Latest reviews

Dean Evans reviewed: Stained glass beginners workshop, Cardiff, Wales

"Excellent quality course - both facilities and instructor who is knowledgeable, a good communicator and actually does the craft professionally. Recommend heartily!"

Glass By Design responded:

"Thank so much. Hope your family was impressed with your panel!"

Michael Spinks reviewed: Candle making workshops

"Had a fabulous time with Angharad in the gorgeous little hamlet of Moylegrove in Pembrokeshire. The candle making course was comprehensive and we came away with two boxes of beautifully presented candles in a wide variety of waxes. Angharad was very knowledgeable and incredibly friendly and had answers to all our technical questions as well as personal tips and tricks. She was able to tailor the experience to our wishes and had a fantastic array of waxes and moulds to give great breadth and depth to the experience. Whether it's for personal interest or with a view to setting up a small business, this would be an ideal place to start. Angharad couldn't have been more helpful and accommodating and we felt completely at ease the moment we stepped through the door. Homemade lunch was also amazing! I heartily recommend the course (and Pembrokeshire) to anyone."

Malcolm Simms reviewed: Box making weekend in Cumbria

"I took away from this course so much more than a beautiful box (with which my wife is as thrilled as I am). Lots of technical tips, insights into tools, methods and materials of which I would otherwise have remained ignorant and an ambition (and hopefully ability) to continue to improve the design and execution of my artefacts. Both the setting and the workshop are inspirational and Richard and Mark are genial and empathetic tutors who always appear relaxed but have an uncanny ability to spot an error before it is committed."

Angela reviewed: Lino Printing Day with Oxford Linocut Workshops

"I went with my sister and mum, and we had the most wonderful day. Claire is a superb teacher, patient kind and gently encourages you to do that little bit more. Our results were great! We went home with a bundle of cards, our artwork, the knowledge and skills to create at will, with all the instructions, equipment list (not much) and suppliers info we needed. The environment was simply the most beautiful, creative space. Claire’s talent is awe inspiring. And, what a lovely person! thank you so much Claire xxx (we will be returning! ?)"

William Dracott reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Bristol with Joanna Williams, Fire Iron Art

"Had an amazing day crafting iron with Joanna. Really informative as well as creative. Haven't made anything since leaving school over 20 years ago and loved every second of it. Really wanting to do more. Thanks Joanna for being so patient and making me feel relaxed and welcome into your workshop. Best of luck with everything in the future."

Nickola reviewed: "Thistle" Mosaic Basics

"I booked this for me and my mom for her Birthday. We had a lovely few hours creating our mosaic picture. Maggie gave us a good demonstration before we started and guided us throughout the session. All of the tools you need are to hand and there are lots of materials to choose from to make your design. The price was really reasonable and the venue was easy to find, comfortable and had free parking in the street on a Sunday. Thank you Maggie we thoroughly enjoyed it."

Minoan Mosaic Studio responded:

"Thank you ever so much for the kind words and for choosing to celebrate such special ocassion with our mosaic studio."

Jackie Evans reviewed: Stained glass beginners workshop, Cardiff, Wales

"A wonderful experience: totally exhausting - it's years since I had to concentrate so hard for a whole day! Brilliant (and patient) teacher in Angelina. The best bit was coming home with something I would be pleased to put on display."

Glass By Design responded:

"Thank so much for your review. Stained glass is quite an intense day, but worth it when you see what you can achieve in just a few hours. Your panel was beautiful and I hope it will give you much joy to know you made this. Show it off with pride!"

Geoff Brown reviewed: Beginners spoon carving course

"Great course, with clear and positive guidance from Steve the tutor. I would highly recommend the course for any would-be whittlers, though don’t expect perfection on day one, and watch your thumbs."

SJ Fleetwood reviewed: Traditional Leather Workshop (small leather goods)

"I had the most amazing day making a card wallet for my husband on this course. Kingsley was so friendly and knowledgable, and clearly so passionate about his work. I fell in love with leathercraft completely and am so grateful to him for taking so much time to explain each tool to me and how things have been constructed. It's great to have such small classes (I was extremely lucky and had a 1-on-1 session!) because so many other courses pack in the students and you just dont get the same learning experience as I did with Kingsley. Without question, I will be back to learn more - it's such an amazing feeling holding something that you made from scratch! Thank you so much."

