Latest reviews

Rachel reviewed: Felt Lampshades at Silversoles Studio, Birmingham

"I have loved doing this short course and was amazed with my finished felt lampshade - my friends don't believe I made it! Emma gives you just the right amount of support and step by step instructions throughout - she is a wonderful teacher. There are lots of beautiful coloured and un-dyed wools to choose from and a mouthwatering selection of fancy fibres and yarns to use too. Working over two days helped me to digest everything, from felt making to making the lampshade, I've learnt so much. The detailed handout instructions given back up anything I forget and will help me have another go. I left so inspired, thank you."

Janet Fearn reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"Rosie is the icing and the cherry on the cake! The course content and accommodation met the description, however it is in the detail that you find the excellence. Rosie's consummate people skills brought 6 strangers into a cohesive group. Anyone wondering if the course would be suitable for them as a lone traveller worry not! Yoga teacher Joannie brought us peace and relaxation, Ele amazing folk singing and Ali beautiful wool! Josie's forest home where we spent time dyeing wool in cast iron pots over open fires and felting is amazing with stunning views. Her huge barn workshop was like walking through the wardrobe and finding yourself in Narnia...........magical."

Wild Rose Escapes responded:

"Dear Janet, thank-you so much for your lovely words, it was so nice to have met you and i'm so glad you enjoyed your time with us. Come and see us if you make it up this way again! Yours Rosie"

Esme Kettle reviewed: Felt Lampshades at Silversoles Studio, Birmingham

"What an excellent experience. I am thrilled with my lampshade. Emma made us feel so welcome and her garden studio is beautiful. She gave us plenty of advice and guided us through each stage of making the felt and constructing the lampshade with patience and skills. I have a limited amount of felt making experience, but this didn't matter as Emma's support, advice and encouragement helped me bring my ideas to life. Thank you Emma - brilliant workshop!"

Allison reviewed: Embroidery for beginners

"I enjoyed my day. It was good to be broken of some bad habits I had picked up as a child. And put some demons to bed! I haven’t touched embroidery since school days except for a few french knots and blanket stitch on my felt Pied Piper last year. It was that which made me realise I enjoyed stitching but needed help and your course did just that. I was delighted to see your work as well. I am keen to carry on stitching."

Glynis Hillier reviewed: Burnt Fen Alpacas - Amazing Alpacas Spinning and Weaving Workshop

"Thanks to Annie and Julia for an excellent and enjoyable course. The Alpacas are such characters and, despite the fact that the spinning was a challenge, I came away with a beautiful book cover! The setting for the first day at Burnt Fen was lovely, working in the yurt, delicious lunch in the open air and the chance to feed carrots to the alpacas. The second day, in the studio, was relaxed and productive with more lovely food to keep us going. The whole experience was great and has given me the taste for doing some more. If you get the chance try walking with the alpacas too, you won't regret it!"

Megan Collins reviewed: Natural Dyeing & Eco-printing, Highlands, Scotland

"Awesome weekend with Rosie! We learned so much from her. The course was very well-paced and we covered a lot of material. I would highly recommend doing one of her workshops if you have ever been interested in natural dyes, or want to learn a bit more! Thanks again! And thanks for all the amazing food and all the tea!"

Wild Rose Escapes responded:

"Dear Megan, I'm so glad you enjoyed our natural dyeing weekend, it was lovely to have met you and I hope you can now really get stuck into dyeing. Yours Rosie"

Jane reviewed: One day Mosaic workshop Moon Hare Studio, Devon

"Dear Adela, Both Jacky and I thoroughly enjoyed our day with you, thank you so much. I was amazed how the grout brought everything to life, I am really pleased with the result. Thank you again Jane"

Jacqui Kent reviewed: Mosaic in a day at Cowshed Creative in the Lake District National Park near Kendal and Windermere

"The mosaic class was excellent. It was a small, friendly class so we all had plenty of individual attention from our teacher Kay, and we had a good selection of materials to choose from. The barn is beautifully converted with a great atmosphere and an enormous wood burning stove to keep us warm. The lunch was delicious and plentiful with yummy cake in the afternoon. The day was great value for money, I'm very pleased with my mosaic and I'll definitely be going back to learn more."

