Latest reviews

Hannah Lee reviewed: Parent and child friendly pottery courses

"We had a great time at our family workshop recently. After far too much locked-down family time we were looking for something to bring us back together. Richard’s 3 hour class did exactly that. Richard handled our two contrasting children brilliantly so that both came away feeling positive about their achievements - who knew Richard has tens of years experience in UK schools?! Reality dispelled any myths that my husband could rock up and throw a perfect teapot his first time on a wheel, (but it’s always nice to have something to work towards!) The studio was fabulously quirky and the tasks suitably pitched for our ability. A perfect solution to our need to get away from it all (just for a few hours) and simply be together. Thank you Richard!"

Potterydayz responded:

"Thank you for writing the review Hannah. It was a pleasure to see you all. Perhaps the teapot will come next time. see you in the near future."

Ian Wilson reviewed: Kitchen knife course

"I received a kitchen knife course as a gift, great gift and great day. Two nice and knowledgeable guys, very friendly and good delivery style. Very relaxed and patient. Dave led the class and provided some very nice pine cone and resin scales that he had made. Very unique and gave a great finish. I came away with a great knife that is usable and a great talking point. If you or someone you know is thinking of trying this then I would definitely recommend the Highfield forge. They also make items to order."

Kim reviewed: Diploma in Natural Soap Making

"I wanted to learn how to make very mild soap and milk soap, and I have received some great tips on how to perfect mild, milk soap each time. I also loved that I could progress through the course when I wanted, and not be tied to a specific day and time. 5 stars! I really recommend it!"

Ann reviewed: 2-Day Leather Bag Making Course

"I am definitely not a natural sewing bee, so was pleasantly amazed and delighted by the quality of the finished result, due mainly to the expertise shared by Rebecca and the fantastic facilities and materials on offer. Coming back with a friend for another course shortly!"

Tracy Barker reviewed: Beginner's upholstery - half day course

"I thoroughly enjoyed my beginners upholstery course. The trainer was very knowledgeable and patient. I learnt how to upholster a stool and I love it. Very enjoyable morning."

Elizabeth Ford reviewed: Gathered Lampshade Making Workshop with Moji Designs in London, Minerva Workshop

"This course was amazing - it was fast-paced and challenging, and I am so happy with the fact that I have made a beautiful lampshade, and all in 2 days. Moji was so supportive and encouraging. She is a wealth of knowledge and spurred us all on to achieve. Minerva Studios is a a beautiful and welcoming environment. Lottie has built a lovely place to get together and be creative. Thank you!"

Sophie reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"I have just done Ollie’s one day French Polishing course and I’m amazed that we managed to turn a very scruffy set of library steps into something glowing, polished and beautifully coloured in one day. I’ve learnt lots and come away with a comprehensive list of the equipment and steps I would need to attempt another piece at home. I would recommend taking something with fewer visible sides to finish than a set of steps if doing a one day course as it was a lot to get done in a day."

Chris Mead reviewed: Willow frame basket weaving at wonderful Ella's

"I came to Amanda’s basket weaving day at a beautiful setting in Usk as a complete beginner but came away having made a lovely woven basket that I am enormously proud of. The day was well run and very affordable and Amanda was a very talented and patient teacher who constantly amazed me with her ability to immediately identify where I had gone wrong and help me to quickly put right any mistakes. I am already planning my next visit and have no hesitation in recommending Amanda’s courses"

Sarah Clay reviewed: Willow frame basket weaving at wonderful Ella's

"I did the shopping basket making course at Usk Castle Chase and was thrilled to come home with a beautiful "Dicky Meadows" willow basket that I had actually made. Amanda was an amazing teacher, so patient and explained everything perfectly. If we went wrong she immediately put us right. Loved the day and would highly recommend it even for somebody like myself with no previous experience. Thank you Amanda for teaching me."

Hannah reviewed: Willow frame basket weaving at wonderful Ella's

"We had an amazing day with Amanda making our shopping baskets. She was a great teacher and im really impressed with the basket I brought home! Especially as a complete beginner! Will definitely be looking into more Wyldwood courses."

