Latest reviews

Sara Jones reviewed: Bespoke Workshop Day - Sara J

"Excellent experience! We were warmly welcomed and instantly knew that we'd have a great day, as we were listened with enthusiasm. The wealth of knowledge was incredible and we left feeling that we had gained many skills. Thank you so very much!"

Ali McGill reviewed: Needle felt your Dog or Cat

"I booked this course for myself and my mum, it was a small studio which was very relaxed. My mum has early onset dementia and Josephine was patient and broke down the skills into manageable chunks. We were very successful in our doggie creations and came away very happy :-)"

Pauline Curtis reviewed: Basket making for beginners using traditional willow basketry techniques

"3 of us did this course the hosts John and Becky were very welcoming when we arrived. The day starts with a warm cuppa and cake. Then with lots of help and loads of patience from our hosts we all made a beautiful basket as did all the class. We had a great lunch made by a local supplier and of course followed by more cake. I would say a terrific fun day had well worth the cost. Would certainly recommend for people looking for something different to do."

Sharon warnes reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day for 2 students

"The course was brilliant and Les is a careful and excellent tutor. We would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn, improve or to professionals. Great"

Pren responded:

"Thank you Sharon, I'm really pleased that you enjoyed the day."

Kate Gilbert reviewed: A day on the tiles: one-day mosaic workshop

"I did this course yesterday and it was great. Fiona is very welcoming and it was a relaxing day. There are lots of tiles to chose from. You can make mosaics for indoors or outdoors. I would definitely recommend Fiona course. "

Claire Smith reviewed: Woodturning for beginners

"I have just finished my two day course with Stuart, and it was a great experience and very informative. I was a complete novice with a desire to learn this craft in order to gain enough of a feeling for it to know if I want to move forward with it and get my own workshop. Stuart was knowledgable, patient, with a passion he wants to pass on, I now know what the craft takes from preparation and design to hand tools, machinery and taking you to a final product. His workshop was organised, stocked, warm and fully equipped with PPE. I would highly recommended with course for any level, from someone who fancies and day or so out to try something new, to someone who want to pick this up as a hobby or a professional who just would like to improve or learn new skills. I’m confident from what I’ve learned that I will take this further and I know that when I’m set up on my own I will book again to keep learning more from Stuart."

The Scottish Woodturner responded:

"Thanks for that great review Clair. Hope to see you again when you are up and running."

Mark reviewed: Japanese style chopping boards workshop - Marlborough

"I really enjoy every aspect of the day. The course leaders are skilled and interesting people, other participants were great company and my Japanese chopping board was pretty good (if I say it myself)."

Explore The Great Outdoors. responded:

"Thank you for your kind words.. Yes you did a really good job., Well Done."

Catriona reviewed: Introduction to Lino Printing in Cambridgeshire

"We had a great experience with Judith, the three of us came as complete novices and left inspired to continue and build on the skills that we learnt with Judith. She is such a wonderful teacher, inspiring, encouraging and positive. We left the day with prints we were all proud and full of inspiration to develop our newly learned ability."

print paper stitch experiences responded:

"Thank you very much Catriona, it was a pleasure to meet and work with you all for the day. I'd love to see what you all create next!"

Liz reviewed: Beginner's Candle Making Private Workshop - Marlow, Buckinghamshire

"Very enjoyable workshop. Sarah is a very friendly teacher. Loved the end results. "

Candle by Events responded:

"Thank you Liz for your kind comments, glad you enjoyed the workshop :)"

Debbie Currie reviewed: Pick & Mix Glass Fusing Taster Sessions (Open Group)

"Lovely evening with Dawn. Treated my friend for Christmas and myself to the workshop and thoroughly enjoyed it. Have known Dawn a few years now and she has been to the care home where we both work to do a session with the residents, who really enjoyed if too. Very informative and lots of patience, well worth a go."

Dawn Turner Designs responded:

"Thank you for coming along to the studio, so glad that you and Kirsty had a good time, can't wait to open the kiln and see what you both made! x"

Irina reviewed: Introduction to Lino Printing in Cambridgeshire

"Enjoyed the day of lino printing with Judith, in relaxed and creative atmosphere. Would highly recommend. "

print paper stitch experiences responded:

"Thank you Irina, your castle prints were stunning! Looking forward to seeing you again sometime in the future for some colour reduction lino printing."

Chris Charles reviewed: Woodturning tuition in Wiltshire

"What a wonderful day, it just flashed by. So enjoyable indeed. Andy is the best of teachers, enthusiastic, encouraging and full of woodturning anecdotes, what is not to like, brilliant. On a technical level, all bases were covered. On a practical level, we were busy all day creating little piles of curly swarf. Woodturning naturally has it own ancient craft language adding interest to the day. It was a cold day, so there was nothing better than to adjourn for a cuppa by the Aga and enjoy a slice of Mary’s delicious fruit loaf…. under the watchful eye of Angus the dog. I thoroughly recommend Andy’s course."

Andys woodworking responded:

"Thanks so much Chris Andy mary and angus "

simon reviewed: Lathe turning for beginners with Thompsons Wood

"An excellent day, Jake creates a nicely informal atmosphere and is an excellent teacher. His enthusiasm for wood and teaching shone through and made it thoroughly enjoyable day. The order for the lathe is already in!!"

Jackie reviewed: Stained glass taster day in Worcestershire

"I had a great day doing the stained glass course with Vicky. She went through everything in great detail giving good tips and sharing her experience. I learnt a lot from the day and and feel confident that I would be able to try making some stained glass at home."