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Thanks for all your lovely comments Jacqui. Hope to see you again!"

Laure reviewed: Learn to carve wooden spoons, beginners and improvers

"I recently spent the day spoon carving with Dave at the Woodward. It was a fantastic day, Dave is a great teacher with plenty of knowledge and patience. Safety was paramount and yet we all came home with two handmade pieces, a spoon and a spreader, not bad for a days work, considering we started off with a lump of wood and an axe. I also purchased a few more spoons which I will use as reference for my winter spoon carving. So all in all I found this day enjoyable, relaxing, informative and I totally recommend it, my only regret is that I didn’t stay for the second day!"

Kath Dane reviewed: 2 Hour Glass Beadmaking session for 2 people

"Fantastic course! I am a complete beginner and wanted to learn the new skill of glass bead making. Found Julia's course through this website and I couldn't have made a better choice. She is excellent at explaining how to make a bead and use different techniques to personalise and decorate them. I was on making a bead within 15 minutes of entering the room and felt very supported, guided and directed throughout the session. I was really pleased with the beads I made and gave the first one to my Mom on a lovely sliver chain for her 94th birthday present. I left the day feeling like I wanted to learn and practice more. I have since done a second day with Julia and made myself some lovely earrings. I can't recommend Julia enough as an competent and encouraging instructor and the course as a great way to learn a new art or refine your existing skill."

Debbie reviewed: A snip of decoupage - beginners' workshop

"A very enjoyable course, Carol gave some history on the use of decoupage and then we got into making our own designs on a placemat. A very imformative morning and Carol was extremely helpful. Would highly recommend"

Vivien Millington reviewed: Create gem-inspired stones: polymer clay workshop

"My sisters and I arrived at the beautiful home of Liz not knowing what to expect. All of us were complete novices but Liz guided us through the course allowing us to experiment, encouraging us to ‘unleash’ hidden talents! We all came home with pieces we are proud to wear. Thank you, we would love to come and try another new experience."

Elizabeth Sadler Jewellery responded:

"Thank you so much, Vivien, for your kind words. I SO enjoyed meeting you and your sisters and learned from your experimentation too. That's the joy of sharing experiences."

Julie Ryder reviewed: Lampworking Workshop: Half Day Beginners Workshop

"Bit apprehensive at first. Then thoroughly enjoyed it. Great support and encouragement. My beads were not perfect but I did enjoy the learning process and I feel I grasped the basics by the end of the session. Will need practice and patience. Suzanne was extremely helpful and patient. Thank you."

Suzanne Jewellery responded:

"Thank you for taking time to write a review Julie, so pleased you enjoyed you workshop."

Sonia reviewed: Make nipple tassels & bubbly in Brighton

"Charlie was super lovely and very interesting to talk to :)"

Elizabeth Jackson reviewed: Embroidery for beginners

"Just a quick word to say thank you for a most interesting day - and one where I learned a lot and refreshed my memory a lot! Elizabeth"

Susan Donald reviewed: Silverclay beginners jewellery workshop in Newcastle upon Tyne

"I really enjoyed the course with Claire I attended recently, as my teenage son was ill and off school he came along too! Claire was very thorough with her explanations and taught, making her own piece alongside ours as an example. We produced our own customised pieces, using a variety of techniques, Claire was very knowledgeable and explained the whys and what to look our for along the way, I feel inspired to try this at home and confident I could. It was interesting also to learn of her experiences and interest in other craft mediums and jewellery making too - her workshop is like an Aladdins cave!"

ToDot Handcrafted Goods responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review Susan it was good to meet you and your son. I look forward to arranging further workshops with you!"

Jane W reviewed: Intermediate throwing with Richard Heeley

"Wonderful course run by Richard. I attended his basic throwing course in August 2018 at Clay College which was amazing, but now I’ve got some background everything has started to click into place. He has a wealth of knowledge, very down to earth and very patient in dealing with specific issues you have. I would highly recommend Richard's courses as you learn so much - get booking!"

Potclays Ltd. responded:

"Hi Jane, thanks for your kind words! Hope to see you at Potclays again soon."

