Latest reviews

Melinda Saunders reviewed: Beginners weaving

"Learn an exciting new craft in beautiful surroundings"

Kingshill House responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind review Melinda. It was a pleasure to welcome you to Kingshill House."

Sarah Buckingham reviewed: Pottery wheel throwing and hand building full day

"This is a great course. Hope to come back and get some more practice on the pottery wheel. It's very relaxing."

Potterydayz responded:

"We look forward to you coming back again Sarah for some more potting soon."

Bex reviewed: Introduction to candle-making as a business

"Thank you Jo for such a fantastic candle making course! It was a really informative day & I learnt so much. Jo was so friendly & I would 100% recommend this course to anyone! X"

Carole reviewed: Bandsaw box making day

"Thank you for a really enjoyable day. I am delighted with my finished box. I truly didn’t expect to achieve such a result. All down to your encouragement and entertaining tuition."

Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses responded:

"Thanks Carole it was a pleasure to work with you both. Looking forward to hearing from you again soon. Kind wishes to the WI Ted x"

Magpie reviewed: Lino printing landscapes

"I had a great day in the studio with Lee and the others attending the Lino Printing course. Lee is very easy going and encourages all participants, before you know it you are working and learning without any lecture style tuition. We all got the benefit of Lee's obvious techincal knowledge and enthusiasm for print making and art in general. All the attendees were guided and encouraged but ultimately able to make their own choices and everyone ended up with their own bespoke print at the end of the day. The venue was great - I really liked the 'studio' vibe - seeing other works in progress. I would like to book further courses."

Lee Wright Artist responded:

"It was great to spend the day with you Gary and the rest of the 'gang'. Look forward to seeing you again later in the year...Lee"

Dan Heminsley reviewed: Lathe turning for beginners with Thompsons Wood

"I had a great day with Jake, he's a very knowledgeable woodworker and a great teacher. He recognised that I was serious about taking woodturning up as a hobby and really went the extra mile."

Valerie Moreland reviewed: Bandsaw box making day

"Thanks Ted for an excellent day. With your great tuition I have returned home with my bandsaw box and I am delighted. Thanks also for the music. Valerie."

Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses responded:

"Excellent day Valerie so glad to meet you and hope the WI are pleased with your beautiful bandsaw box. Kind regards Ted Ps hope to c u soon on another course ???"

Sue Davies reviewed: Expressive Plants and Flowers in Watercolours with Clare Tebboth at Vitreus Art

"Really enjoyable day. Very well looked after by the team and Clare an excellent teacher. Learnt lots of new techniques and plenty of time to practice. Thank you all."

Vitreus Art responded:

"Many thanks for your review Sue - Clare certainly is an excellent teacher! KR Mike"

Kathryn Reece reviewed: Willow asymmetrical basket course

"What a wonderful day! I learnt so much about willow and the skill of basket weaving. Sarah was a kind and generous teacher, with plenty of patience. And we all left with an amazing basket made with our own hands, each unique and beautiful."

Hopewood Baskets responded:

"Hi Kathryn, I couldn’t be happier that you had a great time, and really so chuffed that you took the time to write such a kind message, it really means so much to us….more than I’m able to convey in words. We just want so much to give everyone a great experience so I’m so pleased you felt that. It was an absolute pleasure meeting you and your basket was amazing, you should be very proud. Warm wishes, Sarah"

Jo O reviewed: Pottery throwing sessions on the potter's wheel in Norfolk

"I was given this experience as a birthday present, it was absolutely ace. I am a total novice but felt comfortable having a go. Pat was very good at explaining things clearly and I am so looking forward to getting my first two beautiful pots back all glazed and lovely. Thank you Pat"

Pat Southwood responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind review. You did really well for a first go! Your pots are drying out nicely, so should be with you soon."

Chris Roberts reviewed: Shawl Pin and Button Making with Polymer Clay

"Wonderful course in a lovely setting. Jo is an excellent teacher. Made some beautiful buttons. Absolutely great day. I have no hesitation in recommending this course to everyone. Thanks Jo."

