Latest reviews

26 Apr 15'

Mark V reviewed: Firebird Forge Blacksmithing School

"My best friend and I spent the weekend learning from Mort and we both learned a lot. We are both going back for more and as both Mort and the course were great."

26 Apr 15'

wndyf-- 1 day ago reviewed: Felt Making Workshops - Stratford upon Avon

"I can only endorse the many glowing comments of other satisfied customers. All of us came away with smiles a mile wide, having accomplished something which made us proud and in a glorious setting, with very attentive tuition. Lesley kept an unobtrusive, circumspect eye on us all...when gossiping meant we missed a stage, friendly advice prevented mishaps. It was more than just a course; to enjoy home-made cake, the rual setting and animals and her welcome and expertsie added to the experience. Thank you, Lesley!"

26 Apr 15'

sally beales reviewed: Encaustic art beginners class - paint with molten wax

"Did Toni's Encaustic Art course yesterday with my daughter in law. We had a brilliant time. Couldn't believe how much artwork we did and the different techniques we covered. Toni was an excellent teacher 5 I would highly recommend her to anyone who is considering trying Encaustic art. It is something I will definitly continue doing."

25 Apr 15'

Arielle Johnson reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"This course was a birthday present. I was studying GCSE Resistant Materials, and Alex was brilliant, not only as a teacher, but in helping me to contextualise everything to my schoolwork. I made two handles for my school project, and Alex was patient and his expertise was just amazing - I was very happy to realise that he let me do everything myself! I really gained confidence with metalwork under his tuition. Having Alex as a teacher was truly inspirational and I would recommend taking a course with him in a heartbeat."

24 Apr 15'

Jon reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"Spent the day with Alex and made a Rams head poker, I really didn't think I would manage to make it in one day but I did. It was such an amazing day and Alex is such a great teacher. Really am pleased with the result. Enjoyed it So much I booked my dad on a course for his birthday. Everyone comments on the poker at how good it is! I would recommend anyone giving it a go!"

24 Apr 15'

Carole reviewed: Handspinning workshop

"I first attended after christmas enjoyed the day and learnt so much I returned again for another day in march I am now a confident and competent spinner. Diane is an excellent teacher her style is warm friendly and she is clearly expert and a professional . I would highly recommend this class do not expect to come out with perfectly spun wool that you can make into that evening cardie but you will come away the proud owner of a skein of wool you have produced and have really enjoyed the day spinning in good company on a very interesting farm and do try the ice cream it's amazzzing"

24 Apr 15'

Brenda Celestine reviewed: Mosaic, One Day Workshop

"I am so very happy that I chose Jane from all the other teachers. The 2 day course was the most inspiring and has shown me the vast possibilities that mosaic has to offer -and not only in the garden mosaic! I thought my design was simple, but soon realised that as a beginner this was quite difficult. I am happy with my choice though because boundaries were stretched and with the very good supervision and teaching received, the sky is the limit now. Highly recommended."

24 Apr 15'

Paul Driver reviewed: Five day woodwork course - tools

"Just finished this course and arrived home with the beautiful chair that I made on the course as well as increased confidence, skills and ambition to make more. The enthusiasm, passion and patience shown by Richard and Mark is infectious and led to a great learning environment as well as great fun. I was impressed that within 10 minutes of arriving I was using a lathe for the first time and continued to learn new techniques all week. The format of learning by demonstration then immediately doing, with help on hand when needed and achieving the goal of taking a beautiful handcrafted piece of furniture home is a winner. I have already signed up for their more advanced course."

24 Apr 15'

Georgina reviewed: The Wax Flower Candle Workshop

"What an exceptional workshop. The candles were absolutely stunning - I had no idea wax could be used to make such beautiful and unusual candles. Thank you so much Sakeena - you're an excellent teacher and so patient! I thoroughly enjoyed my day and can't wait to make more at home."

23 Apr 15'

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

"What a great day! Good food, great tuition, excellent company and I managed ( with lots of help!!) to make three items. A whole day bashing ( crafting ) hot metal does one a world of good and although it was hard work and needed concentration the time flew by. Many thanks Adrian and Debbie."

23 Apr 15'

Josiah Jones reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"Absolutely fantastic, thoroughly nice bloke. Completely understands whatever your capabilities are and can guide you through anything you want to do. Very knowledgeable man, any questions I asked, he was able to explain both simply and in detail. I will be whole-heartedly recommending this to my friends and family"

23 Apr 15'

roy rees williams reviewed: Two Day Stained Glass Course with Christian Ryan

"I spent a fabulous weekend with Christian and three other wannabe creative types! Christian is technically very competent and clearly demonstrates a the ability to create beautiful pieces, both large and small. For 'wannabe's' though, his greatest skill is the gentle and affable style he uses to communicate and share is knowledge. It's great fun, informative and rewarding. We all ended up taking home pieces that we should be proud of and happy memories for years to come. Lovely guy, wonderfully talented and great fun...just go!"

21 Apr 15'

Jon Little reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"The course was a 60th birthday present from my family who knew I was keen to try my hand at blacksmithing. Alex is a truly inspirational teacher. Under his patient, hands on, and very thorough one to one instruction, we were working the whole day, with a break for lunch and refreshments. The time flew by. I learned a great deal, and haven't enjoyed myself so much for years. There is nothing quite like getting to grips with a forge, hot metal and the right tools and producing something unique! With Alex's friendly and expert help you can make it happen, give it a try!"

