Latest reviews

susie reviewed: Log to Stool with Gedwood

"wonderful tutor and excellent course, ged takes time to teach and support you in the making of the stool, wonderful tools, authentic tool shed and environment! highly recommend"

Gedwood responded:

"Thanks Susie. Glad you enjoyed the course and hope to see you again on a course."

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

"Having been bought this course as a birthday present, I was very excited to go and experience woodturning for the first time. I enjoy woodworking generally as a hobby, so this felt like the natural next step for me and I can confirm that this experience has helped me make up my mind and see that woodturning is definitely for me. Both Simon and Louise were very welcoming and Simon’s passion, calmness and clear tuition gave me a great amount of confidence throughout the session. I left feeling very proud of what I had learned and a with a determination to follow this up further! A huge thank you to Blended Monkey for giving me a fantastic day and a wonderful experience."

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

"Hi Mark, Thank you for a lovely (and speedy!) review - felt like you were only here yesterday ;) So glad you enjoyed your experience and I hope to see you again soon for more. Any help in the meantime, please do get in touch. Kind Regards, Simon & Louise"

Mike reviewed: Log to Stool with Gedwood

"Can't recommend Ged and this session highly enough! Ged is tremendously knowledgeable and his calm, friendly and encouraging approach puts you at ease right away and really instills confidence in the absolute beginner. The beautiful, brilliantly equipped workshop is the ideal location and I'm absolutely delighted by the finished product! A huge thanks to Ged, can't wait to build my skills and experience at future workshops :)"

Gedwood responded:

"Ah thanks Mike! Hope to see you again on a workshop?"

The William reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"An amazing day! Under Simon's excellent tuition, supervision, and encouragement I turned a 2x2" square section length into a passably attractive honey dribbler, and an ugly lump of sycamore into a very bowl-like piece. (I wish I could add photographs - they are quite beautiful and I am so proud!) It was utterly absorbing. As a complete novice (but an expert klutz) I was in danger of turning (geddit?!) my bowl into an eggcup but Simon rescued me. He was generous with his time, determined we should go away with fully finished pieces. It was also inspiring to see what SimonTheExpert achieves - paper-thin bowls in example shapes, and spindles-as-art (both in their own right, by eccentric centring, and as a set that creates female forms in the gaps between them). Can't recommend this highly enough :-) But, if you don't want to find wood shavings in your underwear, wear one of the offered smocks!"

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

"Hi William, So glad you enjoyed your experience - you were a pleasure to teach and lovely company. If you do get the bug and need more help, don't hesitate to get in touch. Kind Regards, Simon & Louise"

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

"What a fantastic day! Jonny and Becky were friendly and helpful and excellent teachers. There was a lovely atmosphere and going through the entire process of making a basket from start to end was really interesting and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this course!"

Linda reviewed: Summer natural dyeing in Pembrokeshire

"Lovely atmosphere in the session. Knowledgeable and informative session leader, left confident enough to try it at home and am pleased with results. A lovely touch was the refreshments and cake"

Susan Martin responded:

"Thank you for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed the workshop. Have fun experimenting at home."

Angela Drake reviewed: One day stained glass classes by Le Breton Traditional

"A very well organised and well equipped course with clear instructions and explanations. A friendly atmosphere and plenty of help when needed. I was surprised how much we all achieved in just one day. Really very good."

Jeff Jones reviewed: Introduction to leatherwork – Belt making workshop

"A huge thankyou to Wendy & Clive for such a lovely day! I've learned so much today to start my leather working journey. A beautiful location, a warm welcoming atmosphere, and a massively knowledgeable couple that make learning new skills so easy! I'll be back ASAP after practicing my saddle stitch. Cheers Jeff"

Evancliffe Leathercraft responded:

"Hi Jeff, Thank you for the review. We are really pleased that you enjoyed the workshop. We look forward to welcoming you back on another workshop soon."

Karen Fraser reviewed: Introduction to Frame Loom Weaving

"In person course today was a refresher for me, after not being able to continue at home due to health issues. Was lovely to be able to be shown how to do different designs/patterns I had done a while ago. Many thanks Alice, for a lovely productive day. Very pleased with my work."

Marje Callister reviewed: Making a stained glass leaded panel

"I’ve just had a lovely day! Caryl is a very clever lady and an excellent teacher. As a stained glass beginner, I needed lots of help and Caryl was there with suggestions and assistance when necessary. I was very pleased with my creation and my family think I’m a genius! Thank you Caryl!"

Caryl Hallett Stained Glass responded:

"So pleased to hear that you had a wonderful day, especially as you've had to wait many months for this birthday treat. Thank you for your kind feedback. Caryl"

Dawn Mander reviewed: Gemstone Stacking Rings: Silver Jewellery Making

"Second time even better than the first. Thank you so much and see you soon for the spinner ring!"

Rob reviewed: Gemstone Stacking Rings: Silver Jewellery Making

"Loved the rings! Thank you Nina!"

Chris Wood reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"Everything about this course was excellent. The tuition clear and helpful taking note of my previous lack of experience. The tutor was very helpful and ensured the safety of the pupil at all times. The venue was well looked after and well stocked with appropriate equipment. This was one of the most enjoyable days I have spent for a long time and I would return for a more advanced course if it were to be offered. Lunch and refreshments were provided throughout the day, and were much appreciated. The follow-up notes and photos were unexpected and well thought through. A thoroughly enjoyable experience."

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

"Hi Chris, Thank you for a lovely and honest review; we're really glad you enjoyed your experience and will hopefully be setting up a follow on course soon. Kind Regards, Simon & Louise"

Emma Reynolds reviewed: Beginner's Cupcake Decorating

"Booked this for my parents and daughter as a birthday present, they had a wonderful time, Jane and Paul were so welcoming and friendly and the cakes they brought home looked amazingly professional for a beginner's course. Plenty of yummy refreshments provided. Many thanks for the hospitality and a fabulous day."