Sharon Brown reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 pottery / ceramics workshop for 1 person

"I've always wanted to give pottery a try - especially the wheel - and this day course was perfect. Louise was a great teacher and very good company. The morning was spent trying out different techniques - I made a couple of pinch pots, a coil pot plus a slab work vase and wall hanging. It was great to try out pattern rollers as well as pressing different materials into the clay. After a lovely lunch which we were able to eat outside in the beautiful garden, the afternoon was spent trying out the pottery wheel. Personally I wasn't fussed if I made anything or not, as I was enjoying simply trying to make something and as expected it's a lot harder than it looks! I was pleased with how it went although I kept making the same mistake but was improving each time. I ended up with a couple of things that were half decent for a beginner so that was a bonus. It's hard work using the wheel and the backs of my arms were quite stiff the next day!"

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

"So pleased you enjoyed your creative ceramics day Sharon :-). It was a pleasure to have you in the studio and you grasped all the techniques really well. Your pieces are drying nicely and will be biscuit fired soon. It is quite full on doing an afternoon of throwing as we're not used to putting our hands and wrists in all those weird positions. You did really well and ended up with some lovely creations across all the disciplines of pinching, coiling, slab work and throwing. Well done!"

Jane Malone reviewed: Candlemaking for Beginners

"Thoroughly enjoyed this course, lovely mix of people, great tutor, wow, just loved everything we covered! Will definitely be trying on my own to make candles, probably get the book Rob recommended, watch out family and friends, loads of candles coming for special occasions ? Anyone can do it, it’s fun!"

Colette reviewed: Paper Quilling Art Course

"I really enjoyed this course. Great for beginners. At the beginning of the session Candice shows us the piece of work we will be learning, and although it seems daunting, Candice is very encouraging and explains and demonstrates each technique very well, and by the end of the session, we've completed our own little masterpiece."

Miranda Cowan reviewed: Wooden Pendant Carving with Giles Newman

"Giles is a natural and provides a warm, welcoming and supportive learning environment. There was a genuine open approach to sharing of experience. I will be definitely be joining Giles again as feel he is a great mentor in supporting my own process in whittling / carving."

Giles Newman responded:

"Thank you so much Miranda. It was such a pleasure to spend the day with you and Melanie and to share knowledge and experience in woodcarving and so much else. I very much look forward to seeing you again in the near future."

Angie reviewed: Rose Necklace

"The Silver Rose pendant is beautiful, and came very well presented and packaged. It even had a lovely free little jewellery pouch to store it in once unwrapped. It is approx 5g in weight and complete with the silver snake chain a total Silver weight of approximately 7g. As well as being gorgeous, it is also excellent value. I messaged Louise before ordering as the pictures showed two different chains, a snake chain and a finer looking chain. I preferred the snake chain and was pleased to hear you could choose either! Obviously the pictures are close up to show the detail, so the rose is smaller than it looks on the picture which is to be expected. But it may be helpful to prospective purchasers to add the measurement in the description? But this is in no means a criticism, I am very happy with my purchase and Louise is a pleasure to deal with."

Louise Anne Designs responded:

"Thank you Angie- I am so glad you like your pendant. Also, thank you for your feedback it is always helpful as it’s easy to miss detail .Louise ?"

Teresa Garcia reviewed: 3-day vintage lampshade masterclass including the ultimate guide to starting a lampshade making business

"I loved every bit of this course. Moji is a fantastic tutor. Extremely thorough in her teaching methods. I love that she photographs and videos throughout and these are part of the tutorials after the course has finished, giving students both visual and written help. Mojis studio was a relaxing and calm environment. I loved learning traditional skills and being given sound business advice. I look forwards to other courses Moji has. I would highly recommend."

