Latest reviews

Cat reviewed: Wooden mechanical toy (automata) making

"A thoroughly enjoyable day's learning with Stef who made automaton-making accessible to me, a beginner woodworker. He is a patient and enthusiastic teacher who clearly loves what he does. He has designed his class as carefully as his automata, of which there were plenty of delightful finished examples in his workshop. After the safety briefing, Stef took me through the basics of cams and gears so that I understood the mechanism I was about to build. Then it was on to a full and engrossing day of making, at the end of which I took home a completed automaton that is joyful, intricate and colourful. I appreciated being able to practise with the hand tools and power tools in his well-equipped and well-kept workshop and look forward to using my brand new skills on other woodwork projects as well as trying to design my own automaton. Stef's workshop is centrally situated in Bristol and easily walkable from Temple Meads train station. Would recommend his course to anyone who enjoys working with their hands and appreciates the imagination and creativity that goes into making toys."

Penlan Crafts responded:

"Dear Cat, thank you so much for your wonderful review. Your talent and commitment made my task as teacher very easy and pleasant. I am happy you are enjoying your beautifully-made automaton! Best regards, Stef"

Emily reviewed: Wax Melt Workshop Online

"Great fun and very informative. Sharon was friendly and knowledgeable, the kit provided contained nice equipment and plenty of materials, and the workshop gave us plenty of time to work at our own pace. I went away with lots of ideas for making more melts! It was a really enjoyable way to celebrate a friend's birthday remotely."

Gill Ormond reviewed: Creative Machine Stitching

""Wish you were here- textile postcards"was the title of this one day zoom workshop. Helen is an excellent tutor, giving clear instructions and demonstrations of each technique. She ensured we were all following her and gave plenty of opportunities for questions which she answered clearly and precisely. Even when technological troubles seem to daunt us she remained unflusterd and made sure we were all receiving the right images before proceeding. I ended the day inspired with extra confidence and a raft of new skills. Just a picky point. It would have been useful to know via course joining instructions that we would be painting fabric in the first half of the day so that we could prepare our work area in advance and grab the protective pinny ahead of the session. Gill"

Helen Moyes Designs responded:

"Thank you Gill for taking the time to review the creative stitch workshop. Yes a good point re joining instructions, an apron is in the optional kit. I am so glad you gained inspiration, confidence and new skills. The three fabric backgrounds you produced were lovely."

Daria Young reviewed: Explore 2 colour lino cutting & printing in Derbyshire

"very friendly, educational, good course for beginners, I received solid foundation for linocut, I recommend this course."

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"Hi Daria, It was lovely to work with you and thank you for taking the time to review your day. You learnt a lot and made great progress in such a short time, so good look with your next prints. Best wishes Liz Wellby"

Carol O’Neill reviewed: Jewellery making with silver clay - one day beginners workshop

"It was such a pleasure to take part in this beginner’s silver clay jewellery course with Charlotte. My sister Margaret bought me this as a special birthday gift.(lucky me) We so enjoyed every aspect of the course and Charlotte made us so welcome and explained every detail. We created some surprisingly (in my case?!)lovely items of jewellery and I found the whole process fascinating and rewarding. Thank you Charlotte."

Felix & Reuben Jewellery School responded:

"Hi Carol, Thank you for your lovely review! I'm so glad you enjoyed the day! Well done on making such beautiful jewellery! Regards, Charlotte"

Kevin reviewed: Mosaic Bespoke Pet Portraits.

"For my wife's birthday I commissioned Laura to make a mosaic portrait of her favourite dog. I was kept up to date on the progress and got to visit Laura's amazing studio in Todmorden. The finished mosaic is superb and my wife treasures it. Very professional service and a much admired, unique art work now hangs in our home. Thank you Laura."

Laura Barnes Crafty Fox Studios responded:

"Thank you so much for your review. It was a privilege to design and create a mosaic of Diesel the Spaniel. I missed him when he left my studio!"

David Dockrell reviewed: Gem cutting - cabochon cutting and an introduction to faceting

"I was really impressed by the result of my first gem cutting experience. James was a very encouraging and knowledgeable about his craft and a pleasure to be taught by. He also makes a great cuppa!"

Treasureworks responded:

"Thank you David! That review is heartwarming to read. I thought you were an excellent student, you caught on very quickly! I'm also pleased the catering passed muster! Thanks, James :)"

Lucia reviewed: Beginners Upholstery Workshop in Warrington, Cheshire - Make a Footstool

"I did the 1 day upholstery course at Grappenhall. Jo was fab, very attentive and welcoming. Put me at ease as a complete novice! Lovely and social too meeting other ladies, having a few cuppas and cake too. Made a lovely footstool and am feeling more confident doing other bits around the house now after the advice Jo provided. Would highly recommend."

The Boho Shed responded:

"Thank you so much for your lovely review Lucia. It's great to hear you feel more confident to continue your upholstery skills at home. Let me know how you get on."

Graham Mackman reviewed: Beginners Epoxy Resin Workshop

"Great intro course to working with resin to produce real art. Richard set a good pace and the combination of the practical work and the hints & tips was spot on. The passion he has for the art came through and he had time for everyone with a question. Would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to try something a little different."

