Latest reviews

Liz reviewed: Kate Morrell willow sculpture courses

"I booked this course with three girl friends, and it was a really fun day out. Kate provides one-to-one guidance throughout the day, and is very subtle in making adjustments (if needed) so that even the least-skilled weaver goes home with an impressive sculpture that closely resembles what you set out to achieve!"

Teresa Fraser reviewed: Beginner's Machine Knitting

"I bought my preowned knitting Machine a couple of years ago and after many failed attempts to get going, it’s been sat in a cupboard gathering dust. I came across this course quite by accident, and I’m so happy that I did. In 150 minutes of excellent tuition, Farah has got me up and running and really excited about the potential of developing my expertise. Everything was very clearly explained and demonstrated, Farah talked me through a few hiccups and was very patient as I worked through each process. The course notes were excellent, very clear and well explained and will be an excellent aide memoir for the future. This has given me so much confidence to continue exploring and experimenting with the machine and one I’ve had time to consolidate what I have learned, I’ll be back for more!"

Linda reviewed: Beginners candle making workshop - Marlow, Buckinghamshire

"Thoroughly enjoyed this class with my daughter. Sarah had made it a thoroughly safe environment to work in given current covid climate. There was a nice welcome and a nice cup of tea offered. She explained all the stages very well enabling us to create tea lights, pillar candle, floating candles and a tinned candle. She introduced us to adding colour and perfume. I will certainly take home my new knowledge to make candles at home. Thanks Sarah x"

Candle by Events responded:

"Thank you Linda, really pleased you enjoyed the workshop."

Ritchie Kelk reviewed: 5 Day Professional Furniture Refinishing Workshop - Traditional & Contemporary

"Had a great 5 days attending the French polishing course with Ollie. The course focuses on different wood finishes with a view to re invigorate old furniture and bringing them back to life. Ollie's knowledge was exceptional, and his approach meant that the course was relaxed and enjoyable. Information supplied with the course was very good and with 3 different pieces to work on various different finishings were discussed and Ollie's experience in the subject meant that he had answers to any problem that was presented. A very good course well worth attending if you are interested in keeping old furniture alive."

Peter reviewed: 2 Day Leather Practical Skills Workshop

"I really enjoyed the course, and feel confident to start to apply what I have learnt. The group size was perfect and Richard had time to guide us through every single step. I felt safe with the COVID-19 restriction that were in place."

Sara Cremer reviewed: ‘Seaside Cottage Sculpture’ workshop, using driftwood and recycled materials, North Yorkshire.

"What an enjoyable day. Melanie was lovely, relaxed & couldn’t do enough to support all the participants make the perfect seaside cottage art. The day started choosing the driftwood which was total entertainment & more exciting than you would think! Searching for that perfect base! Then working out how you want it to look. Paint next followed by fences, light, flag poles, bunting poles, whatever you want to make your unique piece. A bit more painting & I'd forgotten to eat lunch (that never happens!). The workshop finished with a few more tweaks to make sure we were happy, a few photos of our days' work & I went home very happy. I would highly recommend this for a day out."

The Seals Whiskers responded:

"I am so pleased you enjoyed your day,thank you for taking the time to review our workshop.Your cliff top sculptures were so cute. best wishes Melanie"

Lizanel reviewed: Jewellery making with silver clay - one day beginners workshop

"The workshop I had has been simply fantastic. Charlotte is friendly and professional and as soon as I arrived I felt welcome and started from the very basics flowing to the practical aspects with continuity and logic. Definitely will come back for more training and warmly recommend her courses and workshops as really effective and well planned and conducted."

Felix & Reuben Jewellery School responded:

"Thank you Lizanel, we are glad you enjoyed the workshop. It was a pleasure to teach you the wonders of silver clay!"

Helen Jenner reviewed: Creative Fused Glass for beginners and improvers

"Such an enjoyable morning! Nadine helped us learn new skills but focused on colour and creativity so we learnt new crafts but also enjoyed the glory of glass! Thank you so much."

Monty reviewed: Weekly pottery/ceramics classes

"Alison is was really kind and an incredibly fun teacher. Really loved the class and we had a lot of fun doing the workshop. The workshop had a very warm environment and everyone was very encouraging. I would definitely recommend it!"

Katie reviewed: Silver Fidget Ring Workshop

"Great course, Helen was welcoming and encouraging. I couldn’t believe I created such a beautiful ring! The course was rearranged due to Covid&I felt very safe, adequate space in the studio with good cleaning facilities, masks & visors. I was very impressed with the workshop, the teacher and especially the end result! Thank you!"

