Latest reviews

Stephen Welch reviewed: Woodturning courses in Hampshire - Beginners and improvers wood turning courses - Turn British, all British lathes!!

"This review follows a couple of days reflection having spent a day with Andy in his workshop learning the basics of bowl turning. Andy has a very relaxed and engaging approach to teaching and pitched his tuition at a level I could absorb. His approach introduced the workshop, preparing tools, safety equipment and getting started. A practical demo got me on to the lathe in short order and with a bit of leading the feel of tools helped me to create my first bowl. Some great tips about using oil to aid finishing was a revelation and with his expert help provided me a well finished bowl I was very pleased with. I was keen to get a taste of what I could produce with practice and that was exactly where I left off. I have wish to return to do some spindle turning when I have some bowl turning practice under my belt and have acquired some sharpening technique. One great tip was, don't go buying tools and gadgets before you have had a taster with Andy; his advice has saved my wallet from myself and helped me from buying twice by investing right the first time. Thanks Andy for your instruction, guidance and a thoroughly enjoyable day; I shall return for more. Steve."

Gill Beadon reviewed: Mosaic mirror course

"Thoroughly enjoyed my day learning about mosaics and making my first piece which was a circular mirror. All supplies were included so all I needed to bring was an apron and lunch! All supplies and techniques were well explained by Kate throughout the day. This course has certainly inspired me to make more mosaics. Accompanying notes were also very helpful."

Jan Thomas reviewed: Candle Making Workshop | The Golden Ball, Longton

"Andrea and I had the most wonderful time. A friendly, informative and enjoyable experience. Highly recommended."

Cottonwick Candle Co responded:

"It was so delightful seeing you back for another workshop! xXx"

Gill Nichols reviewed: Beginners Silver Jewellery Course

"Fantastic day with Mark making 3 pieces of jewellery. Mark is very generous with his time and resources and is an excellent tutor tailoring the day to suit my preferences. He has a spacious workshop kitted out with all the equipment for making professional pieces of jewellery. I can’t praise him or the workshop highly enough, and can’t wait to return for another day.- and thanks to Terry for drinks and home cooked lunch. Not only a fab day but a brilliant price considering I came away with some beautiful jewellery"

Dandelion Silver responded:

"Thank you for your review Gill, it was lovely to meet you and I'm so pleased you enjoyed your day with us. I hope to see you again in the near future so we can push your jewellery making skills a little further you definitely have a talent for it. Mark"

Gill Griffith reviewed: Watercolour on canvas - FULL

"A great weekend. Such a lovely venue. I’m a bit of a novice at watercolours but Liz eased us into it with a progression of exercises and paintings. I’m thrilled with the results and have learnt so much. Brilliant teacher. I just wish I could show you what I’ve achieved!!"

Liz Chaderton Artist responded:

"Thanks for such a lovely review Gill! I really want to see your finished landscape with it’s perfect piece of watercolour?!"

Ann Robertson reviewed: Bookbinding and sketching workshop at The Arienas Collective in central Edinburgh

"A fantastic workshop with very high quality tuition. A lovely environment and tasty lunch. Enjoyed the mix of making a sketchbook and then getting out and about in the afternoon. Learnt loads with excellent follow up notes. Looking forward to exploring their other workshops."

The Arienas Collective responded:

"Hi Ann Thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review, and Cass, Mark and I are delighted to hear you enjoyed it so much. I hope to welcome you back to The Arienas Collective soon. Meantime keep filling up that lovely sketch book you made! With best wishes Lynn :-)"

Rosie Bond reviewed: Introduction to screen printing

"My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at this workshop. Ria guided us through the process right from the start to finish ensuring we got the results we wanted. Was a great day with a small group of lovely ladies, cups of tea and lots of creativity in a lovely setting! Would definitely recommend! Thanks! ☺️"

Gillian Chamberlain reviewed: Botanical Contact [“Eco”] Printing: An Introduction