Olivia George reviewed: Beginners Candle Making Course with Afternoon Tea

"We went to this candle making course in Bexley by train from London Bridge for a friend’s birthday and had an absolutely fabulous time! The course exceeded our expectations. Paula is very friendly and enthusiastic, and the candles we made are to die for. Shoutout to Paula for providing our friends with a truly unforgettable experience!"

Anne Murphy reviewed: Beginners Upholstery Workshop in Warrington, Cheshire - Make a Footstool

"A thoroughly enjoyable day with Joanne and fellow “would be upholsterers.” We had excellent tuition and support throughout and all were pleased with their footstools. Gorgeous home made cakes, scones, tea and coffee included in the price were an added bonus. Excellent value for money and good fun."

The Boho Shed responded:

"Thank you for your lovely words Anne. I'm so pleased you enjoyed the day and I will pass on your comments to Mum and Aunty (the cake ladies!) x"

Louise reviewed: Creative coil pots - Introduction

"I really enjoyed this course. Molly is a very patient teacher and the finished pots are lovely. The handout is clear and I feel confident making more pots at home. Thank you for a very enjoyable session"

Molly Brown's Emporium responded:

"Thank you Louise, for your kind review. I'm glad you find the handout helpful, it is my way of helping you repeat what you have learnt when you get home. Happy coil pot making."

MARIE SCHWARZ reviewed: Creative coil pots - Introduction

"This is such an inspirational course. I came away with a lovely pot and was inspired to carry on at home. I’ve done pots as presents, pots for storage, and pots for decoration. Wonderful!"

Molly Brown's Emporium responded:

"So glad you have made more at home and felt inspired. It's always lovely to hear and see what people do after a workshop. Thank you for the review."

Cilla reviewed: Coloured Pencil Techniques

"Had forgotten how much I enjoy pencils!! good teaching again. Lovely little bird."

Pauline reviewed: Coloured Pencil Techniques

"Enjoying this find it quite relaxing could we try autumn fruits and berries."

Joyce Groom reviewed: Coloured Pencil Techniques

"I have learnt how to make my picture look more 3 dimensional by directing the strokes and varying the shades of the crayons to produce a life-like looking picture."

Harry reviewed: Coloured Pencil Techniques

"Personally speaking, I found the lesson most enlightening on all the different ways of shading and various other methods such as the sandpapering of the tips of the pencils."

Carol reviewed: Coloured Pencil Techniques

"Great session, learnt more new techniques, a good base to continue with the drawing...."

Julie reviewed: Coloured Pencil Techniques

"Excellent. Good detailed step by step instructions. Very relaxed and easy to follow. Really enjoyed the session."

Tom Moon reviewed: Cleft ash gate making with Gedwood

"Great course, really enjoyed my weekend and came away with a lovely gate - check out pics here; https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomallan28/albums/72157719470202712"

Gedwood responded:

"Hi Tom, Glad you enjoyed the course, was a great weekend. Ged"

Victoria reviewed: Sea glass jewellery making workshop with Beccy Gillatt at Yardley Arts in Northamptonshire NN7

"A wonderful class, I can't wait to do more. The venue was perfect, the teaching was clear and supportive. We are given everything to make some some beautiful pieces, and in a friendly small group. We all had as much individual support and teaching as we needed, and Beccy was great at giving everyone the confidence in their own ability. Some people had worked with silver before and some hadn't, and everyone was supported according to their experience and confidence. The 3 hours flew past and everyone completed their jewellery in that time. I couldn't recommend highly enough, thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring."

David Joss Buckley reviewed: Online Lino Printing Course with Oxford Linocut Workshops

"A wonderful three hours being guided by the delightlful Claire as she introduced us to the intracies of lino-cut printing. Even via the medium of Zoom, her gentle, but instructive and truly inspirational approach, made the course feel intimate and personal. Having already explored lino-cut printing a little, I now feel better-equipped to tackle more complex projects. Sociable, supportive and friendly, I cannot recommend Claire and her course highly enough."

Neil Kelly reviewed: Beginners Epoxy Resin Workshop

"I attended the course on 12th June. I have recently become interested in working with resin but wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t need to worry. The course was excellent. Very informative, received lots of support and came away feeling confident to give it a go myself. Couldn’t have asked for more. Looking forward to my next course. Thank you."

David Carter reviewed: An introduction to wood turning with Gregory Moreton (2 Days)

"Excellent course - very practical approach and really helpful in terms of reshaping tools and building templates. Left the course with a much better understanding of how best to turn!"

Frank bussy reviewed: Two day Leaded Stained Glass panel making.

"I wanted to have a go at stained glass leading for years. Laura’s studio has everything all the tools and loads of glass colour chooses. Great advice and design help. I was walking on air when we finished. Great building too. Worth the money and 2 days flew by."

Laura Barnes Crafty Fox Studios responded:

"I'm so glad you think so. You really understood the process and I'm glad you got to see my friend's church stained glass studio next door. The painting stained glass weekend is coming up if you'd like to learn more about this craft/art. Thank you!"