Latest reviews

Penny Renn reviewed: Spinning silk 1 day

"Cath's preparation for this two day course was exemplary. We were housed in a safe and comfortable environment which must have taken a good deal of time and effort to prepare. During the course Cath shared her knowledge and skill with us in preparing and spinning a large variety of silks and luxury fibres. The pace was satisfyingly brisk covering a wide range of information and techniques that I look forward to putting into practice at home. One unexpected and pleasing outcome of the course was that each of us came away with a large selection of samples of the fibres we were introduced to. A most enjoyable and stimulating two days. Thank you Cath"

Beechwood Crafts responded:

"Thank you Penny It was lovely to have you on the course Best wishes Cath"

Mr Robert Shaw reviewed: Forge your own knife at Padgett Ironworks Blacksmiths

"Had a fantastic day with Connor, he couldn't have been more helpful. I'm over the moon with both the day and the knife I took home. This is a fantastic experience for anyone who is interested in the craft or enjoys Forged in Fire or Alec Steele!"

Hugh reviewed: Furniture making course: Fundamentals of Furniture Making Part 1 (beginner)

"A really excellent course and a great introduction to woodworking. I was a complete beginner and didn’t know what to expect. Aidan provided loads of support and encouragement and I was quite amazed at what we were all able to produce and learn within two days. I highly recommend the course."

Michelle reviewed: Being Nature: mindfulness & re-wilding days in the woods

"I just wanted to thank you for the yesterday’s day in the woods. It was so interesting and today I feel so refreshed! The day started beautifully with our meditation and unfolded in a very natural and easy way. The enquiry was deep! I love being in the woods and it was great being with a lovely group, thank you and everyone else there for being such good company. Thanks for organising such a memorable day."

Ilona reviewed: Natural Skincare Workshop: Moisturisers and Creams

"Really good workshop. I have previously done their soap and skincare workshop and returned for more. This time face creams. As before, Nic and Ben were super friendly and great hosts, supplying endless tea and biscuits. In addition, the variety and choice of ingredients for your creams is large, and you are given time and guidance to make decisions. Nothing is rushed but still the time flies when you are having fun. Really recommend this workshop for people and groups interested."

John Logan reviewed: Box making weekend in Cumbria

"Booked the course to improve my woodworking knowledge and skills. The course was excellent, I learned such a lot with the added bonus of a beautiful box to take home. The course was well organised and felt very safe. Mark was superb and I will be booking more courses!"

Mick Cooper reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"A great day for anyone who wants to be creative and you take home what you have made. Lots of tasty food and drinks. Adrian, Andy are friendly helpful and talented. See some of the brilliant things they design and build."

Katheryn Dennes reviewed: Jay Bird drawing kit with dip pen and India ink

"I wanted something different to give as a present and seen this beautiful craft box. Service was amazing and the quality of the materials was excellent. I can’t recommend enough, apart from can we have a butterfly option too. Beautiful unique gift that was treasured"

The Quiet Doodler responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind words, I am very pleased that it was a treasured gift, I hope they enjoy using it. I'm working on new ideas at the moment, so I shall take on board your butterfly request. Thank you once again for your order and lovely review."

Clare reviewed: Beginners Soap Making Course

"I bought this workshop as a birthday present for my friend so we attended together. It was a lovely thing to do with a friend but I also would have been fine in my own as Paula was so welcoming and everyone there was friendly. The course was so well organised with a great balance of theory and practical. I have already bought some items to carry on this hobby at home. I learned so much and realise I knew nothing about soap before. A really great day for the complete beginner or someone hoping to take this on as a craft small business. Highly recommended."

Old Bexley Soap & Candle Co. responded:

"Hi Clare, so glad you both enjoyed the day, and what a nice birthday gift to give to your friend. Paula"

Vicky reviewed: Leather Clutch Purse Workshop

"What a great day. Doesn't matter if you have never done anything like this before or got a few skills. By the end of this course you will come away so proud that you have made something yourself and learn some new skills. Tracy is a great teacher. I'd highly recommended the courses to anyone."

