Latest reviews

Anne Marie Stephens reviewed: Introduction to leaded stained glass

"I thoroughly enjoyed this one day course with Gen at Wicked Gen Crafts. Gen was very welcoming and a joy to spend the day with sharing her knowledge and passion for all things glass. I felt that I learnt a great deal from Gen who was happy to answer my questions and guided me through each stage to complete a now treasured piece of glass work. I now feel ready to start my new creative path into working with glass in confidence with the skills Gen taught me. Thank you for an inspirational day!"

Wicked Gen Crafts responded:

"Thank you for such lovely feedback. Good luck with your new creative path, and feel free to email me if you have any questions or need any advice."

Anthony Spiers reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"My wife bought me a day with Colin wood turning as a present. My lathe experience was 59 years ago, and at school! One of my best and most memorable days. Colin is a great teacher, listens to his student and is careful to pitch the day at the level of the student, with enough challenge to keep you on your toes. He is very attentive and ensures you are aware of any bad practices (I was about to make many!) A really great day, I am delighted with how much I learned, Colin is a pleasure and inspiring, an excellent teacher! I am recommending his workshops to all, both friends and strangers! Thank you Colin for such a treat experience."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thank you for this great review, Tony. I am delighted you had such a good day. If I can help more in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me. Colin"

Moira Leslie reviewed: Apple – introduction to botanical coloured pencil drawing at The Old Kennels

"I have thoroughly enjoyed Linda’s classes and learnt so much. I think I have done nearly all of them now and have no hesitation in recommending them."

The Old Kennels responded:

"Thank you Moira, what a lovely review! So glad you enjoy our courses! :)"

Lesley Faithful reviewed: Leather craft for beginners and improvers

"Had a fantastic day with one-to-one tuition on the course last Saturday. Slim is patient, he needed to be I was very slow! and supportive and I came away with new skills and a beautiful passort holder (for when I can go somewhere!) He even took the time to compile a bespoke 'starter kit' list for me. Slim is easy company and an excellent tutor I would strongly recommend his courses even if it means travelling to Scotland!"

Ro Suckling reviewed: Apple – introduction to botanical coloured pencil drawing at The Old Kennels

"I attended a one day coloured pencil workshop with Linda Hampson at the Old Kennels in September 2021. It was a lovely day with teaching taking place in the barn and lunch outside in the gorgeous surroundings. It was obvious that great care had been taken to ensure that everything was Covid safe so the atmosphere was relaxed. I am new to coloured pencils and I learnt so much. The accompanying video is a great idea because you can practice what you learnt at home. I will be attending future workshops in 2022."

The Old Kennels responded:

"Thank you Ro for such a lovely review! we are so pleased you have enjoyed your course atThe Old Kennels and the online tutorials too! :)"

Sara reviewed: Automata, mechanical toy & kinetic sculpture online: 8 classes

"This is a very satisfying and enjoyable course to take. Tom is an excellent tutor who adapts his teaching method to the individual. He is very knowledgeable about his subject matter and shares this expertise readily. The course is online, but we were still able to communicate what needed to be seen and heard. Although I undertook this course as part of a practical research project, it has been good grounding and I am now fascinated by, and committed to making more complex automata."

Karen Henderson reviewed: Mixed Media Painting Workshop in Brighton Seaside Home

"A great day with Laura exploring mixed media and gaining confidence through her encouragement. I love the way Laura gave time to listen to each member of our group and provided an opportunity for each of us to express our own artistic ideas and follow these through during the day. The resources provided on really helped inspire my artwork and I have lots of ideas to take away. Thank you Laura....it was a wonderful day!"

Creativity Takes Courage responded:

"Thank you Karen; it was wonderful to meet you and to watch your artistic vision go from strength to strength throughout the day. I'm so pleased that you now have ideas to take away, to build on and develop. Thank you! Laura"

Donna Waring reviewed: Machine knitting bite-size, one to one tuition with Claire Newberry-ask me anything!