Tara House Bakery responded:

"Thank you for this very positive feedback. I am so pleased that your parents and your daughter had a wonderful time. Your father was the first male participant that we have had on our Beginner's Cupcake Decorating course. Your daughter and your parents produced some lovely cupcakes, and were a pleasure to teach. So glad they had a 'fabulous day' and took home some beautifully cupcakes. I hope to see them at a future course."

John Rayner reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"Excellent day had on the wood turning course. Both Simon & Louise made me feel most welcome on arrival. Very constructive morning and afternoon sessions with Simon. There to help you constantly and was most grateful for his advice. Nice to receive the follow up notes, photos and video reminding me of a memorable day. Highly recommend the course to anyone. Will certainly be going back! Thank you Louise for a lovely lunch by the way. Kind Regards John Rayner"

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

"Hi John, We're so glad you enjoyed your course and look forward to seeing you again in the future. Kind Regards, Simon & Louise"

Ross and Jen reviewed: Blacksmithing Experience in Grassington (5 hours)

"excellent day completed the 5 hours 2 people workshop. Richard is a fantastic teacher, really patient, super friendly and talked through all the steps showing techniques to aid you in making your desired items. made the best use of time and let us be independent with what we wanted to make. highly recomend this and other sessions - will definatley go back again, we made an original fire poker, display hook and viking/pirate knife. loved every min even the blisters showing how hard we worked :) thank you again for the experiance Richard."

Rosie reviewed: Painting Masterclass - Tenby South Beach - all welcome in lovely Lawrenny

"I had a brilliant time and I learnt so much about the layering process. Louise was so helpful and welcoming and I really enjoyed meeting her and the other people at the workshop. Highly recommend her courses and I look forward to doing another in the future!"

Louise Burdett Artist responded:

"Thanks so much Rosie. It was a pleasure to have you on the workshop and I will look forward to seeing you again and following your own artistic journey. x"

Terry Emberson reviewed: Two-day woodcarving for beginners

"Being a total novice and not very creative, I was surprised at how easy Will made it for me to actually use the carving tool successfully! Will is a brilliant teacher - patient, understandable and vastly talented."

Jackie Chapman reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Huge thanks to Debbie, Adrian and Andy We had a fantastic day making flowers, with very clear instructions and help when needed. Enjoyed a scrumptious lunch and great flapjacks and coffee on arrival. Would strongly recommend this course to anyone."

Mona and Tim reviewed: One-day woodcarving for beginners

"We've had a one day course with Will on an off-grid retreat and it was so brilliant. We both never done anything like that before but Will was so good at putting us at ease, explaining the technique and making it so fun and lovely, letting us be creative!!! The few hours flew by and we had amazing little coasters, hand carved, by the end of it. We wish Will all the best in Devon and we can recommend his courses to anyone who's interested in wood carving or just want to try something new!"

Alison reviewed: Garment construction techniques - A beginners guide to sewing

"I really enjoyed this course, and learnt loads of techniques to make garments in a friendly supportive environment. I recommend anyone wanting to learn the basics of garment making that they attend this course to give them the know how and confidence to start making their own garments. Thanks for a great course."

Christine Such reviewed: 10 Week, 30 hour Silver Jewellery Day School, Thursday

"Really made welcome. Teresa is calm and her steadiness made it easier to start work as a beginner. I felt inspired and came away from the first class bursting with ideas. She respects and nurtures creatbity in her students. A really joyful occasion."

Creative Therapy Space responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind words Chris, it was such a pleasure to meet you and I can't wait to get to know you more... ooh the stories we shall share whilst creating beautiful treasures!"

Jonathan Court reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I have been wood turning for only a few weeks and a day with a professional teacher is well worth it. I would recommend a course with Colin for anyone wishing to improve on whatever skills they have. In my case my skills were pretty basic, but Colin taught me a lot of quite impressive techniques that allowed me, with Colin's help, to turn a very nice bowl which is the first serious thing I have made. I then started on a egg-cup but didn't have enough time to finish it. I think it is worth putting in the effort to make one really satisfying piece and the egg-cup is still nice to look at. In helping me turn the bowl, Colin made it clear that he is a perfectionist and the slightest blemish on the wood has to be corrected. I was amazed when, as I was doing something wrong, with one finger Colin corrected the angle of the gouge without visibly doing anything. I must ask him again how he did this in the hope that I get the angle better next time."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thanks, Jon. Happy and safe turning and if I can help in the future, please get in touch. Colin"

Amy Wardell reviewed: Fused glass Xmas decorations: morning workshop YOU MAKE YOUR OWN GROP UP

"My mum and I came to Julie's house for a christmas decoration workshop. We loved it! Julie was very welcoming, friendly, warm and knowledgeable. Nothing was too much trouble and it all felt very safe covid-wise too. We made 2 pretty decorations and can't wait to put them out this year."

Julies Handcrafted Glass responded:

"Thank you Amy , they are very pretty glad you received them in the post ok ."

Lesley reviewed: Three-Day (Week-days) Bobbin Lace Making - Daytime Mixed Lace Workshops (Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey).

"Had a super time starting with lace making as a complete beginner. Just borrowed teacher’s equipment to start with. A kind patient teacher and a friendly supportive class. Great introduction to lace making."

Tina's Bobbin Lacemaking responded:

"Hi Lesley Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. It's always good to hear that you have enjoyed the experience and that students wish to carry on. Keep the basic stitches going and looking forward to seeing you soon. Regards Tina"