"2 Crafts in 1 Day!" 1-2-1 woodturning & pottery experience in 1 day for 1 person
Description
This workshop gives you the unique opportunity to experience the basics of two crafts in 1 day in your own personal workshop with one to one tuition. The studios are located in the cottage garden of our home on the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border. Your experience is private to you and there will be no other students in the studios.
The "2 crafts in 1 day" workshop is aimed at those who want to have a go at both of these fun crafts, and come away having learnt some basic techniques for both disciplines. As this is basically a private tuition experience, the course is focused but fun, so would make a fantastic gift.
The day can also be experienced by two people (to book this, please refer to our other workshop ""2 Crafts in 1 Day!" 1-2-1 woodturning & pottery experience in 1 day for 2 people" where each person could experience the crafts singularly or together.
This makes for a wonderful Valentine's or anniversary experience, and can also be enjoyed by a parent and child.
The morning is spent learning the ropes of woodturning - how to cut and shape wood on the lathe, understanding a little about the different tools required, and making a few pieces to take home.
After a light farmhouse-style lunch (which we provide), the afternoon then continues with a pottery session. Students can have fun with clay, focusing on some basic hand building methods to get them used to handling the material using the techniques of pinching, coiling, slab building and also throwing on the wheel.
A total of 3 pieces can then be chosen for us to glaze and fire once they have dried sufficiently. When ready, they can either be collected by the student (if they live locally) or I can post them on (I have to charge postage & packaging).
Refreshments are provided during both workshops, and a light, rustic farmhouse-style lunch is also included. Depending on the weather/time of year, lunch can be taken either out in the cottage garden or in our country kitchen.
The sessions are hands-on with expert 1-2-1 tuition - and the student will be able to use all the studio facilities. Each student will also be provided with a certificate of participation for both crafts.
About a week before your workshop date, we'll e-mail you again with more details about parking etc.
We also offer accommodation in the form of our Crafter's Retreat cabin or we can advise of other local B&Bs.
Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts. Start dates may be amended on request.
What's included in the price?
1. All tools, materials and personal protection equipment is included (eye protection/lung protection for woodturning).
Some smocks and old shirts are available, but the student may wish to bring their own. If they already have some woodturning tools, they could bring these along too if they wish. It is important that the student wears comfortable shoes and clothing.
2. Ideally, rings and bracelets will need to be removed during the workshops (especially for pottery, as they can mark the clay).
3. Refreshments (tea/coffee/soft drinks) and a light, rustic farmhouse-style lunch will be provided.
4. The woodturning workshop is equipped with a Record Power DVR-XP lathe and dust extraction equipment. The pottery studio includes a wedging table, extruder, large table for hand building on, two Shimpo pottery wheels and a large top-loader kiln.
5. The experience is one to one private tuition, ensuring the student gets the maximum benefit from the day with no distractions.
6. The age limit is 16+, unless accompanied by an adult.
7. We have insurance (IWW/5102205) to cover training & public liability.
8. All the student's woodturned work can be taken home. The pottery (3 pieces) will need to dry completely and either be collected or posted on once it is ready (usually 2 - 3 weeks after the workshop).
9. Students are provided with a certificate of participation.
10. We can advise of local accommodation for those wishing to stay in the area overnight.
Maker
Louise Taggart at Blended MonkeyMessage the tutor More from this maker All reviews
Venue
Upwell
Wisbech
Norfolk
PE14 9BG
Suitable for
- Adults
- Children
- Christmas
- Easter
- Father's Day
- Intermediate level
- Learning difficulties (SEN)
- Limited mobility
- Mother's Day
- Parking provided
- Romantic
- Seniors
- Suitable for beginners
- Teenagers
- UK Holiday
Duration
1 day (flexible times to suit)
This craft course provider has been awarded Platinum status for receiving 50 or more 5 star ratings from previous students.
The Students' Choice award ensures that course providers get recognised for their efforts in the teaching and practice of UK craft.
They also allow tutors to gain valuable feedback on their courses and for new students to find the course that's right for them.
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Reviews
My wife bought me this as a present and I attended this course yesterday and had to write a review for it straight away. It was amazing, a really relaxing day making things. Half a day of wood turning and half a day of pottery.
