Latest reviews

12 Apr 16'

Nicola Wilton reviewed: Making a stained glass art hanging

"Fantastic workshop and Caryl is a really great teacher. I went in not knowing a thing about how to make stained glass and came out with my very own takeaway piece which I cut, copper foiled and soldered myself. Caryl provided plenty of help, attention and expertise when needed and I really enjoyed the process of making the stained glass piece. Couldn't recommend this course enough!"

12 Apr 16'

Anne Baruch reviewed: Furniture Making - DOVETAIL WEEK - Making a Dovetailed Drawer - in East Sussex

"A wonderful chance to spend a whole week working with wood with a patient and knowledgable tutor"

12 Apr 16'

Naomi reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"I booked this for a friend's birthday. We had a lovely day. At the start i thought, i'm never going to be able to make one of those in a day. At the end, i came away with a lovely little border terrier using a photo of a friend's dog as inspiration. Sophie is great at sharing her skills and tips, very generous. We were there past the end of the course time - chatting and doing finishing touches, there was never a suggestion that we were intruding, or being pushed out. And as for the setting and lunch, delightful. Well worth the money. And my friend and i are still trying out felting. Beware, it's addictive."

12 Apr 16'

Ruth Ker reviewed: Making a stained glass art hanging

"I went to Caryl's one-day pre-Christmas workshop and came away with a gorgeous collection of little glass trees which I gave as gifts. Perfect."

12 Apr 16'

Ruth Ker reviewed: Making a stained glass leaded panel

"I had a lovely day; doing something completely different, chatting, busy.... And came away with a beautiful panel. We were a very small group so Caryl had plenty of time to give to help each of us as and when we needed."

12 Apr 16'

Anna Williams reviewed: Whittling Birds in Wood ... the Woodpecker - with Dave Harter, a 'Quirky Workshop' nr Ullswater & the Lake District

"Other than some hamfisted attempts at DIY round the house, I've never worked with wood before, but this was just a joy, and I was amazed with the results we all achieved. David is a great tutor, good company, and the quality of his own finished work is amazing, so we knew we were in good hands. We started with a part trimmed down block of wood, with the bird outline marked up with pencil, a stanley knife, some sandpaper, and plasters. Once David had set us off, there followed two hours of slightly surreal near silence from all of us until lunchtime as we frantically whittled away, completely absorbed by what we were doing. I ended up with more plasters on my fingers than the rest of the group put together! But I was just delighted with the end product, due in no small part to the lovely design David chose for us, and my friends and family were hugely impressed too. Annie kept us fuelled with delicious tea and cakes, and the lunch of delicious home made soups and puds was worth the trip alone. More intense whittling and sanding in the afternoon, and voila, a bird appeared! It still needs a little work to finish it off (I'm waiting for my arm muscles to recover first!), but I have invested in a few good books on whittling and bird carving and am looking forward to doing a lot more whittling in the future. Thanks Annie and David, for a brilliant day."

12 Apr 16'

Justin Pyfrom reviewed: Creative Vibe - Glassblowing Sessions

"This was a fantastic day, Ricky was a brilliant teacher and gave the right amount of encouragement and confidence to get on with. Completed far more in 1 day then I thought we would and this was largely due to the class size being 2. This made for a more personal day where you actually got to experience and breath it rather then just visit it. Very tempted with the follow on course and the peices produced look amazing on the window shelf. Thanks Ricky!"

12 Apr 16'

Maggie Dalton reviewed: Making a stained glass leaded panel

"As a real beginner to stained glass work I found this course most enjoyable. Caryl's style is really relaxed and her guidance is clear and supportive. She helps you every step of the way and you end up with a beautiful glass panel to take home. The choice of glass was plentiful and all equipment top notch. You get a great lunch too!"

12 Apr 16'

Karen Hamilton-Viall reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"I attend a lot of different assorted craft courses and it's not very often on a course day that you've really achieved and produced something on your first day but I came away with a piece of work that I was really proud of at the end of the day. Sophie is a very friendly and confident teacher who goes out of her way to help make the day a wonderful experience. I already felt in the first half hour of teaching that I had learnt a lot and received my moneys worth of teaching! It was really interesting to look at the different types of sheep wool and feel how different they were to each other. She made the whole process seem so simple and demystified the hobby for me. There was lots of refreshment throughout the day, teas/coffees, chocolate eclairs, a wonderful lunch which included a smashing pavlova made by her mum. Special diets were also catered for. The garden workshop is lovely and it provided a very peaceful and relaxing setting for the day. As Sophie promised, nobody wanted to put down their creations for lunch as they were all enjoying making it so much. In fact I think we'd all of loved to have spent the whole weekend creating and we didn't want to go home. Sophie's enthusiasm is infectious. I have come away with more knowledge and the confidence to have a go on my own and create some more animals."

12 Apr 16'

Izzy Bee reviewed: Making a stained glass leaded panel

"I really enjoyed Caryl's course. The range of glass and equipment available for us to complete our project was excellent and we were given a good selection of patterns to choose from. Caryl was knowledgeable, patient and she helped us to achieve the aim of the day - a lovely traditional glass panel to take home. Lunch was excellent, too."

12 Apr 16'

Anne reviewed: Making a stained glass leaded panel

"Small group, friendly workshop with excellent tuition to learn this fascinating skill of stained glass"

11 Apr 16'

Anne reviewed: Kiln formed glass day workshop

"Our second visit to Helen - this time a 2 day workshop. Helen is a great teacher - providing gentle guidance and inspiration. She is extraordinarily generous with her glass and other resources. We had a fab 2 days and can really recommend Helen's workshops - you won't be disappointed!"

