Latest reviews

Sally-Ann reviewed: Country House Crafting Retreats in rural Hertfordshire

"Excellent weekend. Took my sewing machine and had fun with everyone. Lots of laughter. I go four times a year and next year slipping another one in. Made fab friends and love that I can do a variety of crafts. Linda the host is fantastic and makes sure everyone is looked after at a fab venue."

Angela Gumbley reviewed: Whittling course

"Had a fantastic day. Have dabbled with whittling a bit in the past, but as a Guide leader, wanted to gain some additional skills to enable Guides to have a go more safely and to give them some further ideas. This course was perfect, teaching us about different knife options, a variety of skills and a good selection of projects to take home - a carefully selected choice of projects giving us the skills to apply to further projects. Martin was really helpful, and a small group of 4 enables us to get the most from his tuition. Course was perfectly pitched for my requirements. Lovely lunch and beautiful location and view across the Cherwell Valley made the day. Thank you Martin, can’t wait to get my knife out."

David Moxey reviewed: One Day Pottery Throwing Course, including lunch - Hampshire

"Loved the course, Jack was an exemplary host and teacher. He took his time to explain what we would be doing and gently guide us during the execution. Would absolutely recommend this course. Thank you Jack"

Alan Boyle reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Many thanks to George for an excellent day. He is an intuitive teacher and fills you with complete confidence. He is an expert in both the physics of wood and wood turning, as well as having the artistic flair you would expect in a master craftsman. Highly recommend anyone to take this course. Many thanks also to Sue for keeping us topped up with coffee and a lovely lunch."

Pauline Clarry reviewed: Country House Crafting Retreats in rural Hertfordshire

"Wonderful craft weekend as always making new friends and revisiting old friends, great mix of crafts and sharing of ideas. Thank you Linda for being such a great host and look forward to the next one."

HELEN reviewed: Upholstery course - bring your own project

"Well I decided to do an upholstery course, something for me, I have never done or even looked into it before. So I found Polly's course in Falmouth somewhere I had never been before, jumped on a plane and took a week in Polly's lovely light and airy studio, easy to find and parking right outside the door. Polly was very patient with a very slow learner! She is very knowledgeable with a down to earth approach, always on hand to explain or get you out of a tiny wee mistake! We had some lovely lunches with non stop teas and coffees all day, and my favourite biscuits to hand. I went into this course with very little understanding of upholstery, and came away with a beautiful little chair, which my mum and I are very proud of and the courage to have a go at tackling something else, albeit I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Thank you Polly for a great week and to Janet and Sophie my fellow students for the diverse conversations and laughs."

Ian Burch reviewed: Weekend introductory blacksmithing course 'O' at Quinnell School of Blacksmithing

"Excellent value for money. I would recommend this course to anyone with the slightest interest in working with metal. I can't believe that I learned so much and produced three finished pieces of work to take home at the end of day three. The forge/workshop is very well equipped with plenty of tools and workstations for the number of students. Peat and Eamonn were fantastic teachers, giving advice and practical help in a friendly and professional way. The lunch provided was of a high quality. Attention to detail means that the whole setup is professional. This makes joining and preparing for the course easy. An example of this is that for health and safety reasons students need to have a pair of steel toe capped boots. Richard (Quinnell) suggests buying boots from Toolstation. I followed his advice and found that the pair he recommended were cheaper than a pair I'd seen at Shoezone, and on first wearing were more comfortable than an expensive pair of walking boots I've just purchased."

Sam Foames reviewed: Beginners candle making workshop - London

"Was a brilliant course, as a beginner I found it very informative. Highly recommend the course & am excited to continue my personal learning into candle making. Sarah is a wealth of knowledge & very patient with us novices."

Candle by Events responded:

"Thank you Sam, delighted you enjoyed the workshop, keep me posted on how you get on."

BARBARA A MASON-WALSHAW reviewed: Full day introduction to glass fusing course.

"My husband brought me this day as a birthday present and I consider it one of the best presents I have ever received. From the moment I arrived Amanda made me feel welcome and at ease. Luckily there were only 2 of us on the course, so we had her undivided attention all day. Not only was it informative but also incredible fun and at the end if it, I have 2 lovely (even though I say so myself) glass keepsakes, which are proudly displayed for everyone to see. I cannot recommend this course highly enough to anyone and I will definitely be going back. As a side note, the food that Amanda prepared for us was sublime. Thank you once again Amanda."

Jenny Heathcote reviewed: Create fabulous & festive wire and paper birds in Derbyshire

"Had a very enjoyable day and learnt a lot of new skills. Found Liz very knowledgeable and patient and together with her husband very hospitable. The studio was in a beautiful setting and was immaculate. I would definitely recommend doing one of her courses."

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"Hi Jenny, So pleased that you enjoyed your day - hope you have your little birds in pride of place. Thank you for taking time to review your day at The Slipper Studio. Best wishes Liz Wellby"

June reviewed: Ladies craft social

"Lovely group which becomes more popular every session. Ladies and the organiser (Rachel) are very friendly so you will be made very welcome."

Melanie reviewed: Country House Crafting Retreats in rural Hertfordshire

"Great value for money, lovely atmosphere and well organised. Linda takes care of the details so you can devote your time and attention to your crafting. This is my second visit and my only slight negative this time is that the lighting is poor in the main craft room when daylight fades. As Linda suggests, you must take your own table top lighting."

Emily Watkins reviewed: Weekend introductory blacksmithing course 'B' at Quinnell School of Blacksmithing

"I had a wonderful weekend and learnt so much. The instructors were really helpful and I was amazed at what could be achieved in a weekend. Also a massive thank you for being so accommodating of having a vegan on the course. I appreciated the non leather apron and gloves and the amazing vegan cake. I hope to come on your other course in future. The only thing I would add is it would be useful to start a bit earlier on the Friday as I ended up getting home quite late and was a little tired on Saturday morning. Thanks again for a lovely weekend."