Kingcot Gallery responded:

"Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it. Enjoy creating in your new space, it sounds perfect!"

Julie Goddard reviewed: Stained glass sun-catcher workshop: Hampshire

"Fabulous day at Swanwick Studios. I found Rachel to be an excellent tutor. She was chatty and very knowledgeable and we all finished the day with a fantastic sun catcher. Rachel gave us clear instructions but then allowed us to use our creativity. Can certainly recommend this. "

Swanwick Studio responded:

"Arhhhh Thank you Julie - appreciate your very kind words - your bluebells were awesome :-)"

Christine Turner reviewed: Upholstery/cushion making

"This was an excellent course. Not lectures but hands on working on your project from the word go. Jo is really helpful. She explained clearly what to do next and showed you as well. She was always there when you needed help or were ready to do the next step.There we’re 4 of us doing different types of work and she helped us all individually and seamlessly ( sorry about that one). The fact that 2 of the people were returning for a second course says it all. "

What Jo did next responded:

"Hey Christine! Thanks for a great review! See you in March ☺️ X "

Lynne Lino reviewed: Business candle making workshop - one to one

"I spent a lovely morning with Kerry at her house learning the ins and outs of candle making, it was really enjoyable. Kerry obviously knows a lot about her craft and was sharing lots of tips and tricks relating to what I wanted to learn. She was kind enough to give her supplier list as part of the course which is invaluable. I can't wait to get started."

Can To Candle responded:

"Hi Lynne, great to meet you and glad you enjoyed the workshop."

Michele reviewed: 2 Hour Glass Beadmaking session for 2 people

"We had no previous experience of making glass beads. Julia quickly put us at ease & talked us through each stage before giving us opportunity to get creative. She is brilliant at her craft and very reassuring. We thoroughly enjoyed the session & will be returning. "

Francesca Turner reviewed: Stained glass leading for beginners

"Jamal was a very interesting and informative teacher. His knowledge and experience was evident in his approach. It was a wonderful course paced just right and each stage was skillfully demonstrated and discussed. Despite our limited ability we achieved our stained glass pieces with help from Jamal. There was plenty of time for us to ask questions and discover for ourselves how difficult it is to produce leaded stain glass panels. We enjoyed hearing all about the history of how Jamal found his craft. Thank you Jamal for a lovely day and thank you for your hospitality. "

Stained Glassic responded:

"Dear Francesca Turner, Many Thanks for your lovely feedback. It was great to have you both in my studio! Kindest Regards, Jamal Rafay - StainedGlassic"

Rich Dean reviewed: Key skills for converting vans into campervans 2 day course

"I really enjoyed my time learning key skills to building my own campervan. Scott is very knowledgeable and a welcoming host. I finished with some well needed knowledge and ideas on what to get for my first build. Hands on skills to confidently buy the right and install electrical, water and fuel equipment. I definitely recommend the 2 day course if you are planning to build any size home on wheels 👍 thank you Scott Kindest regards "

Black Paw upcycle project responded:

"Hi Rich, I'm so glad you enjoyed the course and found it useful. have fun and go for it Scott"

Mandy Pearce reviewed: Stained glass introduction at Blue Kite Stained Glass

"I loved this course. Can thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting to try out this amazing craft. Iain is a very informative, patient and helpful teacher. "

Fay Painter reviewed: Upholstery/cushion making

"Traditional skills in a lovely old studio. Jo is a fantastic teacher, very skilled and knowledgeable and gives each student individual attention and support. Thoroughly enjoyed the 2 day course, so much so returning in March for a further 2 day course! Strongly recommend if you want to learn upholstery skills in a lovely welcoming environment. "

What Jo did next responded:

"Thanks Faye! Lovely to meet you, and looking forward to seeing you again next month... Jo"

Sharon and Simon reviewed: Woodturning tuition in Wiltshire

"We attended a 1 day workshop with Andy yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very informative and fun. Andy managed to share a lot of valuable information that makes a difference to the end result. This holistic approach meant that when the hands on time came you could truly appreciate what you were doing right (and wrong!). Andy's enthusiasm, knowledge, skill and experience were infectious, to the extent after never having done this before we are considering investing in a lathe and having more lessons! His wife Mary and their dog Angus were very welcoming as well. Great way to spend Sharon's birthday! "

Andys woodworking responded:

"All three of us (Andy mary and angus ❤️) are really looking forward to seeing you again "

L Bennett reviewed: Blow a bauble at Chew Valley handmade glass

"Myself and my family (4 adults) had a wonderful experience at Chew Valley Handmade Glass. The instructor was amazing. He explained everything carefully as each individual took their turn and was very patient with us! I would definitely do it again and would recommend the experience to my friends."

Chew Valley HandMade Glass responded:

"Thank you so much for your review, we are always pleased to hear that you enjoyed your time with us. Kind regards The team at chew valley handmade glass "

Chris Cole reviewed: Introduction to Arc or Stick Welding, with award winning metal artist, Roger Russell

"I found this an incredibly helpful course. Roger gave very helpful instruction and advice, the facilities were were ideal for the course and his patience ensured that I could go away fully prepared and confident to carry on developing my welding skills. I would recommend this course to any other novice welder - it is really good value for money. Thanks Roger for you help getting me started"

High Definition wire sculpture responded:

"Thank you Chris. Glad you liked you lesson, Please contact me if you need any advice, And dont forget to join my Facebook Sculpture group for more tips and advice . It was a pleasure to teach . Roger "