Latest reviews

22 Mar 17'

Sarah Harvey reviewed: M

"Superb day with Maddie Janes in Jersey last weekend. We were hands on pretty much straight away and after a skills lesson we were making our own mosaic. So many materials to choose from and thanks to Maddie's wealth of knowledge and patience, we all came away with a lovely piece of work for a first attempt! Thoroughly recommended this course."

22 Mar 17'

Marco reviewed: Full day leather craft workshop

"I attended the full day workshop and had a fabulous day. It was the first time I worked with leather and Rosanna was patient, helpful and very knowledgeable. I made a credit card holder, a wallet and a passport cover, which I have been using in my day to day life. I would definitely recommend the course to anybody interested in leather crafting. Thank you Rosanna, Marco"

22 Mar 17'

Mel reviewed: Mixed Media Painting Workshop in Brighton Seaside Home

"I went on this course not really knowing what to expect, but after a really fun day I came away feeling excited by the prospect of making more mixed media pieces. I found Laura to be a really supportive and encouraging workshop leader, which was lovely especially when I really wasn't sure how the artwork was going to turn out. We learned new techniques and had the chance to experiment with different types of textures and paints before starting on our main project, which made me feel more confident when I was creating my artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and would recommend it to anyone looking to experiment with a new craft with an inspiring and knowledgeable tutor."

21 Mar 17'

Kirsty reviewed: Stitchless bags workshop - learn how to craft your own leather bag with no stitching

"What a great way to spend a morning with friends. Good designs to choose from and wide variety of coloured leathers. It was a well managed course with all of us completing our bags on time (with embossing too!) - and there was time for tea and delicious cake."

21 Mar 17'

Susan reviewed: Tapestry Weaving Workshops

"An excellent course. Fiona's instruction was very clear with lots of lovely resources to use, ideas and encouragement for future projects. The studio is in an interesting area with nice cafe's for lunchtime. Best of all it was inspiring."

21 Mar 17'

Kaye reviewed: Make a silver ring or bangle

"I spent a most enjoyable , stimulating and rewarding day with Lucy , who is an excellent teacher. She was supportive, encouraging , flexible and responsive, and her style and enormous subject knowledge really fired my imagination. I will certainly be returning in the summer to learn more. I would recommend Lucy to anyone who is interested in experiencing a range of techniques and the luxury of one to one tuition with a very skilled and talented jeweller ."

21 Mar 17'

Paul Chadwick reviewed: Blacksmithing - one to one - Hammer Skills

"Absolutely amazing. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Bob picard, who was a very good instructor. Complete patience with me, even when I was struggling. I was made to feel comfortable in every aspect of what we did. Also I would like to add, Bob made me look for my own mistakes, this i believe makes everyone get a better grip on what it is they are doing. I would do it all again, and from this experience will one day open my own forge. Paul chadwk"

21 Mar 17'

Claire Gregory reviewed: Needle felting course with Furzie at Saltisford Canal Trust, Warwick

"Excellent tuition with everyone getting assistance. Michelle is friendly and approachable. We all got to make what we wanted and go home with a nearly complete piece, with the necessary supplies and knowledge to finish it. I took my finished piece to work today and people have asked for Furzie details so they can book a place on a future course."

21 Mar 17'

Di Fenn reviewed: Felt Surface Techniques: Sampling Day

"A most enjoyable, fast moving and well structured course. The information given both verbally and in note form was excellent. The samples with their explanatory labels were very useful and provided plenty of inspiration. I had undertaken felting courses before but seem to have forgotten how physical the activity is! However with 3 partially completed samples I'm now trying to complete the set. Emma, you gave all the participants an equal share of attention and guidance which is so important. Thank you once again - I'm about to consider cutting along the lines of the resist to reveal the underlying design and I'm holding my breath!"

21 Mar 17'

Annamarie McHugh reviewed: Art Clay Silver Diploma Course - Lori Ridgway

"I started the course with no small amount of trepidation as, although I have some experience with metal clay, I had not employed all of the techniques required within the course syllabus. Not only was my anxiety unfounded but Lori, apart from expertly coaching me in all the required techniques, managed to dispel my self imposed fear of pushing the boundaries with handling the clay. As a tutor, Lori is a genuine mix of calm support, demanding taskmaster and, most importantly, fun. She is warm and generous with her input, effectively managing that delicate balance between allowing independence and monitoring what is being done; she enabled me to grow with the projects. If you are considering this course I would recommend some experience with silver clay first as the syllabus is demanding and Lori, a perfectionist. I can't wait to do another course with her and would recommend her to anyone wishing to pursue this medium as a hobby or otherwise."

21 Mar 17'

Nicky barber reviewed: M

"I went to a mosaic work shop run by maddie Janes in jersey last weekend. I really enjoyed the course, Maddie is a fab teacher with a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide a beginner like myself. Very encouraging and delivery of the course was excellent All materials were generously provided, at times I felt I was diving in to Maddies hidden treasure chest. I used the skills I had gained the very next day with the children I look after -great fun! Thankyou for coming to jersey and inspiring me"

21 Mar 17'

Stacy reviewed: Container candlemaking course and wax melts with afternoon tea

"This candle making course was brilliant. I enjoyed every minute. Julie and Kay are absolutely lovely and taught me exactly what I wanted to know. They also provided lots of helpful tips and hints. I've not stopped making candles since!"