"Had a great online session with Claire learnt loads just putting it all into practice and I am sure I will be booking another course soon to increase my knitting machine knowledge even further. Thank you so much"

Claire Newberry's Knitting School responded:

"Hello Donna, Thank you so much for your kind words. You will be most welcome. Happy knitting. Claire."

Maeve reviewed: Beginners Candlemaking for Two - Anglesey, Wales

"A fantastic introduction to candle making and a really enjoyable morning. We made so many beautiful candles with different colours and scents and learnt a lot in the process. Anita is a great teacher and very patient, would highly recommend!"

Nuala Dixon reviewed: One day stained glass workshop London for beginners and enthusiasts

"Great day with Tejal, clear explanations of everything, lots of patience! Variety of templates/too old/glass to use. Recommendations for further reading. Very enjoyable."

Kim Heath reviewed: Introduction to glass fusion Morning half day taster (beginners)

"Sally made it very easy to understand the basics and from there to get into the creative process. Very quickly I found myself quite absorbed and the time flew by. Great fun and I would heartily recommend the workshop."

Craft Workshops responded:

"Thank you for your review Kim - it was great to meet you both and your fused glass pieces are lovely!"

Liz reviewed: Apple – introduction to botanical coloured pencil drawing at The Old Kennels

"Having taken a couple of Linda's 'in person tutorials', I was delighted that, during lockdowns, I was able to access her video courses - they have kept me going through these strange times, and it is so good to be able to revisit the videos when required. They have also encouraged me to move on to drawing other subjects. The notes, as ever, are excellent and I continue to enjoy my drawing immensely."

The Old Kennels responded:

"Thank you so much for your kind review Liz :) I'm not sure we would ever have found time to produce online video tutorials if it wasn't for lockdowns. It has been a steep learning curve but we are really enjoying it and I think its something we will keep doing. Wonderful to hear you are enjoying them!"

Theresa Kellett reviewed: Glass fusing workshop - 1 day

"Treated myself to the one day course as I have always been interested in glass, I absolutely loved it, I completed several pieces and I was thrilled with the results. Jill was fabulous and include in the course was a lovely lunch and even home made cake in the afternoon. Would thoroughly recommend."

Fired Glass responded:

"Thank you for your glowing review Theresa. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your day with us and you were happy with the pieces you made. Thanks for your custom. Kind regards John and Jill."

Angela Hughes reviewed: Introduction to glass fusion Morning half day taster (beginners)

"Sally was a brilliant tutor and her enthusiasm for working with glass was infectious. She gave us lots of information in an easily understood way and was very generous with her help and ideas. She really wanted to get the best from her students. The morning flew past and I left with a great sense of achievement. I am looking forward to booking more workshops with Sally and cannot recommend her highly enough."

Craft Workshops responded:

"Thank you for your wonderful review Angela - I am really pleased you enjoyed the Workshop and look forward to seeing you again for more workshop fun in the future :)"

Peter reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Came away after the two day design and build session with a creation for the garden thst exceeded my expectations - thanks to Adrian"

Sarah Smith reviewed: Introduction to Lino Printing in Cambridgeshire

"I attended this course with my Mum and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning something new. We were both beginners but Judith put us at ease and welcomed us into her home. She taught everything with patience and kindness, providing guidance and support where needed. We both came away with prints we were very proud of and have gained the confidence to have a go at home too. A fun, relaxed day with super outcomes for all."

Rebecca Newbold reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I bought the course as a gift and decided to attend too and I wasn't disappointed. Les was very welcoming and clearly had a great passion for what he does. The day started with a health and safety and covid talk which made us both feel very safe. The balance between teaching and practical work was perfect, Les has this down to a tea. We really appreciated that Les was happy to share his wealth of knowledge, and any tips and tricks he had learnt along the years he was keen pass on. What we managed to produce in the day was beautiful. We both came back with something we had no idea was achievable to complete novices in a day. I would highly recommend a course with Les and hope to return again. Thank you so much for a fantastic day."

