Latest reviews

Hannah Hart-George reviewed: Introduction to spooncarving at Hill End

"David was excellent. I had never done anything like this before and he taught in a very clear manner. Whilst I felt I learnt heaps it was never overwhelming. I loved the vibe of the class, crafting around a fire with a pot of hot water constantly on the go. I would definitely recommend it."

David Knight Woodland Crafts responded:

"Hi Hannah, I really appreciate your feedback. Hill End did us proud as a venue and I loved the dappled shade from the birch trees at our site. Thank you for being so receptive to new ideas in developing your craft skills and I hope you’ve now caught the spooncarving bug and will be whittling away in future months and years!"

Wendy Lewin reviewed: Stained glass leading for beginners

"If you want to learn from the master himself, then Jamal is your man! Charming and inspirational, we had a fantastic day getting a glimpse into the world of stained glass. We thoroughly enjoyed it and came home with a piece of work we can be proud of. Highly recommended!"

Philip Hodsdon reviewed: Introduction to spooncarving at Hill End

"Great introduction to spoon carving by David, helped by Mike. Both very knowledgeable and helpful. Ended up with spoon which actually looked like a spoon! Learnt a great deal about cuts needed and orientation of the grain etc. Also safe use of tools and sharpening. An enjoyable day in a fantastic location."

David Knight Woodland Crafts responded:

"Hi Phil it was great to meet a fellow Eynsham resident! Thank you for throwing yourself into the deep end of working green wood. I do hope I can provide continuing support as you develop your interest in spooncarving and green woodworking"

steve barron reviewed: Introduction to oil painting at Cowshed Creative, the Lake District near Windermere

"This was my first time at Cowshed Creative. It is a lovely, welcoming venue accessed down a long narrow lane through some lovely countryside. The facilities are very good and provide an excellent space for creative activity. Catherine is a great tutor, talented and able to explain and demonstrate ideas and methods. I always learn a lot from her classes that I can take home to practice and develop with my own style. I've already booked on Catherine's other sessions and am keeping a lookout for more diverse classes at Cowshed during the next year."

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Thanks Steve. Great to meet you and look forward to seeing you again."

Georgie & Jessica reviewed: Woodturning courses in Hampshire - Beginners and improvers wood turning courses - Turn British, all British lathes!!

"We had a lovely time. Excellent. Would recommend. Thank you"

Kat Power reviewed: Sea Glass Jewellery at Cowshed Creative, the Lake District

"A fantastic day from start to finish. The location of Cowshed Creative is a beautiful valley and George provided us with detailed directions to get there. The venue is light and airy with lots of room. Lunch came with a view of the valley from the outside tables. Throughout the day we had lovely homemade food, the Thai soup was a massive hit, as were the scones! The course was excellent and allowed us to be creative with the seaglass we had brought with us. My Mum and I finished the day with two beautiful pieces of jewellery each. The course tutor Amanda, had adapted her approach to take into account Covid measures and all people attending had one to one direction about what they wished to make. Thanks to Amanda's information we have already purchased the material to make more pendants. I highly recommend the courses here and am already researching my next course to book!"

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Wow! Thanks so much for an amazing review. Really enjoyed meeting you both and hope to see you again."

Susan Pryke reviewed: Macrame Pot Hanger Workshop

"Really enjoyable and relaxing 2hrs with a great teacher and really nice person! Felt really safe with Alice’s Covid precautions which did not detract from the course. The rhythm of tying the knots was extremely relaxing and I now have a lovely retro pot hanger. Thank you Alice and good luck with all your future courses which I will look at with interest!"