The wood turning course was informative and really fun, and I ended up with a finished piece by the end of the morning to take home.
Pottery is something new to me (I hadn't touched clay since my distant school days) but by the end of the day I had managed to create 3 different pots that were worth keeping all thanks to the great and patient tuition.
Looking forward to my next birthday so I can get my wife to buy me another course.
Response from Blended Monkey:
Hi Rob,Thanks so much for a lovely review; we're so glad you enjoyed your day. You should have the tuition notes link now and Louise is working on getting your pots finished for collection. Any questions or queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
-- Simon & Louise
What a lovely experience! Having recently retired we challenged ourselves to try something different. Our hosts Simon and Louise were brilliant, giving the right balance of guidance and instruction, and freedom to ‘have a go’ on our own ! Both sessions flew by but we were amazed at just what we managed to achieve in the time . We would recommend them to anyone wanting to have a go at either or both crafts .
Response from Blended Monkey:
Hi Mick & Lorraine,Thank you for a lovely review. We're glad you enjoyed your day as much as we did teaching you. Any assistance required in the future, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
-- Simon & Louise
Highly enjoyable day with excellent tuition. I managed to turn a finial to use as a Christmas decoration never having used a lathe before and did a range of pottery activities which were great fun.
Response from Blended Monkey:
We're really pleased you enjoyed your experience and it was lovely to see you hadn't forgotten how to throw on the wheel! Thank you for the lovely review :-).I had a great day. The place was easy to find and Louise and Simon are very welcoming. They are also very good instructors. Lunch was excellent too! Would definitely recommend for beginners and more advanced potters/wood-turners.
Response from Blended Monkey:
Hi David,Thanks for giving us a review - most welcome! We're glad you enjoyed the day and hope that you may go on to develop your craft skills.
-- Simon & Louise
My husband and I did the 2 Crafts in 1 Day with Louise and Simon & I could not recommend it more, what a brilliant day, no pressure, lovely relaxed atmosphere. If you want to forget your everyday stresses and concentrate on something that is both relaxing and addictive then book this course you won't regret it. We will definitely be back. Thank you both again.
Response from Blended Monkey:
It was a pleasure to meet you guys and we're thrilled you enjoyed the 2 Crafts in 1 Day experience.You both made some fab woodturned and ceramic pieces and it was lovely to have you in the studios.
We try to make things as chilled as possible, so we're super happy that you found the day to be relaxing and we look forward to maybe seeing you again in the future.
Both SImon and Louise were patient thoughtful and caring teachers. Excellent tuition was given in each of their fields of expertise. They are very personable - any beginner's jitters are soon forgotten. Thanks to both for a truly enjoyable day!
Response from Blended Monkey:
Hi Mark,Thank you for your glowing review! Coming from a teacher it means a lot. We're glad you enjoyed your day and you're welcome back any time.
-- Simon & Louise
Husband and I treated ourselves to a 2 in 1 day with Blended Monkey as belated birthday presents. We had a super full day. Simon and Louise are both excellent as teachers, giving you plenty of advice and encouragement and a soupçon of constructive criticism. Neither of us had done any wood turning before and I could have happily turned my piece of wood all day but by lunchtime we had made honey dippers. The workshop is a comfortable place to work and has high quality equipment and a range of safety features.
At the end of the morning we had a chance to explore the garden and meet the resident cats, fish and dog.
I did pottery with Louise after lunch. Louise started off with pinch pots and we moved on through slab pots to throwing on the wheel. There was plenty of clay and lots of advice.
I’m looking forward to seeing the finished pots after firing.
A very full day, well worth the money just don’t wear your best clothes and cut your nails!
Response from Blended Monkey:
Thank you for your lovely review Valerie.We're really glad you enjoyed your woodturning and pottery experience and it was a pleasure to have you in the studios.
It was nice to see that you'd not forgotten some of the throwing techniques you'd previously learnt, even if it had been a while since you'd thrown. Well done!
I had a fantastic day woodturning with Simon. He was an excellent and patient teacher and I would recommend him highly to anybody who wants to learn the craft! Louise was lovely and accomodating too and next time I would love to try pottery with her! The lunch was also lovely. Thanks guys! 5 stars!
