"Loved it. Brilliant follow on to the part 1 intro. Has really helped shape our thinking on some future projects. Will be coming back."

Jane Oakley reviewed: Introduction to Lino Printing in Cambridgeshire

"Thank you for a fab day learning to create Lino cut prints! We thoroughly enjoyed it! The tuition was relaxed, fun and informative and I would have no hesitation in recommending."

print paper stitch experiences responded:

"Thank you Jane, it was pleasure to meet and work with you all. Each of you created very successful prints and I hope the day has inspired you to keep printing!"

Niki Wiggins reviewed: Upcycling furniture & sustainability workshops

"Kirsty had upcycled a piece of furniture for me, and I expressed an interest in knowing more. Attending one of her upcycling workshops was the perfect boost of confidence I needed to have a go by myself. Absolutely everything that was needed was ready to go when we turned up on the day. Kirsty had taken care of everything (including refreshments and a very lovely homemade cake with fresh raspberry jam)! Following a very informative introduction (including a video specifically for Young Upcyclers from Annie Sloane herself), Kirsty was on hand to develop our design ideas and provide some great advice if required. Nothing seemed too much trouble and the time flew by, whilst just actually being the right amount of time to finish our designs. I left feeling full of confidence to do something with some tired pieces of furniture in my own home, which are far too good to go to the tip, but just need a new lease of life. Thank you Kirsty, for a very therapeutic and enjoyable day. I would highly recommend (even if, like me, you don’t have a Young Upcycler to take along)."

Upcycle Arcade responded:

"I am blown away by your lovely review! Your words really do make it all worth while (although I was enjoying hosting the workshops anyway!!) Seriously, if you had a great day and are inspired to go forth and paint then I have done my job well. It was a treat and a pleasure to have your company at the workshop. Kirsty"

Sarah and Pete reviewed: Pottery throwing sessions on the potter's wheel in Norfolk

"What a fantastic experience, we had an amazing morning. Myself and my husband were complete beginners and wanted to give pottery throwing a try. From the moment we walked in, Pat put us at ease with her friendly manner. Pat is a very experienced tutor, full of knowledge and very patient, we couldn’t have been in better hands. We both managed to achieve a few pots with Pat’s help and are very much looking forward to collecting them. Such a very relaxing experience. To anyone considering giving it go, go on, you won’t regret it."

Pat Southwood responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review! Your pots are looking fine and I am so pleased that you enjoyed yourselves. "

Hester reviewed: Seaglass jewellery workshop at Sea & Solder, Dorset.

"I attended Jules's seaglass workshop with my partner. We had so much fun and both made pendants which we are really happy with and have been wearing with pride ever since. We used our own seaglass but Jules also had plenty available we could have chosen from. The day was really lovely and we enjoyed meeting everyone and spending the day in the workshop. Thank you so much!!!"

Sea & Solder responded:

"Thank you Hester. It was lovely to have you both in the workshop and help you both create such special pieces. All the best. Jules "