Latest reviews

Isabel Jagoe reviewed: Woodturning Course in North Yorkshire with Philip Greenwood RPT

"I had a lovely day learning woodturning with Phillip. He is very thorough in teaching best practice for tools, safety and setup and gave me an excellent grounding in woodturning as a complete beginner. I made a beautiful sycamore bowl and look forward to doing more in the future"

Jane Shaw reviewed: Lino cutting in Rye, East Sussex

"Really enjoyable day learning the basics of lino cutting and printing. The atmosphere was relaxed and we were made very welcome. As well as making prints from our own designs I was really inspired by Stephen’s own work hanging in the studio. Would highly recommend this course!"

Steve Duffy responded:

"Thanks Jane It was lovely to meet you and to help you to produce some very impressive prints"

Paul Turton reviewed: maltese limestone carving at mount pleasant gardens

"I was bought this by my daughters as a birthday gift, and it turned out to be an inspired choice.Thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend, it was totally therapeutic. Andrew was an excellent instructor, patient and informative, guiding us all through our various projects. A fun relaxing weekend set in beautiful gardens and a masterpiece to take home at the end. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anybody."

Roslyn Williams reviewed: Absolute beginners beaded jewellery workshop

"Omg I'm really getting addicted to coming to these workshops with Scarlet, I'm on my 3rd workshop. So far I've done the fairy and bracelet workshops, the fairy workshop is a definite must do again. Yesterday I did the silver clay workshop & it was my first time doing anything like this & it was just fantastic, I made a necklace from a real leaf that we found in the garden & some earrings with smaller leafs in silver. So much fun & I learnt to solder my own links onto them too. I was real nervous to do soldering but she showed me step by step until I was properly confident & made me feel like I can achieve anything. Scarlet is extremely patient & so nice. I showed my family my leaf jewellery and they couldn't believe I made them. I am definitely going back to learn more silver clay with a friend next time. Thank you again Scarlet for a lovely day. Love Roslyn x"

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"...YAY.. Thank you so much for your lovely review Roslyn, you are becoming a regular at the workshops. As a silver clay and soldering beginner you did really well and your jewellery was lovely. Looking forward to seeing you again soon. Sx"

Elaine reviewed: Beginners Candle Making Course with Afternoon Tea

"My daughter and I attended Paula's candle making course recently as we both love candles and thought it would be a nice thing to do. What a lovely way to spend 4 hours on a Saturday! Paula provided all of the equipment, ingredients and plenty of information plus lots of tips for making the perfect candle. The day was well paced and relaxed and the afternoon tea was wonderful! I would definitely recommend Paula and this course and look forward to attending other workshops in the future."

Old Bexley Soap & Candle Co. responded:

"Thank you very much"

Lana reviewed: Couture 2 day Felt Hats Course

"I attended the two days felt hat workshop and it was a fabulous experience. Elena is a wonderful artist, fantastic teacher and creative milliner, a real pleasure to be trained by a generous and talented woman! I learned about hat blocking, trimming, decorating and much more. Elena tailored the course to suit my needs. I absolutely loved the course, and feel that I now know enough to start making myself! Highly recommended!"

elena shvab millinery (GLGL Services UK ltd) responded:

"Dear Lana, Thank you so much of your kind words. It was a pleasure having you at my class. Wishing you all the best and more beautiful hats to create! Best, Elena"

Edward Griffiths reviewed: Timber framing courses

"This course exceeded my expectations. It was well run, challenging and run by a lovely bunch of people. Would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to work with large timbers, green oak or has a personal project."

Helen-Jane Mason reviewed: Upholster a chair seat or drop in top for a stool

"Had a brilliant day. Anne is a professional who is patient and informative. During the session she instructed at a good pace and demonstrated the next step when necessary. She encouraged me with praise at the right moments! I can't wait to put my newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice! Thank you."

The Little Vintage House responded:

"Thank you for your lovely feedback. It was great to meet you on Saturday and see your chair transformed. Thank you for coming and good luck with your future projects. Best wishes Anne"

Tony Forey reviewed: Spoon carving course (1 day)

"Really enjoyed the course, sitting in a wood on a sunny autumnal day, carving a spoon from a slab of wood, using all manor of really sharp tools, with 4 other participants who were really friendly and expertly taught by David. My wife even recognised my work as a spoon, so well done David! By the way the stew was very good."

The Coppice Plot responded:

"Hi Tony, Thanks for the review and really glad you enjoyed the course and the stew! Happy carving, David"

louise McElhinney reviewed: Free Machine Embroidery

"I just spent a perfect Sunday with my best friend being creative in Ruth’s lovely home. The course allows a total beginner to feel the buzz of creating something totally unique and I now feel confident and inspired to go on machine embroidering in my spare time. I would thoroughly recommend this course! Thank you Ruth x"

Jonathan Thomas reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"This course was bought for my 50th Birthday by my best mate. 5 of us took part in the weekend. I have to say it was one of the best things I have ever done. It was so well organised and the skills taught were presented in such a great way. We all walked away with a wonderful knife and some wonderful memories. Highly recommend due to the quality of instruction and the format of the weekend. Thank you so much for a weekend I will never forget"

Sarah Alcock reviewed: Kiln fired enamelling on copper taster (morning)

"Gen is a lovely, relaxed tutor who not only teaches clearly but lets you experiment and try out ideas. Well structured and paced class which results in you having pieces to take home. Recommended."

Wicked Gen Crafts responded:

"Thank you for such a lovely review. I always love teaching students new to enamelling and their excitement when working with a hot kiln with great results at the end."

Ron Irving reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Once again, another cracking day making a bouquet of flowers, learned a few more techniques and had a lovely piece to take home. Lovely lunch and more snacks and drinks than we could get through! Thanks again, looking forward to tool making next!"