Silver and Stone Jewellery Design responded:

"Thank you so much Katie. You made a beautiful ring and I'm so glad you felt safe. We still had a great group and lots of fun and chatter even though we had plenty of distance between us."

Tracey Brown reviewed: ‘Seaside Cottage Sculpture’ workshop, using driftwood and recycled materials, North Yorkshire.

"What a fantastic day, thank you so much. After having all of our craft courses cancelled or postponed due to Covid it was great to get back to trying something new. All safety precautions were perfectly in place putting us all at ease straight away. Melanie was a fantastic tutor and couldn't do enough for us when we wanted supplies tweaking to match our crafting thoughts. Everyone in our group had a fabulous day and left with a beautiful driftwood seascape. We would definitely recommend doing this course and even do it again ourselves. Thank you so much for everything."

The Seals Whiskers responded:

"Thank you Tracey for such a kind review.The group was a pleasure to teach and you all produced beautiful sculptures which matched your personalities so well. best wishes Melanie"

Sara Knight reviewed: Introduction to modern calligraphy for beginners

"Wonderful introduction to a beautifully practical skill. I enjoyed the day from start to end and felt like my passion for arts had been renewed after this odd time. The course was hosted in a fantastic location and inspiring setting with all the tools provided to carry on learning at home. Helen and Jools your engaging teaching style really made everything asked attainable and I hope to be back to learn some new skills soon. Thank you for your impeccable delivery, I will highly recommend this course to anyone who will listen."

Calligraphy Harrogate responded:

"Thank you so much for your wonderful review - we are blushing! It is a funny old time at the moment but we do passionately believe that making time to lose yourself in creativity is more important than ever. We're delighted that you loved your time with us, and Rudding Park does indeed provide the most inspirational surroundings! You are an amazing student and we can't wait to see what you produce with your new modern calligraphy skills. Hope to be able to work with you again soon!"

David Nelson reviewed: Forge your own knife at Padgett Ironworks Blacksmiths

"A very informative day and a great insight to forging. Connor was very patient and a good host. A worthwhile course that will leave you with new knowledge and new tools."

Pete Cooling reviewed: Box making workshop

"I can highly recommend this course. Great tuition and guidance from super craftsmen. A real pleasure of a day and a great take home product."

Andrew knox reviewed: Beginners Epoxy Resin Workshop

"Great venue, great course, very informative and worth every penny. Detailed information. I now feel confident going forward and can't wait to start experimenting."

Wendy Lewis reviewed: Powertex sculpted Highlander

"I have done three courses with Annette now- a dog, day of the dead lady and sumo lady. They are great fun to do. Annette is attentive, engaging and enthusiastic regarding powertex, and whilst she encourages you to do what you feel comfortable with in order to learn and achieve, she also steps in when you are not so confident. I always enjoy my creative days with her and always very pleased with the results!"

Annette Smyth responded:

"Wendy. Thank you so much for this fantastic review. I’m so glad you enjoy our creative adventures and the art pieces you take home Looking forward to our next adventure Ax"

Anne Oldham reviewed: Sea Glass Jewellery at Cowshed Creative, the Lake District

"First time I'd ever done a jewellery making course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd been collecting sea glass on my lockdown walks and this was an ideal opportunity to do something with it! An absolutely beautiful location and the converted barn was tasteful, cosy and comfortable. Lunch (especially pud) was delicious. The instructions and demonstrations were clear and easy to follow even for a complete beginner and I was delighted with the three pieces of jewellery I made. Lovely host and friendly jeweller made this an excellent day."

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Lovely to meet you and many thanks for such positive feedback. We hope to see you again!"

Kath Guyers reviewed: Introduction to modern calligraphy for beginners

"Worth every penny. Excellent tuition in a friendly and relaxed environment. Not sure where the 3 hours went. Thank you Jools and Helen."

Calligraphy Harrogate responded:

"That's really kind of you, the time always flies for us too as we want to try and fit in as much as we can to share our passion for modern calligraphy. You are an excellent student and we just know you will love your new hobby. See you again soon!"

Norman Kelsall reviewed: Guitar Strumstick Dulcimer 3 strings instrument

"How can you make an amazing 3 String Strumstick from a stick and a few other pieces of wood, on Teds woodworking course, well YOU can. Having little knowledge of woodworking, tools or anything musical doesn't matter as Ted guides you helpfully and funnily through, from start to finish. What a great day I had, unfortunately it went far too quickly, but I ended up with a great looking and sounding Strumstick and feeling proud of my self and my achievement. A very satisfying day. Thank you for an excellent adventure."

Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses responded:

"Thank you Norman......the feelings mutual my friend looking forward to our bandsaw box or jewellry box day later this year. I agree some parts of woodworking need special tools but as you seen its all common sense and with a little TLC you can get some astonishing results. It was a fun day my friend .....don't forget to practice with the instrument now ! Take care Norman .....see you soon .....Ted"

Dafydd reviewed: 2 Day forged chef's knife course.

"2 day chef's knife course. Was given the option of three shapes : Chef's knife, Santoku (my choice) or Nakiri. Started from pre-cut blanks which made the actual forging quicker than expected (hour or so). Although Stephen did a few parts (quenching, handle fitting, final sharpening) all the creative choices were mine. Those included choosing shape, patterning, polished or not, wood for handle and shape of handle. I get he did the mentioned parts to give me the best result, although I would have liked to do the quench. 1st Day - forging knife shape, grinding, quenching 2nd Day - making the handle, sharpening Well enjoyed 2 days, very proud of my knife. (Also given a nice carrying pouch to take it home)"

White Tiger Knives responded:

"Hi Dafydd Thank you very much for your review. It shows basically how the two days unfold and some of the processes involved in the making of the chef's knife. As you stated I do undertake certain production processes during the day and that is only because of the time limitations we face on the course days. As I say on day one, our biggest enemy is time and I want every student to go home with the best possible knife they can make in the time available. You have given me some food for thought though regards the quenching process. ATB Steve"

Liz reviewed: Sea-glass pendant workshop

"I had a brilliant day at this workshop and created a pendant that has been much admired! Jo is a fab teacher, getting the balance just right between giving support when needed, while allowing space to be creative and independent. The venue is ideal, easy to get to and has parking. I have already booked my next course with Jo and can't wait. Highly recommend."

Joanne Tinley Jewellery responded:

"Thank you for your kind review Liz! I'm very pleased to hear that your pendant has been admired - as it should have been, it is lovely! Looking forward to seeing you again soon."

David Garrard reviewed: Dry stone walling at Cowshed Creative on our traditional Lakeland Farm, Lake District near Windermere

"I recently attended the Dry Stone Walling Course at the Cowshed. The day was 'hands on' and very instructive. Richard, the course tutor, was very experienced and extremely knowledgeable about the course content. His relaxed style put everyone quickly at their ease and whilst the instruction and activity was testing (some of the stones weighed a ton - only joking) the day was very enjoyable and passed rapidly. I would thoroughly recommend this course. The farm surroundings, in the heart of the glorious Lake District, really raised your spirits and the care and attention paid to the arrangements and in particular the refreshments was first class. Well done and thank you to George and Richard."

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Thanks David for such lovely comments. We hope to see you again."

Carol McArthur reviewed: Dry stone walling at Cowshed Creative on our traditional Lakeland Farm, Lake District near Windermere

"The host on the day was very welcoming and provided excellent refreshments throughout the day. The venue was perfect, with safe social distancing being practiced at all times. The course was a good introduction to dry stone walling. The instructor was very knowledgeable about his craft and provided excellent 'hands-on' tuition. I would have liked more written information to take away on the day but overall it was a really good crafting experience."

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Thanks for such positive comments Carol. Richard already has plans in place to improve the hand-outs. Hope to see you and David again."

Lucie reviewed: Introduction to spooncarving at Hill End

"I did one of David's courses last January, and it was absolutely great! I was an absolute beginner, and I am not even particularly good at crafts, but David explained everything from the very start (a log of green wood) to the end (oiling the spoon, sharpening tools etc). Each student carved their very own spoon, and there were a number of different tools to try out. David demonstrated many different techniques to use the sharp tools safely (for you and others around), while still leaving you room to figure out things on your own. David is an excellent teacher, absolutely passionate about wood carving, I had an amazing day! After just this one class I am carving spoons on my own, and this part is particularly important to me as I very much expected that after the class I would never dare to carve anything at all ; the exact opposite happened. David even helped me afterwards with advice on tools to get, sharpening techniques and more. I absolutely wholeheartedly recommend this class, and I am definitely considering taking another one myself."

David Knight Woodland Crafts responded:

"Hi Lucie Thanks so much for the review. The course I taught with you will be unforgettable, not so much for Storm Brendan that hit us, nor feeding the goats in the rain but because you were a great group of students! Keep making shavings!"

The Latimers reviewed: One day beginners painting course with Sue O'Mara Art - all materials provided

"As a family we booked a beginners lesson with Sue, which was amazing! Ranging from a 12 year old sister to a 55 year old father it was safe to say we had very different ideas of painting, but the very talented Sue was a great teacher and really helped us to all achieve beautiful art which none of us thought we would be capable of! We had a lovely day painting and will definitely be back!"

Sue O'Mara Art responded:

"Thank you all and I look forward to seeing you again soon! Well done :)"