TED REDDICK reviewed: Bladesmithing experience day

"Had a great day with Steve on a one day course to make a hunting/utility knife. I shared the day with another Steve who was there for the 2-day course and I think we both found it incredibly informative, interesting and creative. My knife is presently shown on this site as an example of what can be done and the best part about it is that the 'pupil' does a high proportion of the work (while Steve is always there to assist and do some of the stuff that is quite frankly beyond us at this early stage). Steve is a cracking bloke, good fun and very hospitable. No pressure and no stress. Thoroughly recommended!"

White Tiger Knives responded:

"Hi Ted Thank you for taking the time to review your day with me. I'm always very humbled when students enjoy their time in the shop and are so pleased with what that time produces in their finished knife. Whether it's one day or two they are always full on and great fun, thanks again. ATB Steve White Tiger Knives"

Caroline Dowse reviewed: Pottery throwdown at Claynglaze Pottery

"Thanks to Matt too on Saturday - for his patience again and again and for being with Wendy to give us encouragement and show us his great talents too. Claynglaze is a very friendly, relaxed and special pottery with splendidly talented instructors encouraging us all in a rare and beautiful setting. Thank you so much."

Claynglaze responded:

"Matt said thankyou! He's very shy but extremely talented. So glad you enjoyed the experience."

Caroline Dowse reviewed: Pottery throwdown at Claynglaze Pottery

"Had a very splendid and happy time at Claynglaze in Pulborough on Saturday - making egg cups, toaster and cafetière. Sadly my toaster had to go in the bucket at the end of the afternoon as it had twisted due to my haste - but my egg cups seemed to hold an egg and the cafetière made it in the end. I had a wonderful afternoon with Wendy’s enthusiasm and encouragement as always and we all had a fun and absolutely splendid afternoon. Lucky us - we learnt a lot."

Claynglaze responded:

"Caroline you're so kind. So we'll need to practise making a toast rack. So glad you're cafitiere made it! Sorry about the bucket. Had to be!"

Wendy Phelps reviewed: Printing workshops with Sally

"This is a craft I’ve wanted to have a go at for ages, I had even bought a kit years ago! Sally was a very good supportive calm friendly tutor. She only has four tutees at a time which means you get plenty of help if you need it. Now she has given me the confidence I will certainly be doing more Lino printing"

Louisa reviewed: Lino Printing Day with Oxford Linocut Workshops

"I was apprehensive before the course as I didn’t know how much artistic talent was required. Turns out... none at all! The guidance from Claire was very good, and the 8 of us in the class all produced very different but equally beautiful cards and prints. The time flew by in beautiful surroundings - the day was relaxed but structured, and I really really wish Claire ran evening courses so we could continue to practice what we’ve learned with her expert support on hand."

Clare Norton reviewed: Silver Clay beginners workshop Todmorden West Yorkshire

"Excellent course, very friendly and informative. Would highly recommend."

Creative with Nature Ltd responded:

"thanks clare. really glad you enjoyed the day. joe gregory. xx"

Amalie smidth reviewed: Stone carving courses in central London

"What an enjoyable and wonderful experience - I wish the course was longer! Tom and Tom are both extremely kind, helpful and excellent at explaining the foundations of stone carving. I can't recommend this enough. Thank you!"

Anna reviewed: Lino Printing Day with Oxford Linocut Workshops

"I don’t have an artistic bone in my body so I can only credit Claire for her skill in the production of my lino prints. I proudly showed them off when I got home with nothing less than gasps of amazement from my husband and children. As a bit of a bonus I found myself ‘lost in the moment‘ several times during the course of the day so I am also putting a big tick in the ‘mindfulness’ box. Who would have thought!!! Thank you Claire- a very enjoyable day. I doubt I will ever need to buy a greetings card again!!! Great for sustainability too!!!"