Glenn Masson reviewed: Wet felting / needle felting workshop: Private session with Zenia from The Lady Moth

"We arranged a private lesson with Zenia for a birthday, felting small mushrooms. We had a wonderful time, each working away on a mushroom under the tutelage of Zenia who perfectly balanced her instruction whilst allowing us all to be creative and play with ideas at the same time. I would recommend the course to just about anyone looking to spend a morning or afternoon with friends making something beautiful!"

Leanne reviewed: Introduction to traditional stained glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"This is such a fantastic course. Martin is a great tutor, everything was explained and demonstrated really well in a small group and a lovely relaxed environment. I will definitely be returning to have a go at another course. Thank you."

Rebecca reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"What a fantastic day! My 16 year old daughter was given this course as a Christmas present and I was her plus 1! From start to finish we were made to feel incredibly welcome by all three members of the team. Adrian and Andy were patient and encouraging teachers and Debbie was a generous host. No matter what your skill level (ours was non existent!) you can do this and come away feeling a great sense of achievement with what you've made. It was fun and relaxed throughout, and the day flew by. We were incredibly well fed with great home made, hearty food. We came away exhausted, and filthy but chuffed to bits. Thank you for a great day!"

Tonya reviewed: Introduction to traditional stained glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"I highly recommend this workshop as I came away with a piece of finished stained glass, having learnt lots of new skills. It is an intensive day, in a relaxed supportive atmosphere with demonstrations and then lots of one to one tuition as needed. There was no pressure to rush and we were encouraged all the way. It was a small group and the room is a pleasant environment to work in with all the equipment and materials on hand. Thanks very much."

Jo Edwards reviewed: Metal jewellery and silversmithing, beginner to intermediate, 4 weeks.

"A fantastic course, Tracey helped to create a wonderful project, and so friendly. I had a great time."

Ruth Sheppard reviewed: Wet felt flowers

"A very enjoyable afternoon and I liked the idea of a goodie bag - an aide memoire with simple instructions about how to have a go at making felt flowers at home would be a lovely addition to choosing wools for the goodie bag I'll definitely recommend your courses and spread the word"

Beechwood Crafts responded:

"Thanks Ruth, It was lovely having you in the group. I like your tip on simple instructions. I'll add a blog about it to my website in the next few days and ensure learners have some notes to take home in future Cath"

Yvonne Keatley reviewed: Bread basket course

"A great day course with excellent patient teaching!"

Emma Greenhalgh reviewed: Stained glass Monday evening course

"I thoroughly enjoyed the evening course and saw a real development in my skills over the 9 weeks. Sharon is a knowledgeable, patient and fun teacher, who recognises the importance of safety as well as allowing her students some independence. We had the opportunity to make stained glass panels to our own designs using either lead or copper foil technique. I heartily recommend Sharon's courses for all budding (or just curious) stained glass artists."

Manchester Stained Glass responded:

"Hi Emma, Thank you for your lovely kind review. It was great to see your panel develop using the agate stone, it was beautiful! I am always happy to have experimental curious minds on the course. Sharon :)"

Eileen F reviewed: Introduction to screen printing

"All I can say is, if you have never, ever done screen printing before in your life and you really want to do it but you lack self-confidence - then this is course is for you. Ria is absolutely fantastic, very knowledgeable and easy-going. We did have a bit of banter and it was great fun which made the course even more enjoyable and I did meet some really lovely people. The course itself was easy, very detailed and covered inexpensive ways of making a print you could do at home. The materials are free - you can choose from tote bags, tea towels, cushion covers etc. You literally just draw your design, cut a stencil, choose your colours, screen print then stand back and admire your own work! Don’t worry, you’re not left on your own, Ria is with you all the way. I had problems with the squeegee thingy to start with. You’re supposed to make one or two smooth movements down the screen to push the paint through. I just couldn’t get it right but with Ria’s help and me doing a few practice runs I soon got the knack of it. At the end of the day, I had learned something new – a new skill that I didn’t have a few hours before and I was able to take my handiwork home with me. I’m so glad I went on this course. Thanks for a fantastic day Ria and I do hope to see you soon!"

Stephen Murphy reviewed: Spoon carving day - at Court Wood, Llanvihangel Court

"I bought this as an 80th birthday present for my father, we had a great day, relaxed and enjoyable. We came away with a couple of spoons each and a spatula and an appreciation of the skills involved. Roy was great teacher and we enjoyed the wide ranging discussions over lunch. Also the setting is wonderful and added to the relaxed atmosphere, carving wood in a clearing in a woods, what more can you want. Thanks to all involved."

Jill Davey reviewed: Stained glass introduction at Blue Kite Stained Glass

"I had a really excellent day yesterday attending Iain's stained glass course. From start to finish Iain gave myself and another 'student' his undivided attention. We learnt all the stages of making a stained glass panel and were also provided with useful written information to take home. I made a really lovely 20cm square panel which now hangs at my living room window. Hope to maybe take this up as a new hobby in the winter, when the lawn doesn't need cutting all the time! Thank you Iain for such an enjoyable and informative day."

Blue Kite Stained Glass responded:

"Hi Jill, glad you enjoyed it, you should both be really proud of your work!"

Basil messer reviewed: Wood turning courses in Dorset

"My wife and boys bought me a 1 day course with Mark. He made me feel really at home. I have been turning for 4 years, he gave me a great day and I learnt great deal. I intend to return to Mark. Thanks Mark"

Full Circle Turning responded:

"It was great to meet you Basil and I am so glad you enjoyed your time turning with me. I look forward to catching up in the future. All the best and Happy turning."