Susan Pryke reviewed: One person - Full day 6 hours sculpture/soldering brazing wire forming course, specialising in insects, fairies

"Roger was a great teacher and looked to make the course personal to me. Whilst I wanted to make a dragonfly I was more interested in learning as many techniques as I could during the day. So we concentrated on making a very delicate dragonfly wing, which incorporated basic and more advanced techniques as well as other techniques needed to complete the dragonfly. All of which would be applicable to other projects. Roger was generous with his knowledge, his supplies and equipment. He has given me the confidence to try the more challenging shapes. Lots of ideas to move forward with!!!! I don’t know where the time went and at the end of the day I felt excited and confident to try more shapes and equipment to complete my dragonfly. Thank you Roger"

High Definition wire sculpture responded:

"Thank you Susan , you were a great student , your silver plated wire wing was as good as mine , could you send me a picture please , please message me if you need any help or advice Roger"

Maggie Etheridge reviewed: Learn to Love your Sewing Machine

"Jen is an excellent teacher with an amazing amount of sewing knowledge. There is group and individual tuition throughout the day. I learnt a lot about the knobs, dials and various sewing feet and feel confident enough to try them out at home. The day was thoroughly enjoyable and went ‘sew’ quickly!"

Sew Forest of Dean responded:

"Thank you Maggie, it was a lovely day and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Happy Sewing :-) Jennifer"

Rachel reviewed: Introduction to spooncarving at Hill End

"A lovely way to have spend my Saturday, in such a calm, relaxed and naturally beautiful environment. David was very informative and his calm friendly approach gave me to the confidence to use tools and equipment that I'd never used before. I was so absorbed in making my spoon that I lost all sense time! I look forward to making more things out of wood in the future. Thank you David"

David Knight Woodland Crafts responded:

"Thanks so much Rachel, yes the time did fly didn’t it? Thanks for being such a great group to tutor. I very much hope that you’ll develop your skills further and I’d be honoured to help you make more shavings and spoons!"

Ken reviewed: Leather Belt Workshop

"Great activity day. Loads of different grades and colours of leather to choose from. Had a lovely time time meeting other people and home made cake was a nice touch."

Stephanie reviewed: Hare Sculpture workshop with Jo Garden Art in beautiful Norfolk/Suffolk

"I really enjoyed my day with Jo. It was magical to see the hares we created develop throughout the day and take on different characters; one inquisitive, one graceful, one strong and fearless and one very fun-loving and perhaps a little naughty. Jo was an excellent tutor who made everyone feel very welcome. Would highly recommend."

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you very much Stephanie ;-) I also love seeing how the hares develop - no two are ever the same! Really glad you enjoyed the day. Jo xx"

Becky Skene reviewed: Hare Sculpture workshop with Jo Garden Art in beautiful Norfolk/Suffolk

"Loved it. Would definitely do it again xxx"

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you so much Becky! Would love to have you back again. Now that you have done the hare, you are welcome to attend a 1 day hare sculpture workshop, but make a dog or cat! Jo xx"

Angela Edward reviewed: Introduction to spooncarving at Hill End

"It was great to learn the whole process from log to spoon. David’s tuition was excellent and I felt safe and confident using the techniques he showed us. Highly recommend this course."

David Knight Woodland Crafts responded:

"Thanks so much Angela- you were a great group to teach and as always I learned something new from the day too. Hope you’ve found the follow-up notes useful. All best David"

Marcus Power reviewed: Blacksmithing Experience Day at Leeds, West Yorkshire

"Amazing, so amazing. Jorgen helped my 13 year old son make a blacksmiths knife, he took his time explaining everything helping him at every step. My son is so over the moon with his creation and Jorgen made it possible. This was worth every penny. Jorgen really knows his craft and is an excellent teacher. You have to book this course if you are interested. This guy needs to sell himself more because he really is good. No I'm not being paid for this."

Jon wright reviewed: Leather Belt Workshop

"Great day, family really enjoyed themselves. Tracy really knows her stuff and had us all learning and having fun- highly recommend"

Caitlin Avery reviewed: Beginners 2 sterling silver stacking rings jewellery course

"This morning I met Sarah for my silver stacking ring workshop... 12 hours later and I’m still buzzing! I adore my new rings, but putting them aside for a moment (figuratively because I‘m never going to take them off), the session itself was brilliant! It was well paced and interesting. More importantly, Sarah was a great teacher, engaging and attentive. Anyway, I’ll certainly be going back for more."