21 Apr 15'

Louise Buchanan reviewed: 121 - An Introduction to Cold Process Soap Making

"I had an amazing 1:1 soaping day with Emma. I had watched endless soap making youtube clips but nothing prepared me for the wonderful experience of actually making it myself (with lots of guidance from Emma lol). The day began with learning about soap which Emma made very interesting, going through the lye calculator was tricky (thank god I wasn't on my own) but Emma was great and explained everything. After lunch we made lots of wonderful soap, I also created my own recipe and then made my own creation!! I loved my day which my husband bought me for my birthday, it was interesting, fun and inspiring, afterward I even bought Emma's soap making kit so I could go home and use my new knowledge and make more SOAP!! ha ha. It was an amazing day that I thank my husband for but mainly I thank Emma."

21 Apr 15'

Mei reviewed: One day introductory course to candle making

"Great course, exactly tailored for what I was looking for. Thank you!"

21 Apr 15'

Semra reviewed: One day introductory course to candle making

"A very enjoyable and informative day. Clearly demonstrated, really feel like every aspect has been covered. Excited to get making candles!"

21 Apr 15'

Sasha reviewed: Leather weekend workshop

"Melissa Tofton's workshop was seriously cool; I found the workshop off fetlife, as I wanted to learn how to make my own bondage accessories, and she really helped me make exactly what i wanted to. Her warehouse is really cool & quirky, and it really feels like you're 'behind the scenes' and seeing what its like to be an artisan or designer starting out in London."

21 Apr 15'

Tiffany reviewed: Leather weekend workshop

"I attended Melissa's leather craft weekend workshop, and couldn't recommend it more. Its seriously great value for money considering what you come away with at the end of it; your own handmade leather piece. Melissa has a fun, laid back but really insightful approach and is great to learn from. The workshops are great for people who need a bit more confidence in their craft, or even hoping to go into design. Just great stuff really."

21 Apr 15'

JUdith reviewed: Leathercraft Workshop Belt Making Skills 1 Day Saturday 26th November 2016 Make Your Own Belt Or Dog Collar LAST CRAFT DAY OF THIS YEAR

"Such a warm friendly couple who make you feel very comfortable on the course. David has a very patient teaching style that puts you at ease straight away. Very knowledgeable and happy to answer leather related questions even if not directly related to the workshop.Would definitely recommend this workshop as an informative and fun introduction to working with leather where you also get to leave at the end of the day with your very own crafted leather belt."

20 Apr 15'

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

"A really good week starting with logs and ending up with a unique functional chair! Peter's calm patience made it possible. All new ways of working- very hard work but at the same time removed from every day life so releasing and relaxing, leaving a feeling of being more in touch with life. Highly recommended."

20 Apr 15'

Richard Groom reviewed: Blacksmithing, bladesmithing and metal craft

"I have just done a two-day course with Nigel. A very busy first day learning the skills to produce introductory pieces, then an even busier second day learning more skills to produce a garden sculpture. The finished results were better than I would have dreamed possible thanks to the tuition from Nigel and his team. My wife and I stayed in one of the shepherd's huts which was very cosy. (She went bird watching and we met up in the evenings.) We rounded off an extremely enjoyable weekend with a barbeque on the Saturday evening. It was an excellent course and I would recommend it to anyone. We would love to go back."

20 Apr 15'

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

"The perfect day out, from the get go we we're treated with amazing hospitality and refreshments. The day started out with simple blacksmithing methods and as we developed our pieces and our with the guiding hand of Adrian and Andy by the end of the day we had a beautiful piece that was a joy to make and even more to respect the time and effort each part took to create. Dinner was lovely and at the end of the day everyone was happy and had made some brilliant pieces and memories to take home. I'd come back here without a doubt."

20 Apr 15'

Marleen reviewed: Saturday jewellery tuition - choose your project!

"Sam is an amazing contemporary jeweller, a fantastic tutor and he has lots of patience. He has a great knowledge of techniques which helps to judge and encourage what each pupil needs so they can progress."

20 Apr 15'

Janet Mannng reviewed: Playing with colour: tray dyeing

"I loved this workshop so much that I came back for a second time. It's so wonderful to have everything set up for you and dyes prepared. This time I experimented with lighter colours and specific shades for my textile art, as well as producing spectacular pieces of fabric and a variety of threads. Thank you Hazel and Terry for a great day."

20 Apr 15'

David Wilson reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"I was given a one day course with Alex as a Christmas present by my family. I thoroughly enjoyed it for many reasons, but primarily because Alex is not only an excellent teacher but also very good company. Alex has got the balance just right between showing/explaining how to do things and letting you have a go, which is important if you only have a day - too little tuition and you'll end up frustrated as you mess it up, but too much and you'll not get to have much of a go yourself. We jumped straight in and learned as we went along, which was perfect, and I got to try lots of different techniques too. Alex is also more than happy to explain the reasons why things are done as they are, which I found really interesting. The day left me wanting to find out more about blacksmithing in terms of the theory and science behind it, as well as wanting to have another go at bashing things, all of which speaks volumes for the course. My wife and son came down with me (it was the school holidays) and there was lots for them to see/do at the museum while I was on the course, but Alex also made them feel welcome to the forge and was more than happy to show and explain what I doing to a curious 12-year old - he'd now like to have a go when he's old enough. Beautiful location too. Definitely recommended."