Latest reviews

Thomas Douglas reviewed: Beginners spoon carving course

"A brilliant way to spend a day! Our instructor Steve was really insightful and the whole experience was just fantastic. Not only did I leave with a lovely spoon but also a bunch of great tips and tricks for any future carvings. "

Northern Wood Monkey responded:

"Hi Thomas. So glad that you enjoyed the day and you should be proud of your spoon too, some great creative carving went on. "

Fabian reviewed: Introduction to MIG welding and metal fabrication with Conan Sturdy, Artist Blacksmith

"Very enjoyable day with Conan, and a great way to get an introduction to welding. Also got to walk away with some little projects of our own, can recommend for sure. "

Conan Sturdy, Blacksmith responded:

"Hi Fabian, was great to have you and the guys down. You were all welding pretty well by the end of the day and you nailed the basics and can weld things together in your workshop. If you've got any questions in the future drop me a line 😊✌️"

Wendy T reviewed: Free Motion Sewing/Applique - 2:1 course

"Had a great day learning from Caroline. Lots of info but plenty of time to practice techniques. Caroline was very supportive and encouraging. Came away with some finished products and lists of enthusiasm to take free motion embroidery further. Well worth the cost, thanks."

A girl in her shed responded:

"Thank you Wendy. It was lovely to have you both over for the lesson. Hope to see lots more of your work."

Rachael and Cat! reviewed: Jewellery design workshop - silver pendant or silver earrings

"Wow what great three hours we spent with Sheila (and Jodie her fabulous Cocker) in her great studio. Sheila taught us well and had us make unique earrings. Sheila helped us quickly develop our design ideas and adapted - tutoring us according to our competence. Snacks and caffeine in abundance in a relaxing atmosphere. *Jodie the cocker only present at our request for anyone who isn’t keen on dogs!"

Sheila Roussel Jewellery Design responded:

"Hi Rachael and Cat Your earrings worked out really well and it was nice to see you wearing them too. Good to know that you enjoyed your workshop. Jody missed you both after you left! Hope you had a safe trip home. "

Elaine Green reviewed: Linocut printmaking in Cornwall

"Excellent course. Very well structured with plenty of advice and guidance from Olivia who is very friendly and helpful. I had never tried linoprint before but was carefully guided through every stage. The results from our group were amazing and I know everyone had a great experience. I will be encouraging my friends to attend one of Olivia's courses and will no doubt return myself at some stage!"

Joanna Forbes L'Estrange reviewed: Candle making workshops for beginners - St Albans, Hertfordshire

"A really lovely way to spend a morning and I came away with a new skill as well as three beautiful, homemade candles. The only negative feedback is that the hall was freezing cold (even though the heating was on!) "

Lucy reviewed: Simple Frame Basket with Windrush Willow

"A wonderful course, really good teachers with lots of knowledge. It was a really lovely day and I love my basket, I'm going to make more! "

Windrush Willow responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind comments. Regards Sue & Richard"

Sue Parsons reviewed: Furzie's Needle Felt Workshop - Somerset

"My sister and I had a lovely day needlefelting at Michelle's workshop on Saturday, learnt lots with some other lovely ladies. Michelle was very patient and nothing was too much trouble, would highly recommend, will do another one and her book is excellent !"

Furzie responded:

"Thanks Sue! What a shame we can't review students - you, your sister and the other ladies were all lovely and great company!"

Seasn Costello reviewed: Beginners spoon carving course

"Would not hesitate to recommend. A lovely relaxed but interesting and informative day. Steve is an excellent teacher and his skill and enthusiasm shines through. Nice coffee as well. 👍"

Northern Wood Monkey responded:

"Thanks Sean, so glad that you enjoyed the day, and headed home with a great spoon too. No day is complete without coffee!"

nicholas john wright reviewed: Soap making course with Goat Milk

"Very helpful"

Annette reviewed: Introduction to Soap Making Workshop with Afternoon Tea in Lincolnshire

"I attended Sharon's soap making workshop on the 20th January this year and everything about the workshop was enjoyable, informative and relaxed. Sharon's demonstration of soap making was easy to follow. The safety aspect of making soap was also well covered. We were provided with gloves, aprons and goggles to protect ourselves from any splashes. Besides the various oils for the actual soap making, there was a very generous choice of colourants, materials were provided that could be used as exfoliants and there was a wonderful supply of carefully chosen essential oils and fragrance oils suitable for soap making. The afternoon tea/lunch was impressive with sandwiches, freshly made scones with jam and cream and a freshly made carrot cake as well. Millionaires short bread, and tea or coffee finished off the meal nicely. I found the whole process enjoyable and would attend Sharon's workshops again. The attention to detail was greatly appreciated in both the soap making workshop and the delicious afternoon tea."

Beehive Wellbeing responded:

"Annette That is the most fabulous review to receive, thank you so much. I am absolutely blown away and you have provided such detail. We work really hard to make sure all our workshops are a fabulous experience and receiving 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ is amazing. Hopefully we will see you in another workshop or class soon. Sharon"

Wendy Cotier reviewed: Terrarium Workshop with Glass Gardens London in Ealing Broadway

"Took this course yesterday. Really enjoyed it and a lovely terrarium to take home. Emily was great, really friendly and instructive. Venue was centrally placed in Ealing and suited the course, as it was in a beautiful flower shop. Materials all supplied and different types of materials had their purpose explained. Would thoroughly recommend for a lovely, relaxing evening "

Penny Taylor reviewed: Linocut printmaking in Cornwall

"What an amazing Tutor! Thank you so much Olivia for your time & patience. I don’t know how you managed to respond to everyone at once, but somehow you did! I had a great day & learnt so much. Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻"