11 Apr 16'

John Lower reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"An excellent day. Ever since I went to the local blacksmiths as a small child, I have wanted to have a go. But I have had to wait until in my sixties. My wife bought me the taster course as a surprise Christmas present and it was everything I hoped it would be. Adrian and Andy were excellent teachers. After a few minutes instruction I was forging metal - hard work but very satisfying and most enjoyable. I am planning to go again on the "Design your own project" weekend. I should also mention the food was excellent, especially the sponge cake with afternoon tea!"

11 Apr 16'

Jo H reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"I had a lovely day with Sophie and the other ladies on my course. I was inspired by the setting for the day; all the different wools and colours available brought to life by Sophie's explanations were fabulous. I completed a needle-felted penguin under her instruction. He's cute, and I'm so proud of him! The food and warm, lovingly provided hospitality from by Sophie's Mum was appreciated too. It was a great day which could only have been improved by a little more quiet time to concentrate on my felting and space in the conversation to ask questions. Thank you."

11 Apr 16'

Sue Owen reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"I had not done any needle felting at all until I went for my day at Sophie's workshop. It was a very enjoyable course, I learnt a great deal and Sophie was a wonderful teacher. The procedures were explained very carefully and Sophie was there to support us in times of need! It was lovely that we all made different items and were therefore able to see different procedures. I would be very happy to attend the course again."

11 Apr 16'

Sam Harris reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"This was the best day I have had crafting in a long time. I had no experience of felting at all and Sophie guided me throughout the day with patience and a smile. She is a wonderful teacher and I learnt so much. I made a small model of my dog Brussel and she looks absolutely fabulous (if I say so myself!) I can highly recommend this day you will love it"

11 Apr 16'

Paul reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"A brilliant day on the 'Taster' Blacksmithing course, which was all I envisaged, and more. Great demonstrations from Adrian, excellent support in the projects from Adrian & Andy, and fabulous tasty food from Debbie. Really enjoyed the day, and great to take your own creations home with you to treasure and remember the day. Hoping I will get the chance to return and do more. I have already recommended this course to several people. Great value and great people!"

11 Apr 16'

Tim reviewed: Introduction to traditional green wood turning course

"I spent a day with Simon turning a bowl on the treadle lathe. He is a great teacher and put up with me asking questions all day long! Some of the techniques are quite tricky but Simon has incredible skill and patience, helping you to progress throughout the day. I really enjoyed it and cannot recommend it highly enough."

11 Apr 16'

Tim reviewed: Green Wood Chair Making - 6 Day Woodworking Course in South Devon

"The course was absolutely brilliant. Peter is super friendly and has an immense knowledge of furniture making and working with green wood. There is a lot to get done, but the atmosphere is relaxed, allowing you to absorb the techniques you are learning as you go. My favourite aspect of the course is that you are able to modify the design of the chair to reflect your own personal style. Highly recommended!"

10 Apr 16'

Darren Foster reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"well my crimbo pressies was well worth waiting for. what a brilliant day, well organised, fun, very knowledgeable training staff and Debbie food was good aswell lol. must forget the boss well done Debbie for making my crimbo pressie a very good memory (that i want to do again) i have always liked forge work from when i did it at school all of 33 yrs ago, how you can see a bit of rod in front of you and you can make it into a nice object in the end of the day when i found out i had this from my wife i had looked forward to it, i told a mate who said if its any good he wouldn't mind doing it, after letting him no how good it was we both are planing on another visit. the place is a barn with all the equipment that you would need for the day 4 forges a anvil each and all carried out in a safe and relaxed area, the day starts at 9 ish and you leave about 430 ish your shown how and why things are done before you play then regrouped for different stages of the projects you have a break for lunch all home made to a high standard and freshly made, then back to the forge to finish the project off the overall day is very good and i would like to say to Debbie , Adrian and Andy keep up the good work and hope to see you soon Darren"

10 Apr 16'

Judith Pruce reviewed: Creative Vibe - Glassblowing Sessions

"Oh WOW! What a fantastic day! I can't recommend this course highly enough. Ricky is a great teacher - very patient and encouraging. Having never blown glass before, I wasn't expecting to be able to achieve anywhere near what I actually managed and that is all thanks to Ricky. This was one of the best days ever."

10 Apr 16'

Yvonne reviewed: Upholstery/cushion making

"Weekend upholstery workshop with Jo excellent in all respects. Good company and knowledgeable tuition with a light touch. Very enjoyable and informative with a successful outcome - chair completed!"

9 Apr 16'

Louise Robinson-Woledge reviewed: Wood turning tuition, New Forest, Hampshire (1 day) (2 people)

"Attended a 1 day course . Graham is an excellent tutor; very patient and knowledgeable. Extremely pleased with my results. Really hoping to attend again soon"

8 Apr 16'

Eva Leslie reviewed: Pembrokeshire Maddie Janes Mosaic

"A fantastic day!! Maddie is a wonderful teacher, she shares her amazing knowledge so freely. Her love and passion for Mosaic fills the studio. Thank you, I treasured every minute! Can't wait to do another day :)"

8 Apr 16'

Ruth Willmott reviewed: Needle felting with Virginia

"I completed a beginners wet felting course today, it was brilliant, I took my own sunset photograph with me and recreated it in felt, I am thrilled with the result, thank you so much, I was encouraged all the way by Virginia and her help mate Liz, I did not think I could create something sooo good, thank you again."