Carl Robinson reviewed: Blacksmith for a day in the Yorkshire Dales

"Brilliant course, the instructors are friendly and knowledgeable, as others have said the course is a curled keyring and a dragon coat hook. The course is set in beautiful surroundings overlooking the Ribble Viaduct. The hosts Rachel and Mike were also top notch, making sure we were fed with homemade lasagne, biscuits and cakes (plenty of tea and coffee too). Highly recommended! Wear old clothes, decent comfortable shoes (not trainers) and if you're going in winter or a chilly day, dress up with layers."

Rosie Cann reviewed: Stained glass one day course for beginners: one-to-one

"My Mum and I had a wonderful day with Emma. I bought the voucher as a 70th birthday present for my Mum and it was a really special day. Emma is a brilliant teacher, so patient in teaching us the skills involved, helping us design and select which glass to use; we both learned a lot and came home with a stained glass panel each we love. We also had fun chatting with Emma, it felt like a lovely girlie day. The workshop is in a nice part of Hove, surrounded by sweet coffee shops and cafes, and we were able to sit in nearby Brunswick Square and eat our lunch. Heartily recommended."

Averil Newsam reviewed: Spinning silk 1 day

"Three students and Cath Snape, our tutor worked in a spacious perfectly ventilated garden marquee. We had face visors for moments when we were closer than 2 metres so it was all very well planned. We covered silk spinning on day one, from degumming cocoons to making and spinning from silk hankies and blending mulberry silk with other fibres. All really useful practice for understanding how to manage the long, slippy staple of silk compared with shorter fibres. Day two was also useful for me - we were combing or carding luxury fibres from Cashmere to mohair and angora as well as alpaca in order to blend with other fibres. It really helped me to establish the rules about fibre preparation in relation to staple length, then what technique to use for spinning the fibre. We still had time for refreshments and lunch break, comparing our interests and experiences within our own Guilds of York and Durham."

Beechwood Crafts responded:

"thanks Averil, it was lovely to see you and have your enthusiasm contributing to the course. best wishes Cath"

Roberta reviewed: Online Making a Mosaic with Slate

"Just want to say how lovely the course was today, Rachel! My daughter Natalie gave it to me as a birthday present and did the course herself. We both thoroughly enjoyed it and love your mosaic art. It’s so wonderful you are sharing your methods and experience with others and spreading the love for mosaic art and the different ways of interpreting it. So inspirational! Thank you so much!"

Angie. D reviewed: Bespoke Photo-encaustic workshop

"It was my first attempt at Photo Encaustic Art at the one day workshop, with the tuition of Lyn Kirkland, our talented and wonderful teacher, who made the day so relaxed and enjoyable. It was such a unique process. I loved the idea of adding a photo and layering with wax. I loved the textures, coloured pigments and most of all the playfulness of adding your own signature to the end result. I chose a photo of my beloved elderly pet dog. My photo is now so much more interesting and feels more personal to me. My own unique piece of work. Thank you and shall be back to have some more fun!"

Hilary gleghorn reviewed: Felt Making Paintings

"I can wholeheartedly recommend this day for anyone curious about wet felting! The studio is bright and welcoming and has an amazing array of materials available to explore and use. Jo is both a talented artist and a very able teacher: her style is warm and supportive and she skilfully guided us through the processes of felting at our own pace. After that we were free to create whatever we had in mind: there was plenty of inspiration in the studio to help develop those ideas and Jo gave just the right amount of input to each person to keep us all moving forward …and produce pieces that were significantly better than we might have hoped as beginners! Being able to experiment with so many different wools and textures in one day was a real bonus. Overall a very relaxing and enjoyable day!"

Charlotte reviewed: Glitzy glass jewellery

"We've worked with Stevie on a number of courses, fragment bowls, jewellery, birds and Christmas decorations. The courses are good fun with lovely pieces to show for it at the end. Highly recommend."

Stevie Davies responded:

"And you are welcome back anytime. Just keep bringing all your wonderful ideas! Thank you."

Gillian Brett reviewed: Copper wire jewellery Workshop

"I spent a lovely two hours yesterday jewellery making with Kami. Kami explained and demonstrated everything really clearly and made me feel really relaxed and confident enough to have a go myself. I came home with a lovely handmade bracelet and two rings which I will be proudly showing off and I will definitely be having a go at making my own at home."