Hannah reviewed: Spoon carving, 2 days with Steve Tomlin in the Yorkshire Dales

"Dad & I had a great couple of days learning to carve spoons with the most fabulous view of the Dales. We were very well looked after, improved our carving skills greatly & ate delicious food! Even well catered for our fussy dietary requirements. Would definitely recommend this course! We had a great time. :)"

Broadrake responded:

"Thank you Hannah and Chris - it was lovely to have you along and great that you appreciated the 2 days. Steve Tomlin, the tutor, asked where we found such great people to teach - so thank you for making the first spoon carving session back after Covid such a success. There was much chat and laughter amongst the carving - very important! I hope you continue to carve - all your first spoons and spreaders were excellent for first-timers. Well Done!"

Martin reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"What a wonderful birthday present. Chris is a great teacher. He goes through some theory, but most of the course is practical. Every step is demonstrated with explanation before attempted by the student. Chris keeps a watchful eye to make sure that the best technique is used. Result: a beautiful key ring as a permanent keepsake and reminder of the day. If you do this course you will start to get an idea of the skill of a true blacksmith. Chris makes it look to easy! But for us students it isn’t, and at the end of the day upper arm muscles are a little tired. Safety, both blacksmithing and CoVID, are well explained and managed. Felt very safe."

Liz Philpott reviewed: Introduction to fused glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"Really enjoyable day with an excellent teacher. We used a variety of glass techniques and it was like being in a sweet shop with many different colours & sizes of glass to use. Great value for money and suitable for all ages and abilities."

Stephen Leat reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"What a brilliant introduction to wood turning!! Simon and Louise at Blended Monkey made the whole experience, from the booking stage to the course day, extremely easy. Simon's enthusiasm for turning is infectious and his guidance, patience and knowledge added a different level to the day. Plenty of refreshments 'on tap' and lunch was great. I would recommend this course, without hesitation, to anyone who is interested in the art of wood turning."

Blended Monkey responded:

"Thanks, Stephen. Great praise from a teacher! So glad you enjoyed the day and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need help once the workshop is sorted."

James Ramage reviewed: The Human Face Explored - One-day Creative Drawing Workshop in lovely Narberth

"I found this workshop to be very enjoyable and satisfying. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and the facilities were excellent. With Louise's tuition, demonstration, and encouragement I produced results that pleased and surprised me. I didn't hesitate to attend further workshops on creative drawing and life drawing, which again achieved better than expected results. I will certainly return once a new program of events becomes available."

Louise Burdett Artist responded:

"Thank you James. Always a pleasure to teach you - I look forward to seeing you back as soon as we can work safely in the studio. Louise x"

Hannah Horton reviewed: Outside Workshop: Get started with DSLR creative photography(Beginners level)

"Sally was ever so knowledgeable but explained everything so well that even a complete novice like me soon got to grips with the basics. I was made to feel very welcome and felt quite comfortable asking questions"

Clare reviewed: Book binding - Zoom Saturday Morning Workshop

"We organized a virtual event for a group of 10. Lorna assembled and packed a small kit with everything required for the session. The packages were shipped in good time to allow delivery ahead of the event. On the day Lorna's instruction over zoom was clear and easy to follow and her passion for and knowledge of bookbinding shone through. Feedback from our participants was unanimous - they loved the event and our handmade books. I highly recommend this event especially as a way of bringing folks together when we are all apart."

Crumps Barn Studio responded:

"Thank you so much for organising such an enjoyable session. This was an international event and it was very special to meet you all via zoom. I'm so glad you and your members loved making their hand bound notebooks. The results were gorgeous! ~ Crumps Barn Studio"

Sam Weldon reviewed: Woodturning for beginners

"I had an absolutely fantastic day on the one day course with Stuart and came away with some stunning pieces which I am chuffed to bits with. Stuart is an excellent teacher with an outstanding knowledge and skill base which he was more than willing to share with me in great detail which will be invaluable for me going forward. The course setting was the icing on the cake, a stunning location with plenty of opportunities to view and discuss Stuarts current pieces and the processes around them. If you are looking for an informative and accommodating tutor to further your skill set or try something new Stuart is your man. I could not recommend him more highly! Also if you are a complete beginner to the wood turning game like me he also has the patience of a saint."

The Scottish Woodturner responded:

"Thanks Sam. Always a pleasure teaching someone who is inspired by the craft as you are. Stuart."