21 Mar 17'

Susan Frier reviewed: Felt Surface Techniques: Sampling Day

"A thoroughly enjoyable day with new and different techniques to try out. It was inspiring to see so many different samples and the lampshade was really beautiful. It's a long time since I did any felt making, mainly due to the amount of elbow grease needed! but the technique with the pipe and rolling is slightly easier than how I had done it previously. Lovely to meet you too, many thanks, Sue."

21 Mar 17'

Steve Feigen reviewed: Introduction to wood working

"I really enjoyed this course, and like everyone on it, signed up for the intermediate one once it finished. Phil believes in hands on stuff, and despite his obvious knowledge provides support and tools rather than lectures, so you really do spend your time doing real stuff, which suited me. We had novices and some quite knowledgeable people on both courses and everyone seemed to get what they wanted out of it so five stars from me."

21 Mar 17'

Heather Wells reviewed: Restoration of furniture and decorative objects

"Paul Tear MBE teaches this class and brings over 40 years of experience with him. I have attended Paul's classes for a number of years and continue to learn new methods of restoring and conserving antique furniture and artefacts. Paul is a very pleasant, kind and patient person and has a great passion for passing on his experience and expertise to help others with their restoration projects."

21 Mar 17'

Gaelle busiere reviewed: Valentine's Papercutting Workshop

"Very nice workshop Lisa is a lovely lady and as it was a small group it was easy to interact with each other's and Lisa was able to help everyone, spend a few minutes with everyone. Papercutting is not as easy as it seems and it was great to learn some techniques."

20 Mar 17'

Vicky reviewed: Clay portrait weekends with Karin Ort

"As a portrait painter I knew this sculpture course would help with my paintings, it didn't disappoint, the studio is gorgeous in an amazing location. Karin is an excellent teacher, passionate, patient and encouraging she helps you every step of the way, thank you I loved it and am thrilled with my sculpture. I am looking forward to the next one! X"

20 Mar 17'

richard martin reviewed: Basic throwing with Jon French

"I attended this course on 13th and 14th March 2017 and found it extremely useful. Since 2014 I had done some throwing on my own wheel both self taught and some other with minimal tuition. Kevin's no nonsense approach was like a quantum leap and was invaluable. I came away with the beginnings of better throwing. I also attended Kevin's glazing course in November 2016 which was excellent. It was also a great pleasure meeting Cait and Richard from Throwdown. I now intend to enroll on one of his intermediate throwing courses as soon as I can find the time. I would also like to give a huge "thank you" to the staff at Potclays for a very enjoyable course."

20 Mar 17'

Tina Watkins reviewed: Felt Surface Techniques: Sampling Day

"Excellent course. Lots of ideas and inspiration. I can now 'see' how the shibori designs I see on the internet are formed."

20 Mar 17'

Angelina Tokkallos reviewed: M

"I was so happy to learn that Maddie Janes was coming to Jersey for one of her Mosaic workshops. I couldn't wait to meet and learn from her. The workshop was extremely fun and had a very relaxed atmosphere but most importantly, it was very educational. Maddie gave me some great tips and taught me to master some new techniques. She provided a lovely variety of materials which got all the creative juices flowing. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and my only problem was that the time went too fast... Maddie's workshop was fabulous and would recommend this to anyone who loves creativity or is looking for something inspirational to do."

20 Mar 17'

Ruth Ronnie reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"I attended one of Sophie's workshops on Saturday, the day was brilliant and completely exceeded my expectations! I was inspired by Sophie and all of the other lovely ladies in my group. We were all completely new to needle felting yet we all produced a wonderful selection of felted dogs. Sophie is so friendly, professional and enthusiastic , encouraging us as we progressed with no pressure on any of us to rush. We were reluctant to put down our needles at lunchtime until we saw the delicious lunch produced by Sophie's Mum, this gave us a reason to pause ready to start again in the afternoon. Like others have stated this seems to be the start of a very addictive hobby, I would definitely recommend anyone to give it a go......."

20 Mar 17'

Paul Chadwick reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

20 Mar 17'

Katrina Evans reviewed: Bowl felting workshop

"Rachel is a very patient teacher who has a gift for teaching and giving clear instruction. She allows people to be creative and do their own thing, and is able to adapt to all abilities so can be on hand when you need her, but does not interfere if you want to experiment with support if things don't go quite the way you wanted! Thanks Rachel"

20 Mar 17'

Bill Kelly reviewed: Plaster mould making for slip cast ceramics with Ed Bentley

"I work at Blackburn College Lancashire as 3D/Fine Art Technician. I came to Ed's to rekindle my mould making skills supported by the staff development department. I cant recommend Ed enough. Having been connected to the ceramics industry in Stoke for 30 years Ed knows numerous tricks of the trade which he's only too willing to pass on. I took along two models I'd been working on. A sculptural piece in the form of a cat's head and a more functional piece in the form of a lidded box. Ed, masterfully, used these to produce two perfect moulds. I documented each step with my smartphone which will be really useful for college. Ed's a great teacher and easy going company to boot."

20 Mar 17'

Ann wilson reviewed: Annie Sloan Techniques for Colour & Style in Upcycling Furniture at La Di Da Interiors - Advanced

"Very interesting and informative. I came home with more work planned than originally intended. All was clearly explained. I did consider staying on for the afternoon session but felt it would be better to make use of the detail gained in the morning and will look forward to attending that course at a later date. Thank you very much."