Gloria Jones reviewed: Marvellous Mosaic one day workshop

"What a great day, with a fantastic teacher who inspired us all. We were all beginners and we came away with lovely pieces of mosaics. Everything was covered from start to finish, and an excellent choice of materials to choose from. I will definitely be trying it out at home. It was all very relaxed, even with social distancing. Plenty of sanitisers and well ventilated. Safe environment. Thank you so much Lindsey."

Lindsey Kennedy Portfolio responded:

"You are very welcome and I'm so glad that you enjoyed your day in the mosaic studio. Thank you for the lovely review, your mosaic panel was gorgeous so well done on your first attempt. Please do send me photos of future projects!"

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

"Just enjoyed a lovely day with Wendy, my first time working with glass. Pre-course organisation was good, and attention to being Covid-safe was excellent. Wendy was a clear and patient tutor helping me to refine and realise my initial idea... I'm very much looking forward to seeing the final version once it's been fired."

Shona McDonough reviewed: Creative glass bead making 2 1/2 days

"Excellent. Really enjoyed the course. Made a lovely necklace with which I am really pleased. Very friendly and relaxed."

Penny Carter Glass responded:

"It was a pleasure Shona, I hope you'll be inspired to come back and make more glass next time you are in Devon !"

Tricia Marshall reviewed: Stool making course at Sallerton Wood

"My Sallerton Wood Experience. What a wonderful break it was to be absorbed totally with creating a stool from a log of ash and the bark of the elm. We simply followed the directions expertly explained by Andy in the most peaceful relaxing setting of Sallerton Wood. Surrounded by gently rustling trees, the sound of the stream, the bird song and the soft sounds of sharp tools working on wood and the occasional giggle from me as I succeeded to form round legs from square chunks, so satisfying. What better than to rest and chat whilst eating a tasty sandwich made from home-made bread, and fresh salad and to eat pizza straight from the pizza oven, what a treat? All in all we had a perfectly unique experience, to be repeated by us again one day I hope."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks, Tricia, for this account of your experience at Sallerton Wood. We're very pleased to hear how much you enjoyed it, and we look forward to welcoming you back at Sallerton Wood if you decide to return sometime in the future."

Alasdair Ross reviewed: Blacksmithing course with Longdog Smithy

"I had a fantastic time with Tom at Longdog Smithy making a Sgian-dubh. The course was completely hands-on and practical, and it was great to experience the end to end process from sketch to finished item. Tom was very patient and explained the process clearly. He's clearly very experienced and has a great eye for detail at all stages. An excellent day all round in which I learnt a huge amount and left with a beautiful knife. Thanks Tom!"

Anna reviewed: Stone set pendants & rings workshop

"I have attended a few workshops taught by Joanne, including the stone set pendant workshop, and like the other workshops I've attended I've never been disappointed. Joanne is very knowledgeable and is always happy to pass on her knowledge and tips, and is a very patient and approachable tutor. I always love attending these workshops, and I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in silversmithing/jewellery making."

Joanne Tinley Jewellery responded:

"Thank you Anna! It is always lovely to have you in the studio - and especially lovely to show you my new studio this time! I hope your new pendant has been very much admired."

Janet reviewed: Drum Lampshade making at ShedLight

"Just a lovely relaxing way to spend a few hours learning something new. Vanessa is a very patient and skilful tutor and my daughter and I were very pleased with our new lampshades, Vanessa giving us the confidence to have a go on our own at home. Would definitely recommend this workshop and it was good to see all the Covid safety precautions in place too in these worrying times."

ShedLight responded:

"Thank you Janet - I am thrilled that you and Suzanne enjoyed the course and you both feel confident to make more unique lampshades .....happy lampshade making! ?"

Sara Lee reviewed: Giacometti style bronzed animal sculpture one day workshop Suffolk one-to-one or max 4 students

"A brilliant day, a solid 11 out of 10 and I would hugely recommend giving it a go! I had the best time and the whole process is really well taught and supported by Di. It's fascinating to see your creation develop in front of you and enormously satisfying knowing it's you that's done it. Thank you Di!"

Art on the Edge responded:

"Thanks Sara. Really enjoyable day. I hope Denise approved... Lol... Excellent creation. X"