"This was a fabulous day with Maggie. All the processes were clearly explained and questions expertly answered. The workshop was delivered in a relaxed and encouraging way and was an ideal introduction to “Eco” printing. The results given by the onion skins on the silk scarves were lovely. Would like to book another to develop my knowledge of the subject. Highly recommended"

By Maggie .. Naturally responded:

"Thank you, Gillian, for your very positive review. I'm really glad that you got so much out of the day. I hope that you'll book onto one of my follow-up courses.. I'll keep you updated about them as promised. Enjoy experimenting.. I'm sure you will! Best wishes, Maggie"

Carol Davis reviewed: Beginners introductory pyrography course in Lincolnshire

"Sue is an excellent teacher, very passionate and knowledgeable on her subject. The course was well organised, had the relevant material, and I went home with a finished item.... Result The day had humour, was relaxing and I would highly recommend Sue's pyography course"

Holly and Will reviewed: Jewellery School North, Ring Making With Luxury Afternoon Tea & Fizz-

"What else can I say but Wow! My fiancee and I had so much fun making our wedding rings with Rachel's guidance. My partner doesn't have the longest attention span and we were concerned he might lose interest but he was engrossed in the whole process from start to finish! I was quite ambitious and I didn't have enough time to finish my design so Rachel offered to tidy it up for me. An intimate class in a beautiful setting. I would love to return in future and make more beautiful rings."

Christine Mulligan reviewed: ColourWheel art classes for adults - Godalming

"I haven't painted since school and it took me a while to enjoy the sessions feeling very critical of my efforts. Emily and Shivani were supportive and constructive so that halfway through the first term I was enjoying it and much happier with my artwork. I'm now in term 2 and really learning new skills in an enjoyable way. They have varied the format and subjects so this doesn't feel at all repetitive"

Angela J Smith reviewed: Raise your own copper bowl, two day course

"Fantastic weekend, Charlotte was so patient and encouraging throughout both days. Have a wonderful copper bowl and lots of new skills."

Simon reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Had great day last Saturday on the course, bashing hot steel...it is very hands on and with a lot of very knowledgable help available all day. Very sociable and lots of fun..and lots of food / cake and biccies. Recommended!!"

Hilary Dennis reviewed: Watercolour on canvas - FULL

"I enjoyed a splendid 2 days learning how to paint water colour paint onto canvas.Liz our Tutor was excellent and made the process seem logical, possible, and pleasurable. I am a convert. Liz was supportive at every stage and gave very detailed instruction plus very useful tips she had gained from personal experience. The studio was well lit, warm and spacious. I would definitely recommend the course and venue to friends."

Liz Chaderton Artist responded:

"Thanks Hilary - really appreciate you doing the review and also delighted to know you enjoyed the weekend. It is a super venue, isn't it? Glad to know I have another convert!!"

Camilla & Jack reviewed: Pottery throwing course in the South Downs National Park (one day - one-to-one)

"We booked a day pottery course with Rowena as our Christmas present to each other and couldn’t recommend it more! We loved how we got straight into throwing bowls as soon as we arrived and Rowena is a fantastic (and patient!) teacher. We spent the last few hours of the day making tiles and platters which is something that I have always wanted to do, and it was so interesting learning about all the coloured slips! We live locally so decided to come back and glaze our items which was so much fun, I’m so excited to see how they all turn out! Thanks so much Rowena!"

Louise reviewed: Pottery experience throwing on the potters wheel

"The pottery course was just wonderful. I thought that the 10-1 timing would be too short and I’d never achieve anything but I was encouraged and shown so well that I made a good few pots that Jacky will glaze and I can pick up in a few weeks. I’d recommend the pottery course for anyone. Jacky is an excellent teacher and we all had a good laugh. Thé 3 of us on the morning course were so pleased with our creations we have all signed up to a longer course already !"