Response from Blended Monkey:
Thanks, Miles. I had a great day teaching you too! You were a very attentive and interested pupil and I'm glad you found it enjoyable and interesting.-- Simon
A really enjoyable course. Simon and Louise were very patient and welcoming. Lunch was lovely too! Would definitely recommend this course to any beginners.
Response from Blended Monkey:
Thank you for the review Charlotte :-). It was a pleasure teaching you and we really enjoyed meeting you both!I'll let you know when your ceramics are ready.
The course was a great introduction into woodturning and pottery. We instantly felt at ease and were able to learn at our own pace. We both learnt a lot in the day and would definitely recommend to anyone looking to try their hand at either craft. Thank you Simon and Louise.
Response from Blended Monkey:
We're really pleased you guys enjoyed your day of woodturning and pottery :-). It was lovely to meet you both. You made some gorgeous pieces, and I can't wait to see your glazed pots emerge from the kiln.I'll let you know as soon as they are ready :-).
What a great day! Simon and Louise were very welcoming and their obvious enthusiasm was infectious. The whole day was relaxed and informative and the hands on, guided approach gave us the opportunity to experience the new skills in a safe yet un-pressured way. The provided lunch was excellent and we were never without tea and biscuits. We would thoroughly recommend the day and we are already considering booking further courses.
Response from Blended Monkey:
We're so pleased you guys had a good time! It was fab meeting you both and we also had a lovely time teaching you :-).Your woodturning and ceramic endeavours were beautiful.
We love this workshop, as it's amazing to see how much students can learn from each discipline in just 1 day!
Your pots are drying wonderfully, so as soon as they are glazed I'll let you know.
Take care.
Excellent day! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 crafts in one day. Simon and Louise are such an endearing couple, it is obvious they have a great passion for the individual crafts they teach. Their knowledge and enthusiasm is inspiring, along with their warm personalities and a great sense of humour, they both made us feel very welcome. We were soon absorbed into both sessions with informative clear instruction.
Thank you Simon and Louise for your hospitality, we had a fabulous day which was over and above our expectations!
Response from Blended Monkey:
Hi Pauline, hi Malcolm,Thank you for the really lovely review!
We're so pleased you enjoyed your "2 Crafts in 1 Day" experience. It was certainly a pleasure to teach you both the basics in woodturning and ceramics - you guys took to both crafts really well. It's always lovely to watch students absorbed in the process :-). We hope we've inspired you to continue with your creative path!
Take care.
Great day learning new skills in a relaxed and easy manner with Louise and Simon. The combi-day is an excellent idea to be able to have a taster of playing with Wood and Clay. All done in a beautiful setting with lunch and great humour. Thank you.
Response from Blended Monkey:
We're so pleased you enjoyed the 2 in 1 workshop :-).We had a very enjoyable day too! Lovely to give you both a taster in woodturning and ceramics. I'll let you guys know when your pottery pieces are ready to post out :-).
Had such a great day and were really welcomed by Simon and Louise. Both are clearly very skilled and talented in their individual fields and were able to easily translate their knowledge into teaching even us...complete beginners!
A fabulous, fun, learning experience and surprisingly therapeutic. Also a great idea to combine the Wood and Pottery into one day. Perfect to be able to try out the basics of both before deciding if you want to invest more in one, the other or both. Highly recommended.
Response from Blended Monkey:
Tara, thank you for your lovely review!We really enjoyed having you guys here and we're so pleased you had a great day :-).
You both made some super pieces!
My husband and I attended the 2 crafts in 1 day, what a brilliant day we had. We were greeted by the hosts Simon and Louise in their beautiful garden where later we had lunch prepared for us.
We both enjoyed learning new skills and a taster for wood turning and pottery. Both were explained fully and our hosts were very patient with us while our attempts were made.
Both Simon and Louise had a noticeable enthusiasm for their crafts and would very much like to return at some point.
Highly recommended and good value for money.
Response from Blended Monkey:
Hi Sally, hi Graham,Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are really pleased that you both enjoyed your workshops! We look forward to welcoming you back in the future if you fancy having a more in-depth workshop in either of the crafts. Lovely meeting you both :-).