Ben Jones reviewed: Wood turning courses in the Midlands

"I attended a 1 to 1 day course with Mark, and very full day to say the least, Mark didn't finish until we had covered everything (even if i did keep asking questions and going off on tangents). A huge amount of information was passed over to me, accompanied by a wealth of informative notes for reference. Mark taught in a extremely clear and to the point manner which I gelled with. Hes a great chap with a lot to say both wood turning and otherwise. I would highly recommend this course to any wood turner both novice and practised. I did leave by the end with some major lathe envy though haha. Thanks again Mark you're a top bloke!!"

Preeti Dahiya reviewed: Intermediate throwing with Richard Heeley

"This course exceeded my expectations. Friendly staff, stimulating shop and good lunch. Course kit was very well thought out. Most of all Richard is a marvellous teacher, very patient, hands on, very skilled. As an experienced potter he knows exactly how to help improve individual potter. My skills have advanced more in two days with Richard than in the last 2 yrs. Couldn't have asked for more. Excellent ??"

Potclays Ltd. responded:

"Thanks for your review, Preeti! Very glad to hear you enjoyed the course. Hope to see you again soon."

Nicky reviewed: Jewellery workshop for beginners (ring, earrings, pendant or bangle)

"Attending the course was a birthday present and it was really wonderful. Marion was very friendly, patient and encouraging. She explained each part of the process clearly, then allowed us to have hands-on experience of each step under her careful supervision. Her expertise and attention to detail meant I was able to create something I'm really pleased with and proud of having made. Definitely recommended :)."

Karen Brember reviewed: Table Loom Weaving Workshop - Dobby & Rose

"'An excellent morning in Rebecca's weaving workshop, where I was introduced to the practicalities of weaving, and the pleasures of working with colour and design. Altogether an inspiring morning and I left with my sample of work, greatly admired by friends, and an enthusiasm to learn more. Rebecca is hugely informative and patient in my own learning process'"

Julie reviewed: Pottery Throwing (Group Discounts Available) Lessons in Worcester

"Chris is very patient and a good teacher. He makes sure you leave with a sense of achievement and a couple or more pots, ready for firing. It was good fun and great to have one teacher to just two of us, so we both really learned something and improved, even in our one and a half hour slot. I'll definitely be booking more sessions."

Chris Greening Pottery responded:

"Many thanks Julie. I'm pleased to read you both enjoyed the lesson and are considering developing the skills you gained in the 1.5 hour slot."

Hilary Britton reviewed: Autumn eco printing (on paper) - abitmoreink workshop, Saltaire

"Great day. Sue and Isobel had prepared really well - everything we needed (including plenty of plant material) was available, they had lots of examples to inspire us and the pre-joining information was helpful. Their teaching style is relaxed and friendly, there's a good balance between instruction and encouragement to try different things and they keep to time well. We produced some very pleasing results. The only thing extra I would have liked was a "reminder" sheet of the processes and materials to take away and use in addition to my own notes and photos."

Oonagh reviewed: Intermediate throwing with Richard Heeley

"Wow. What a brilliant way to spend two days. Richard covered so much ground, was clear and articulate in his teaching, and generous and supportive with his feedback. I have come away with more confidence, enthusiasm and clarity about how to improve my practice. Thank you to: Potclays for making this happen; Richard for his commitment, support, talent and expert teaching; and fellow participants for great company and clay chat. ???"

Potclays Ltd. responded:

"Thanks so much for your comments, Oonagh! I'll pass them on to everyone. Very glad you enjoyed and gained so much from the course, and hope to welcome you back soon. All the best, Becky (Director)"

Sue reviewed: Hand Spinning For All - Norfolk

"What a great day ! I have wanted to learn to spin for many years & decided that I needed to do something about it, I found Theresa’s work shops which was close to where I lived so booked up. All the way through Theresa was so helpful she has so much knowledge about spinning, wool different sheep breeds etc & a great way of teaching making it easy to understand. I would recommend Theresa’s workshops to anyone who wants to learn to spin it’s a great way to spend a day & learn a new skill."

The Spinning Barn responded:

"Thank you so much Sue for your review. It was the first email I opened today so has started my day off beautifully. I was so impressed by your natural spinning abilities and I know that you are going to continue as you are clearly meant to do. As always I am here for advice if ever you need it. Theresa x"