Pren responded:

"Many thanks for the review. I'm really pleased that you enjoyed your day; I certainly enjoyed having you both as students and you did remarkably well for beginners."

Anne Maddocks reviewed: Private or private group silver jewellery making / silversmithing workshop half-day at Silver Designed Personally

"I was given a voucher as a gift and chose the private jewellery making half day course. I don't consider myself artistic at all and have some problems with strength and dexterity in my hands so I was fairly dubious about whether I would actually be able to make anything. I needn't have worried at all. Sara was friendly and welcoming from the start. I decided I would like to make a pair of earrings. Sara showed me how to use the tools and I was able to practice on copper wire to start with while I got used to everything. It was brilliant to have 1 to 1 tuition as Sara helped me through every step and I was amazed that I had a wearable item of jewellery at the end of the session, thanks to Sara. I had a very enjoyable morning."

Silver Designed Personally responded:

"Anne - Thanks so very much for taking the time to write me a review. Your did really well and that was not an easy solder job with all those joints - so well done! Your earrings were so cute that my sister has even asked me to make a pair for her for Christmas!! Sara"

Anna Northam reviewed: Box making weekend in Cumbria

"This course is not only value for money but is so much fun. I was able to put my own take on one of the really beautiful choice of box designs we were given, so I felt as though is made something pretty unique. I'm hoping to do the weekend again next year so I can have a go at another design. Highly recommended."

Annette reviewed: Mixed Media Painting Workshop in Brighton Seaside Home

"It was my first experience at using mixed media and thoroughly enjoyed the day experimenting. Laura was great in guiding us through the different techniques with so much enthusiasm. I would definitely recommend the day . Thank you Laura"

Creativity Takes Courage responded:

"Thank you, Annette! It was brilliant to meet you and I'm so pleased that you enjoyed your day. Stay in touch! Laura"

Gill Davies reviewed: Silver jewellery class for beginners

"Thankyou Jonathan for a brilliant day and your excellent teaching. Jude and myself really enjoyed learning new skills in such a relaxing atmosphere and are very proud of our earrings."

Salt Way Silver responded:

"My pleasure! I'm really pleased that you enjoyed the day and well done with your new skills. Earrings can be fiddly! Jonathan"

Liz reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"A thoroughly enjoyable but very tiring weekend; I can’t remember the last time I came home so dusty, if ever. Sebastian chivvied me along when I thought I would never get anywhere in the given time, and it all worked out well in the end with a lovely ball-flower. A bonus is that the inside even looked like a rose! I sometimes felt that I was left to make a decision on how much more was needed to be done on a particular stage of the carving, when I personally would have liked him to tell me ‘do this till it looks like that’ but that may be because I’m not in anyway arty or crafty, where he is."

Alison reviewed: Short evening course in Copper Foiling Technique

"This short evening course in copper foiling was amazing!❤ Sharon is so welcoming and knowledgeable. The atmosphere was very relaxed and Sharon was always on hand to give expert advice and help when required. The studio set up was perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a Thursday evening! A real sense of achievement with the beautiful pieces that we all created. ?"

Adrian Barnes reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"An excellent 2 days, course was set at my pace & covered everything I wanted and a bit more."

Malcolm Watson reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"After a 2 hour journey, I received an extremely warm welcome on arrival, followed by a much-needed coffee and an explanation of how the day was planned. Both the morning and afternoon sessions were very constructive and informative. Simon soon has you hands-on on the lathe, resulting in producing a "Christmas Tree" in the morning and a Bowl in the afternoon. Simon's workshop is very well equipped and his explanation of his various pieces of equipment was most thorough. The communication from both Simon and Louise, before the course and after, was informative and timely. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to learn woodturning."

Blended Monkey responded:

"Hi Malcolm, Thank you for a very positive review; we're really glad you enjoyed your day and got the most out of it. Please shout if you need any more help. --Simon & Louise"