Latest reviews

27 Jan 15'

Carolyn reviewed: WED 5TH – FRI 7TH AUG: Portrait Painting in Oil, a three day course

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It was the first time I had attended a portrait painting course and found Peter to be an excellent tutor, talking us through in well explained steps, with plenty of demos. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and the food at the centre was exceptionally good."

27 Jan 15'

Clare Butler reviewed: MON 3RD AUGUST: ‘Cutting the Curd’ Cheese Making

"A really enjoyable and informative day with a tutor brimming with enthusiasm and knowledge. And delicious products to take home at the end of it - what's not to like?"

27 Jan 15'

Sheena Bond reviewed: Blacksmithing courses

"I have attended two workshop days with Lucille and on both occasions have thoroughly enjoyed myself. Working with red hot steel, shaping and encouraging it to the form you want is an amazing experience. Lucille's teaching style is fun, professional and inspiring. Her enthusiasm for her medium shines through; it is a real passion and very infectious!"

27 Jan 15'

Sue reviewed: WED 5TH – FRI 7TH AUG: Portrait Painting in Oil, a three day course

"An absolutely brilliant all round experience. Peter is an excellent tutor: friendly and well-organised as well as brimming with enthusiasm and talent. He is brilliant at breaking down the difficult task of portrait painting into small manageable steps. We had the chance to draw and paint both from patient sitters and excellent photos. Very inspiring. Not only did Peter make it look easy, he actually made it seem easy! It was great to have materials provided, too, at a small cost. And as for the lunches!!! Complete yum. I have already booked again for this year."

27 Jan 15'

Valerie Powell reviewed: Creating ceramic animals courses - with James Ort & Alison Pink

"James Ort`s clay sculpture course was the most attentive art course I`ve ever been on. His original and innovative away of working with clay was put across with boundless patience in the most comprehensive and patient way. I`ve never known a teacher work so hard to give so much. Everyone in the group produced lovely objects. Marvelous!! Thanks James, Val Powell."

26 Jan 15'

Lynda Clark reviewed: Beginners Hand spinning - 'From fleece to fibre’ - at All in a Spin

"This was a fabulous day. Very patient teacher and beautiful setting. I have booked another 2 courses as I enjoyed the day so much."

26 Jan 15'

lynnette reviewed: Crochet for Beginners

"highly recommend this course .Kasturi is very patient, had no problem with me being left handed. very patient and understanding how hard it is for a left handed person to learn how to crotchet. fantastic day, lots of fun .a great teacher"

26 Jan 15'

Howard Kay reviewed: Firebird Forge Blacksmithing School

"one-to-one tuition with a man of Mort's willingness to share his skills was an experience I will long remember. He imparted his enthusiasm for the craft so I was left with thoughts of how to fit a forge into my single garage. I would recommend this to all and sundry of all ages and genders."

26 Jan 15'

Eddie Moore reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"This was a birthday/Christmas present from my lovely stepdaughter - the whole day was fantastic!! Both Adrian and Debbie are lovely friendly people and have a passion for what they do. My wife came with me , and although she wasn't on the course, Adrian gave her the opportunity to make something for herself. The facilities, range of equipment is great, Adrian is passionate about what he does and passes this on in a friendly easy to absorb way. Debbie is a fantastic hostess and kept us supplied with home cooking all day of a standard that would put all the TV chefs to shame - all in all , a perfect day!! - Go on - treat yourself, you wont regret it!"

25 Jan 15'

Marlis reviewed: Hand spinning for beginners at Cartmel Handspun

"An excellent day course, relaxed but informative and certainly got me spinning. Great fun to spin using a drop spindle initially and then finally manageing to use my own spinning wheel - aim achieved. Elaine is patient and provides excellent guidance and I have learned some useful 'spinning' language, sources of wool etc. and informative course notes to take away."

25 Jan 15'

Annie reviewed: Felt a landscape

"The nuno felting at Carmel last week was fantastic. I am well and truly hooked. Sarah was so helpful and the company was great ."

25 Jan 15'

Jane Lewis reviewed: Weaving: the journey begins

"I found the tuition really useful and helpful - you answered all my questions and with patience. Although it is early days yet I find I am remembering well - I have my loom up and running at home. I am now totally hooked on weaving!"

25 Jan 15'

Elaine Williams reviewed: Free-motion Machine Embroidery Workshops

"What a fantastic day I had at Chloe's free-motion machine embroidery workshop. Chloe made the day very enjoyable with her lovely personality and patience. My 27yr old Toyota machine with a free-motion foot was fine for the sewing. A recent visit to Amsterdam was the inspiration for my sewing piece and there was plenty of time that day to finish it. Would definately go again and I highly recommend Chloe as a tutor. Her experience, patience and seeing her work, makes the workshop worthwhile."

25 Jan 15'

Maggie B reviewed: Beginners Hand spinning - 'From fleece to fibre’ - at All in a Spin

"Lovely to meet the sheep that the fleeces come from. Excellent course from an excellent, knowledgable and patient tutor. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone interested in wool and yarns and sheep, all in a beautiful location."