Mya Designs responded:

"Thanks for a lovely review, Gillian. It was a pleasure to teach you some tips and tricks and well done on completing 3 pieces of jewellery! I'm really pleased to hear you're going to continue being creative at home! xx"

Catherine reviewed: ‘Winter dream ' wool painting face-to-face textile art course in Worcestershire

"Thank you Raya for another wonderful wool painting workshop. Raya is very patient, encouraging and an excellent teacher. I highly recommend her courses."

Loretta reviewed: Knife Making and Bladesmith Classes: Hand-Forged Viking Knife

"Hi John OMG What a fab day!! Had such a great time. And so very pleased with my knife. Just being in the forge and finding all sorts of weird and wonderful metal works scattered all around was fascinating and inspiring, but on top of that, you and Spencer did a great job at teaching and helping us to create our masterpieces :-). I will definitely be back.... start thinking about how we are going to create my witch on a broomstick! Also, thanks to Dan for crafting my skeleton hand for me - I love it. See you soon... Loretta"

Anvil Forge responded:

"Loretta I must admit you were great to teach and fun all day long the broomstick idea is wonderful especially for the halloween class ! I will mention you to the lads , they also enjoy the feedback. best wishes John"

Ruth Stavris reviewed: Introduction to spooncarving at Hill End

"An excellent and very enjoyable introductory day course in green woodworking, from the welcoming wood-fired kettle right through to comprehensive follow-up email and opportunities for further progress. The whole day was very well-structured and equipped, with superbly clear demonstrations and explanations from David and Mike, which enabled us to make spoon design choices, get plenty of practice with axe and knives, and produce an item of use and individual beauty. The day was one of care and attention, in a very safety-conscious environment and wonderfully peaceful surroundings, with David enabling us all to get properly to grips with the revelation that the axe is our friend! Thoroughly recommended, as well as a spoon I ended the day with a great sense of accomplishment, and a deeper appreciation of the artistry involved in the craft."

David Knight Woodland Crafts responded:

"Thanks so much for the review, Ruth, it is much appreciated, and thanks to you and your fellow participants for being such an engaged and enthused group. I do hope the day has sparked your interest in spooncarving and green woodworking- it’s a rabbit hole that’s not easy to escape from!"

Linda Nussbaum-Richman reviewed: Hand spinning for beginners at Cartmel Handspun

"The small group made it easy to learn & get personal attention when needed. Elaine was a wonderful teacher, warm, friendly, very professional. Her expertise was obvious, she was so knowledgeable and passed on a great deal of very useful information. Our group of 3 attended during the Covid restrictions, and our safety and well-being were carefully thought out, with all guidelines strictly followed. The length of the day was just right. I feel I learnt a lot, I achieved what I wanted and now, I must practice, practice, practice! The venue was gorgeous, what a lovely, peaceful place to hold a course! I will definitely book another course, when I’m more practiced at spinning! Thank you Elaine, for your help, wisdom and patience! Regards, Linda."

Cartmel Handspun Spinning School responded:

"Thank you Linda. I am so pleased you found the course useful and enjoyable. Happy spinning!"

Emma Smith reviewed: Beginners Soap Making Course

"I had an excellent time learning how to make soap with Paula. She has such a huge wealth of knowledge and experience, and is incredibly helpful. The course was well organised, and filled with a huge amount of information all designed to build confidence for beginners. Paula was happy to spend time answering questions and was very encouraging and supportive throughout the day. I left feeling confident that I’d be able to attempt to make soap at home on my own. I’d definitely recommend this course to anyone looking to start their journey into soap making. A great experience!"

Old Bexley Soap & Candle Co. responded:

"Thank you Emma, so happy to welcome another local soap maker! Paula"

Jak Rawsthorne reviewed: Make your own Leather Apron for the BBQ, Crafting, Utility, Workshop

"A great workshop run by Tracy, who has an abundance of knowledge and experience working with leather, and she took time to demonstrate and instruct to the group. I was really pleased with the bespoke apron I made, and will definitely book onto another course in the future. Thanks Tracy! :)"

Mandy Colbourne reviewed: Leather Clutch Purse Workshop

"What a fantastic day! Mandy Colbourne on Feb 27, 2020 Had a brilliant day learning all about leather and the stages of cutting, preparing, sewing, finishing etc and came home with a fabulous bag incorporating some of the goat skin from one of my own hides. Highly recommend. Tracy is a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher and happily shares her skills and knowledge. Will definitely be going again. Thank you."