Arabella Dean reviewed: Upholstery for beginners

"My husband and I took this course in autumn 2019. We were both upholstery novices but wanted to re-spring and re-cover an art deco armchair. We thoroughly enjoyed learning with Julian, whose knowledge is wide and whose patience is long. The number of people varied week to week from three or four to six, each person doing a different style of upholstery. There was a great spirit of camaraderie and it was fascinating to see what other people were doing and the progress they made. Patience is necessary. There's only one Julian and he has to share his time amongst everyone; sometimes it's necessary to wait a while for him to get back to you. I have no hesitation in recommending Julian and this course to anyone embarking on an upholstery project. I travelled over an hour each way to do so, and would do it again. I'm looking for a new assignment which gives me cause to do that! Thank you, Julian"

Lewis Towers reviewed: Forest workshop

"Spoon Carving To start, this was something I had no experience in and had only really wanted to see what it was about and get an idea as to what was involved. Steven the lovely gentleman who runs it was so welcoming from start to finish. He is so knowledgeable and you can tell this is his passion and he loves to do it. He explains the processes and how everything works, he shows the techniques and helps you understand how and why we work with the wood the way we do, from everything of what to do, to what not to do. It's so interesting and gives you a real insight into sculpting wood and the different types of wood you can work with after. It gets down to the bones of a lost art form and its great for any beginners. Jake who also helps out is on hand to help understand and tackle any tricky bits, he really helped me develop my technique. All in all I came away with something that resembled a spoon, learnt how to use all the tools and for the price it's a fantastic day out and something out of the ordinary to go and try! Both guys are really interesting to talk to in general and I had a good laugh with them which is always important they are tentative and are soooo helpful too! Go down and see them both!"

Steve H reviewed: Make a Windsor-style stool

"I really enjoyed this course - learnt loads and got a great little stool at the end of it. Ben really knows his stuff and communicates it very well; friendly, patient and just an all round good guy. His workshop is well set up too. I will hopefully be doing more with him soon. Thoroughly recommended."

Helen reviewed: Introduction to fused glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"Having never worked with glass before I didn't really know what to expect. The workshop was excellent, Martin was a great tutor and the day exceeded my expectations. I was amazed by how much we made during the day. I will be booking again."

Lisa Dougherty reviewed: Paper Marbling Class Full Day at Portsmouth Museum

"I did a day workshop with James and it was fantastic. I learnt so much and got to try so many different techniques. Being able to take away my work on paper and the wood fridge magnets was so satisfying. James is an excellent teacher - very encouraging and obviously passionate about marbling and very talented. Can’t wait to get started at home now!"

James Mouland Ebru Studio responded:

"Thanks Lisa, you did a brilliant job, I’m sure you will have lots of fun practising at home. James."

Suki reviewed: Weave an alpaca scarf in a day

"I attended this course a short while ago and loved every minute of it. Caroline and the team are so friendly, the location is beautiful and the Alpaca's are worth a drive all on their own. I had zero experience of weaving and chose a slightly harder pattern and thanks to Caroline I made it no problem at all (well, lots of mistakes, but lots of help given). The whole experience from the tour of the wool processing equipment, meeting the alpacas, weaving the scarf to the lunch and refreshments is highly recommended."

Clivewood Alpacas responded:

"Lovely having you here and you made a beautiful scarf Caroline"

Mr and Mrs Cooper reviewed: Interior design and decor onsite 5 week course

"My husband and I enrolled on Nikki’s 5 week Interior Décor Course so we could get to grips with the redesign of our lounge and dining areas, a project we had been putting off for some time. Nikki met us in our home and took us through the many principles and stages of interior décor. We had no idea it was such a complex subject. Over the 5 week period she expertly guided us and helped us determine our concept, colour schemes and finishes, helped us with our selection of furniture, wallpapers and flooring, and in the design and positioning of bespoke cabinets and shelving so every inch of our space was used to maximum effect. The course helped us understand: - the architectural elements of a room and how they appear in their space. - how light affects colour, and the best colours to choose for our room’s aspect. - the qualities that make up the most common Interior styles and how to achieve “the look” within our space. - the different types of lighting and how best to utilise them for best effect within our room. Nikki also organised visits to local lighting, flooring and furniture showrooms and assisted us with making up our final finishes and fixture boards. We never dreamed there was so much to learn, sort and organise but with Nikki’s help and advice we felt totally at ease and in safe hands. She has immeasurable experience and a real passion to help, teach, guide and inspire. This course is a must for students who would like an introduction to interiors or for anybody wanting to learn the rudiments of interior décor, whilst realising the design of their own space. MC, Kingskerswell"

anna sanders reviewed: Pottery throwing course, Aylesbury

"So much fun! This was such a lovely day! I went with a friend and it was a first time ever throwing clay. Charlie was very patient and gave us lots of time and info. It was really great to be in a small class and have your own wheel for the day."

Charlie's Pots responded:

"Many thanks for that Anna. I am glad you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you Charlie"