Fiona Ducker reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"The day was brilliant, both Adrian and Andy were a great help whenever needed and have easy to follow instructions. On top of that the food was great. A thoroughly enjoyable day"

Janet Pugh reviewed: From fleece to fibre 2-day spinning workshop

"This was a fact-filled course with lots of hands-on time. Starting with learning a bit about different sheep breeds in relation to the type of yarn they produce through to skeining and washing the finished two-plied yarn we went through cleaning the raw fleece to carding, spinning on a drop spindle and on a wheel. There is so much to learn with lots of unfamiliar and seemingly humorously-named tools and processes. Lunch was wholesome and very tasty. Constructive feedback: I would have liked to have been able to take some written material away. Maybe a summary of what was covered, or even just a glossary of common the terms used. Thanks, Elaine."

Stafford Jordaan reviewed: English longbow making weekend in the heart of Nailsworth Gloucestershire

"Gavin and Tom at Nailsworth Community Workshop with their skill, enthusiasm, patience, humour and knowledge, passed on the practice of the bowyer skills in making the English Longbow to the group who had joined the course, and showed how the making of the English Long Bow should be done. The workshop facilities and tools and equipment are excellent, all you need is there. Gavin and Tom were calm under pressure with varying stages of making the Longbow. They found the time to help all those who needed it most to finish the English Longbow, thank you Gavin and Tom. The music from Gavin's old gramophone is a treat so go along and listen. I highly recommend doing an English Long Bow course at Nailsworth Community Workshops. When you walk out of the Nailsworth Community Workshops with your English Longbow you are guaranteed to have a smile on your face. Thank you to all at Nailsworth Community Workshops, what a rewarding experience it was doing the English Longbow Course. Stafford Jordaan"

Caralyn Moore reviewed: Introduction to Glass Fusing with Enamels - Full Day Workshop

"Steve is so helpful and exceptionally patient. It was a fabulous day and Steve encouraged us to make as many things in the time that we had. I had a very special project which Steve helped me to create and I am absolutely thrilled with the result. I would recommend this course for anybody who is interested in doing something a little bit different from the usual craft courses. I did the evening taster class before Christmas which left me wanting to do more. Thank you Steve, my Mum was thrilled with her ‘special’ panel."

Calligraphy Beginners reviewed: Introduction to traditional Calligraphy - foundational hand

"It was a most enjoyable day and I was delighted with the knowledge I came away with. Passionate, patient and encouraging teaching. Thank you."

Barbara Douglas reviewed: A Practical Introduction to Woodland Restoration and Management

"We spent a great day with Phil on Saturday 8th February. If you want to really get away from everything and think only about what is going on around you in the woods, then try this. We were lucky with the weather which meant we could cook our sausages and burgers on the open fire which could have been the highlight of the day, until we realised at the end that for the entire day we thought about nothing except the coppicing and getting it right for Phil. All other daily problems just faded away. Phil is so knowledgeable and his passion for woodland is very infectious. Try it, you won’t regret it."

Greenwood Music CIC responded:

"Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the nice review"

savva christofides reviewed: Lucy Churchill's Stone Carving Workshops

"This weekend I went on a 3 day course with Lucy Churchill, a stone carver in York . It’s all down to the quality of the instruction.. Lucy is the best!! A superb sculptor, a superb host, and a total joy to know. This course is fun from the start to the finish and as a total beginner I was amazed at what I could produce. Lucy deserves more than 5 stars and a higher rating than excellent. 10 gold stars and outstanding would be nearer to the mark . I would highly recommend this course to anyone .. just do it .. you won’t ever regret it ?. Simply the best!!!!"

Clare reviewed: Sgraffito Printed Fused Glass (1.30pm)

"Lovely venue, personalised approach to work. Would have liked some advice as I was going along, - I should have asked more questions!"

Lesley reviewed: Sgraffito Printed Fused Glass (1.30pm)

"Lots of materials available & session explained clearly & simply"