Anna reviewed: Double-Sided Lampshade Making

"We had a positive experience with Wendy's course. From scheduling the date just for us, through to detailed instructions and printed followups after the workshop. We have both gone home with extra skills and possibility of further "posh" lamp making workshops! :-) Thank you Wendy. "

Jo Jagger reviewed: Needle felt your Dog or Cat

"Had a great day learning about needle felting in a lovely relaxed setting. Jo was great, very patient and I must say diplomatic when our efforts were not looking their best. But with amazing advice and tips, we all produced doggies that we were very pleased with. "

Phinefibre responded:

"Thank you for writing a lovely review about the course and my teaching, it is much appreciated. Delighted you felt you learned something about making felted animals. Your amazing and very long haired dog was a bit more of a challenge for a beginner, but you did a great job of tackling her long hair and getting her sitting down."

Tracie Holdship reviewed: Candle Making Course at Butterfly Barn Studio - Private Workshop for up to 4

"Kathy was amazing. Very knowledgeable and fully qualified. My girls really enjoyed the course and learnt a good lot of valuable information. Thanks Kathy for a great experience."

Sally reviewed: Mosaic wall hangings using vintage and retro china

"What a fabulous day! My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Wendy gave very clear instructions and was helpful and attentive all through the day. The choice of crockery was good and the tools provided were perfect for the job. We chose a square board which took longer than a smaller specific shape, if I did it again I would choose an animal or something which Wendy can pre cut the board shape for beforehand. Lots of fun and I'll be trying this again for sure. Highly recommend! "

Wendy's Mosaic Designs responded:

"Hi Sally I am pleased to hear that you and George enjoyed the workshop. You were great company and thank you for recommending my mosaic workshop to others."

Jane Fitzgerald reviewed: Chalk Paint Taster Workshop

"We had a great morning, as part of our wedding anniversary celebration. Fascinating to learn more about chalk paint, and to go home with a creation! We were very touched by the Prosecco, card and glasses, so thank you. I look forward to attending a furniture restoration class. "

Little Gems Interiors responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind review. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you both on Saturday and to share in your anniversary celebrations! We very much look forward to welcoming you back to our Creative Centre in the future. Best wishes, The Little Gems Interiors Team"

Julia Ruxton reviewed: Mixed Media workshop with Clare Cosens

"It was wonderful to have another course with Clare - she is an excellent teacher and full of inspiration. This is not a class where you come away with something that looks the same as everyone else's work - Clare guides you through her techniques and practice to help you build your own creation. In my case a bit of a struggle this time and I may well change the top layer of my piece, but I learned so much from the process. Clare's classes are small enough that she can give everyone help as needed and she provided such a wealth of different media to work with - it feels like going into a magical world for the morning. "

Clare Cosens Designs responded:

"I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the workshop Julia. Many thanks for taking the time to leave such a lovely review. Your kind words mean the world to me. "

Karen Edwards reviewed: Handmade books - Introductory workshop

"I really enjoyed this session with Suzy. I am not a ‘crafty’ person and Suzy had to bail me out a couple of times, but hubby was impressed with what I had made. I have MS and you do have to concentrate quite hard if you are new to this, so some of it was a bit complicated for me. I would go back and do another of Suzy’s courses in the future. "

The Leaf Press responded:

"Thank you so much for your review Karen. The books you made were lovely!"

Alan reviewed: Beginners spoon carving course

"I attended this course two days ago after having been given it by my children for Christmas. I have to say that it far exceeded my expectations and I had a wonderful day. Steve was a most welcoming host and a very good teacher. Lots of tuition on how to complete each step of the spoon making process with plenty of appropriate guidance on how to handle the axes and knives safely. We were there for 7 hours, but it felt like 2 or 3 which shows how absorbing the day was. I am a complete novice as I think were the other 5 attendees, but we all came away with a rustic spoon having started from a chunk of wood. Extremely satisfying."

Northern Wood Monkey responded:

"Hi Alan It was a pleasure carving with you and I am so glad you enjoyed the day. It's always satisfying to see people create their own spoon from a simple billet of wood through the day."

Ben reviewed: Woodwork Joints Skills - Cambridgeshire

"Great course and delivery! Bill balances letting you get on with it and coming over when needed really well. Great playlist as well! "

Craven Conservation and Restoration Ltd responded:

"Thank you Ben for attending and the feedback, much appreciated. You did a great job cutting your first joints 👊🏻 I am glad the music went down well too. Keep in touch. "

Gareth Lawrence reviewed: Introduction to leaded stained glass

"This is an enjoyable and excellent course. Gen is very knowledgeable, approachable and helpful. The pace of the course is just right. I now have the skill and confidence to begin stained glass projects of my own. "

Wicked Gen Crafts responded:

"I had a great day teaching you all the techniques to make your own panels and loved the finished results. Good luck with your future projects."

Melissa Gray reviewed: Reverse Applique and Free-motion Machine Embroidery Pocklington

"A great evening learning a new skill. Holly was very knowledgeable and helpful. Lots of great ideas and a good selection of patterns, fabrics and threads to choose from. Loved the end result and keen to do more now. "

Thread and Press responded:

"Thanks so much Melissa. Glad you feel inspired. :)"

Ella reviewed: Scandinavian Stars - For Ella

"We had a fabulous time learning how to make these stars on Saturday afternoon. Susan was really well prepared, patient and enthusiastic to share her skills with us. We had a lot of fun folding and transforming ribbon and paper into beautiful stars. Thank you Susan!"

Mill House Millinery responded:

"Thank you so much - you were all such fun and it was great to share things with you . Hope your children appreciated ‘their stars’ "