Steve Bailey reviewed: Stool making course at Sallerton Wood

"Thoroughly enjoyable and informative two days, great to get into the outdoors environment, even better to be shown what can be done with a shave horse...and then put them into practice...Andy demonstrates techniques such that even I had a chance of picking them up, well done Andy, and thanks. My horse has been at home a week and is still standing ?"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks for posting your review, Steve. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the course. Hope to see you back at Sallerton Wood one day."

Sara reviewed: Upholstery course - bring your own project

"Fantastic teaching, lovely atmosphere. Polly is hugely skilled and very patient. She has very high standards and helps you achieve them. Her lunches and teas are scrumptious too. Cannot recommend her enough."

Gilly Case reviewed: Skincare Workshops using Herbal Infusions

"Another wonderful course with Diane. I joined her and two other ladies previously for a soap making workshop. This time I attended a Skincare workshop which was so interesting and informative. I loved making the three natural products; my favourite is the balm which has so many different uses. Diane is very knowledgeable and an excellent teacher; I am looking forward to making more products at home for myself and friends."

Aroma Natural responded:

"Hi Gilly, thank you for taking the time to say these words, I really appreciate it. I'm glad you enjoyed your day and found it informative, hopefully, you will carry on making your own skincare. Thank you."

Mark Baird reviewed: 'Art of Stained Glass' - Oldbury, Birmingham

"Jamal gave me and my friend an exellent and enlightening course on making leaded stained glass panels. His extensive knowledge and experience with these materials is second to none and I would happily recommend anyone with an interest to him. An inspirational day."

Max reviewed: Weekend introductory blacksmithing course 'B' at Quinnell School of Blacksmithing

"This course is great! It will take you from never having picked up hot steel, to creating delicate and intricate pieces you thought were only seen in shops! It’s amazingly well run and everyone goes above and beyond in terms of hosting this great course. I couldn’t recommend it more."

Lucy Allen reviewed: Introduction to Natural Dyeing Workshop, Mere, Wiltshire

"Really fun and relaxing day in a really peaceful and gorgeous setting. It was really easy to ask questions and open a dialogue about natural dyeing and the range of shades it can create. Nice small group so there's enough space in the workshop and time with the teacher for everyone. We all got to leave the course with a sample sheet full of different fibres, dyed with different plants in an array of colours. We also got given information sheets that we can refer back to in future for own practice."

Elka responded:

"Hi Lucy, thank you so much for coming along, and for the lovely review. Best of luck with your next term at uni, can’t wait to see what you create!"

Angela Whinfield reviewed: Linocut printmaking in Cornwall

"Olivia is both a gifted artist and a wonderful teacher....a rare combination. We were supplied with all the materials we needed, with plenty of space in the lovely studio. The teaching was excellent, and we all completed an amazing piece of work to take home, despite some of us having doubts about our artistic abilities! Really relaxing, supportive and inspirational. Highly recommended"

Aarti reviewed: Bespoke candle making workshop - Edinburgh

"I had a wonderful time at Kerry's workshop. She gave great instructions and lots of information in candle making. The setting was beautiful - in her lovely kitchen surrounded by lots of bottles full of lovely scents to choose from for the candles, along with fairy lights, many cups of coffee, and an amazing fruit crumble. I love arts and crafts and felt this was one of the best workshops I've attended - Kerry's very creative and shared her knowledge without holding back. It's something lovely to do on your own or with a friend."

Barbara Smith reviewed: Level 2 Advanced FURNITURE PAINTING Skills Workshop Intermediate/Advanced (1 Day) - Lancashire

"Another great day learning new craft skills from Joanne. Level 2 was brilliant, as was level 1. My shed is now cleared waiting to be painted and have my electrics re-connected. Can't wait to get started on my own projects!"

The Boho Shed responded:

"It was lovely to have you attend the workshops Babs, I'm so pleased you enjoyed them. I look forward to seeing what you create at home."

Gilly reviewed: Create beautiful animal portraits in workshops on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales

"I had another very interesting and friendly afternoon with Katie and a really lovely painting gang. I had never used pastels before and struggled a bit at first but with encouragement from Katie I ended up with a picture of a fox that was quite cute. I have already booked on another course with her."

Kate West responded:

"Hi Gilly thank you for this lovely review, it was great to work with you again. You were all a joy to work with and full of enthusiasm... Your Fox was definitely cute too! Looking forward to working and hopefully inspiring you on the next one, Kate"

Lawrence Kelland reviewed: Weekly morning stone carving sessions in Somerset with Sculptor Kate Semple

"Kate is a hugely talented sculptor and communicator, who can see and understand what you are trying to create and guide you through all the steps without pressure, so her courses are always very enjoyable. Lawrence Kelland"

Claire Saville reviewed: Heritage teddy bear making - residential

"I have just returned home after this fantastic Teddy making course. Having never made a bear before but with some sewing/dressmaking skills I found the bear great fun to make. Kathy gave us all the tools and skills required to produce a beautiful, jointed mohair bear. As you can see from the pictures above the bears all turned out very well each with their own personality - the day we made the heads and faces there were many cries of delight as the little bears started to gain their own very different characters. The size of the group was just right for such a course and I have made some great new friends. Kathy provided lunch and afternoon tea which were both fantastic and a great treat. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who fancies learning the skills needed to make heritage bears."

Crafty Breaks in the Lakes responded:

"Thank you so much Claire. I am so glad you enjoyed the weekend and it was a delight to teach such a lovely group of ladies and as you say, see the bears start to develop their individual personalities. (I think they enjoyed their first Teddy Bears' Picnic!!)"