Moji Designs responded:

"Dear Teresa, Thank you for your kind words! It was an absolute pleasure having you and thank you for choosing me to work with. I am so looking forward to seeing all your future projects and hopefully see you for another course. Best wishes, Moji "

Michelle reviewed: Needle felt workshop

"An amazing morning! I took my mum to the needle felting class and we had so much fun! Yvonne is very friendly and welcoming. The class was well thought through and we both completed our felt animals in the 3 hour workshop. I learnt so much and I will definitely come back for another class."

Needle Felt Art responded:

"So pleased you both had such a fun session, with brilliant results, might I add. It would be great to felt with you both again, look forward to it ! "

Lorraine reviewed: Fab Foxes! Painting Workshop with Sue Gardner

"My course was kindly rescheduled for 14th May by Sue due to me having Covid and unable to attend on the original date . The day was absolutely 100% enjoyable from start to finish . There were 6 of us on the course and Sue introduced us to each other and made us all a cuppa before the exciting part began. I was a complete novice to painting (at age of 61 ), a few had experience in other mediums but I felt part of the class right away as we were all new to acrylics and the ‘Highland Cow’ experience. Sue took us all through the process of our creations very gently, layer by layer and her friendly warmth and encouragement was freely given to everybody along with plenty of tea and lovely cake. A relaxing day out meeting new people, tea & cake, lots of laughter and my own interpretation of the Highland Cow to bring home. Can’t wait to do another day of creating my own ‘masterpiece’ with Sue."

Sue Gardner Studio responded:

"Lorraine! How kind of you to take the time to leave your lovely review. Thank you so much, I appreciate it and I'm delighted to hear how much you enjoyed the day! You paint beautifully already! Hope to see you again soon :) Sue x"

Alison reviewed: Fused Glass Lanterns with Crafts in the Valley

"This was the second workshop I have been to. It is such an enjoyable experience and you get a lovely lantern at the end. Melanie is a very good tutor and a very generous host. I would recommend anyone to go. Don't think that you have to be artistic as Melanie guides you through every stage and all the creations look fabulous at the end. Looking forward to the Christmas workshop"

Sharon and Ross reviewed: Forge Your Own Wedding Rings- Blacksmithing Experience Day

"We had the most amazing day making our wedding rings. Jon was a really great teacher, and it was such a great experience. I was quite apprehensive as I haven't done anything like it before. With Jon's expert guidance the rings are beautiful and we will love them everyday knowing that we forged them together! I would highly recommend it or any of the other courses Jon offers. Thank you"

Carol Simpson reviewed: Fused Glass Lanterns with Crafts in the Valley

"I purchased this lantern workshop for my mum for Christmas. We were so glad I had. It was an excellent experience. Melanie was a wonderful teacher and explained the process in a way that was easy to understand and was very helpful if you needed guidance. There was a constant supply of tea and coffee plus a lovely selection of cakes. I would and have recommended to my friends and family. Thank you Melanie"

Isabelle reviewed: Making Wax Wraps

"I had a very relaxed and enjoyable wax wraps making session. Wendy is really nice, she explains clearly the steps and gives you little tips on the way, never interfering but keeping an eye on you. I made many more wraps that I expected, and they look better than the ones I had from shops, besides the pleasure to have made them myself ! Really worth it, and recommended !"

Jackie reviewed: One day Traditional Lead Stained Glass Course

"This was a really enjoyable day. We all created a stained glass panel. Cheryl is a great teacher, just the right mix of instruction and leaving us to have a go on our own. I would recommend this course to anyone of any ability level."

Cheryl Powling Glass responded:

"Thank you so much xx "

Wendy david reviewed: Make a copper bowl

"I bought a 'make a copper bowl experience', as a present for my daughter and me. I am so pleased I did. Lizzie was an excellent teacher with lots of patience. All the equipment was laid out ready for us. Every step of making the bowl was demonstrated and clear instructions given before we had a go ourselves. Lizzie was always on hand to answer questions or help, but didn’t take over. At the end of an extremely enjoyable morning, we were proud to be taking home two very beautiful, copper bowls!"