Pete Halloran reviewed: Creating a Viking knife an introduction to forging and knife making at Bearded Pig Forge

"After doing the knife making day with Spike I can only highly recommend it! Spike was an awesome instructor, showing us what to do and offering advice as and when asked. He was also a fantastic source of knowledge over all areas of smithing as well as a teller of bad jokes :-) This was such a good experience taking a plain piece of steel and coming out with a fully useable knife at the end of the day. I'll definitely be looking to go back again to do the two day course to get experience of handle making."

Pauline reviewed: Traditional Leather Workshop (small leather goods)

"This is a really enjoyable course! Had a great day and Kingsley provided a really nice environment to learn in. Can’t believe how he managed to get me from little to no knowledge to making something great! I came away from the course feeling confident in. He also provided us with information on London Merchant to get supply if we want to consolidate our knowledge and make leather work a hobby or more. Such a great day! Highly recommend!"

Sandra Blake reviewed: Beginners Epoxy Resin Workshop

"I really enjoyed this course, Richard and his assistant were fantastic. I can't wait to put the learning into practice and I'm looking forward to the next course."

The River Shop responded:

"Thanks for your kind review and great to have you Sandra. We look forward to having you back! Best Richard"

Elizabeth Machan reviewed: Lampworking Workshop: Half Day Beginners Workshop

"We had a lovely morning making beads with Suzanne. She demonstrated lots of techniques clearly, to enable us to make a number of beads. I went with my 15 year old daughter who has some learning difficulties and Suzanne was very patient and encouraging, she didn't want to leave. Making the beads filled her with confidence. The studio was lovely, very well set out with lots of choice of materials to work with. A great course and tutor who I would highly recommend. We will have to come back to practise our skills and make some more!!"

Suzanne Jewellery responded:

"Thank you so much for your lovely review. It was so lovely to see your daughters confidence grow as the morning went on. Fab beads made by the both of you."

Kate Lord reviewed: Make your own Personalised Leather Dog Collar

"Review for leather workshop that took place on 18th April 2021 I found the workshop on a website as geographically nearish to New Quay in Wales, where I had planned our holiday. I found communicating with Tracy pleasant and understanding as it was not quite certain at the time, if our holiday to Wales could take place due to Covid. Luckily Covid permitted our holiday and my “special birthday” treat of attending the leather workshop with my husband. We made a new dog collar for our irregularly shaped Staffi-Whippet cross rescue dog and my husband made a belt for me. I found Tracy to be very patient with me and my neurodiverse ways and empowered me to do much of the collar for myself, after she had made a card template. She offered to help me out, time to time and encouraged me to just try it out and not worry about trying to be perfect. The end result was a collar that looks great and my sense of achievement of having made it. The leather is of an excellent quality and I think our dog finds it very comfortable. Tracy helped my husband to utilise a bit of my old belt ( that had been rendered useless by said dog via chewing) to bling the new collar further with colour and embossing her name and doggy bones. My husband found the process of making me a belt very rewarding too. Tracy was very knowledgeable about different types of leather and the tanning processes both traditional and more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, we now know why some leather is cheaper and so I am equipped to make more informed choices as to encouraging more environmentally friendly tanning processes. Tracy promotes environmentally sustainable leather. She uses leather waste from furniture making, thereby minimising carbon footprint. The workshop was done in Covid Secure way and we had a tea break with delicious cake freshly made by Tracy. I would thoroughly recommend making a leather product and Tracy’s Coterie Leather Bags workshop to do that. My only regret is that I forgot to ask to purchase some of her free range duck eggs as I left."

Jeanette reviewed: Green Man stone carving in Yorkshire

"Excellent facility, plenty of space, very friendly atmosphere. Excellent tuition from Helen, there when you need her but equally plenty of space to do your own work. Very rewarding (and surprising) when you see the end result. Very enjoyable two days, day one is tiring, but day two less strenuous but transformational. Already been back for an additional course."

The West Riding Stonecarving Association responded:

"Thank you for your positive review. I am glad you both had a great time. Helen"

Debbie reviewed: Fused Glass workshops at Bere Alston, near Tavistock, Devon

"What a fantastic experience we had today! Wendy's lovely workshop is bright and airy and set in a beautiful location which can't help but inspire you. There is an amazing variety of coloured glass to choose from and Wendy explains and demonstrates each technique carefully. We had such fun and can't wait to come back for another day of creativity!"