24 Jan 15'

Ian Simpson reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Excellent, informative and full on fun day. A great experience in excellent facilities with the bonus of wonderful home cooked food.... what's not to like! Adrian is obviously passionate about his craft and his enthusiasm is infectious. Highly recommended."

24 Jan 15'

Sian Blake reviewed: Wet Felting - Pockets and Purses (Beginners) Saturday 24th Jan

"6 of us started this workshop with no idea of what to expect. Lorraine must have waved a magic wand because suddenly we were layering wool ( all British) of rainbow colours , and with the addition of warm water, soap and gentle rubbing we gradually transformed it into sample squares and then a purse each. It was a joyful day, lots of sharing of ideas, laughing and admiration of what the others had done. We exchanged contact details and went home amazed by our achievements and knowing that next time we were going to make something even more special."

24 Jan 15'

Nadia reviewed: One day introductory course to candle making

"Great fun. Puts me in good stead for starting my candle making hobby. Excellent teacher with easy to follow instructions."

23 Jan 15'

Angela Wilkes reviewed: Wire & mixed media sculpture courses with James Ort

"I highly recommend this course and was amazed at what I went home with from the two weekends spent at Phoenix studios. James is an excellent teacher, who encourages and helps students to carry out their own ideas. The well equipped light studio looking onto the garden is a splendid place to work. I will definitely go again."

23 Jan 15'

Becky Lusby reviewed: Creating ceramic animals courses - with James Ort & Alison Pink

"I really enjoyed this course. The Phoenix Studio is fabulous - lovely surroundings, inspirational art all around, fantastic friendly, supportive atmosphere, great facilities and plenty of tea breaks and biscuits. I went with three other members of my family, which was nice, but going on your own wouldn't be a problem as everyone gets involved with everyone elses efforts in a lovely, supportive way. I was amazed how much we got done in just one weekend. James has a talent for bringing out everyones creative side and encouraging them to acheive their best. As well as being pleased with my own efforts, it was a real pleasure seeing everyone elses, very varied creatures emerge. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone considering it."

23 Jan 15'

Jenny Simmons reviewed: Felt a landscape

"I attended the nuno felting course and it was a wonderful day. Sarah provided a wide selection of materials . At each stage of the process Sarah gave us a demonstration of the technique. The day provided just the right amount of tuition and free time to allow us to develop our projects. The results were a wonderful array of items in the most beautiful colourways. I left the course wanting to go on and explore this felting method further. I am definitely looking out for future courses taught by Sarah."

23 Jan 15'

Kevin McKeon reviewed: Hand-stitched leather tote, satchel or messenger bag course

"I had a really excellent weekend making a great messenger bag and getting a great introduction to leatherwork. Gaynor is a highly skilled craftsperson and teacher who shares her knowledge freely, you get drawn in so quickly to working on your project and the results were very exciting. The workshop in a beautiful old chapel is very well organised space with plenty of room to work. The emphasis is on building skills and confidence quickly so that you can get working on your own project. There is a lot of one-to-one tuition from Gaynor and her excellent assistant Enya both ably helped by Elizabeth so you never have to struggle on your own. The team are really good about allowing people to work in a way they feel comfortable with and everyones work progressed very quickly. The atmosphere is very friendly and busy and I learnt so much about a material I'd never used before. I'm so pleased with my bag - can't quite believe I did it in two days! I would highly recommend the weekend to anyone who enjoys working with their hands, you'll learn a lot and make a really beautiful bag to take away and you'll have a lot of fun too."

22 Jan 15'

Rose Scarborough reviewed: Hand-stitched leather tote, satchel or messenger bag course

"I came on the course as a birthday treat for a friend but it was a total treat for me. The teaching was excellent. The team were all so friendly and supportive. I love my bag. When I got home my friends couldn't believe I had hand stitched it and done it all in a weekend. I recommend it as a rewarding and enjoyable experience. thank you"

22 Jan 15'

Sue Dunckley reviewed: Hand-stitched leather tote, satchel or messenger bag course

"Enjoyed every moment of making my beautiful handbag. The course was extremely well run, was fun & a lovely atmosphere. Excellent tuition had an amazing 2 days & learnt so much."

22 Jan 15'

Michael Harrison reviewed: Introduction to Glass Fusing with Enamels - Full Day Workshop

"The four hour drive down to St David's for the course did nothing to dent our anticipation. As owners of an unused kiln we have been itching to put it to good use. The great thing is that with just five people per course we were given as much one to one help & direction as we could take in in one day. Prior to the course I bombarded Hannah with a range of questions regarding 'other materials' that we rather fancied adding into our creations-all these she answered patiently. We were amazed at the high quality of detail we achieved-aided by the ever attentive Steve who gently steered us when required towards our goal of creating something that we would feel proud to hang on our wall. Many thanks for a very enjoyable day!"

22 Jan 15'

Clare Pennells reviewed: Leatherwork weekend taster course

"I thoroughly enjoyed the course. They were really helpful. Would recommend it to anyone."

Our website uses cookies to give you the best user experience. By using the site you are consenting to our use of cookies. You can find out more in our Privacy Policy.
You can manage your selection from the 'Cookie settings' in the footer of the page