Latest reviews

Julie reviewed: Castles!- full day sculpture workshop using Pal Tiya

"Awesome. Bob and Joe were very knowledgeable and most of all very patient. I had a fabulous day and met some great people."

Marie reviewed: Spinner rings and bangles workshop

"I attended Jo’s spinner ring workshop and had a fantastic time. Jo works through each step with everyone as a group and then offers individual help as and if required which is just the right balance. I came away with my very own spinner ring, something I have wanted for a long time and so happy to have made it myself instead of buying one. Thanks Jo xx"

Joanne Tinley Jewellery responded:

"Thank you for coming along on another workshop Marie, it is always lovely to have you in the studio!"

Susanne Kelly reviewed: Spinner rings and bangles workshop

"I have attended Jo's spinner ring workshop and loved very minute. If you’ve never tried any form of soldering or, in fact, any kind of jewellery making before, it doesn’t matter. Jo is very patient and will guide you through every step of making your own silver ring. As each class size is fairly small, there’s plenty of time for some one-on-one tuition, and you’ll find that you can quickly get to grips with some basic silversmithing techniques such as sawing accurately, filing, polishing, and annealing your pieces."

Joanne Tinley Jewellery responded:

"Thank you for coming on the workshop last weekend Susanne! It was lovely to spend the day with you all, and to see the different designs you chose for your rings. Thank you for your kind review!"

Lucy Foweather reviewed: Candle making with afternoon tea

"Tracy is such a fantastic and inspiring lady. Exceptionally knowledgeable and extremely generous and kind in sharing expertise. Highly recommend this course, albeit for fun or the start of planning a new business! Thank you again. I'll be back :)"

Catherine Walker reviewed: Outdoor mosaic workshops - 1 day with Rachel Hyde at Creative with Nature studio Todmorden West Yorkshire

"Lovely day making a mosaic number. Could choose what we wanted to create. I would go again."

Creative with Nature Ltd responded:

"thanks for the review catherine. joe. xx"

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

"Really friendly and relaxed course with excellent, clear tuition and a lovely setting- easy to find. Highly recommended. The six of us all produced a lovely Hare, all different but all attractive. Thank you Jo very inspiring."

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you Mary - as you say, every hare is different but always lovely! Jo x"

Spencer Robbins reviewed: Bladesmithing Weekend

"I had a fantastic weekend blade smithing. The guys have so much knowledge of their craft you can’t help but learn. They make you feel very welcome and supply you with food, snacks and drinks. It’s the second time that I have visited the forge and I don’t think it’ll be my last. Many thanks guys, hope to see you all again."

Judy Powell reviewed: Felt picture making workshop in Rugby!

"Karen’s Felting with Flowers course, at Garden Gate Rugby’s new beautiful studio, was extremely enjoyable, well-organised and inspiring. It was a very cheerful group, most of whom had not felted before, and everyone made a splendid, pleasing finished felt picture. I thoroughly recommend this course as it is like painting with colours but without any messy paints, and no previous artistic skills are needed necessarily! Thank you Karen!"

Karen Wyeth Contemporary Felt Artist responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review Judy! Look forward to seeing you again soon to continue the felting journey!"

Angie reviewed: Silver earrings workshop

"I only wear silver jewellery so I wanted to make some earrings for myself. An enjoyable day. Great instruction from Jo and the class was small enough so everyone got enough time with Jo. Plenty of time to do what was needed and lots of choice too - of styles and patterns. I still get compliments on my earrings."

Joanne Tinley Jewellery responded:

"I'm very pleased to hear that your earrings have been admired! Your chose some lovely designs. Thank you for coming, and for your kind words!"

Marie sedgwick reviewed: Outdoor mosaic workshops - 1 day with Rachel Hyde at Creative with Nature studio Todmorden West Yorkshire

"Very good flow, teaching style, very enjoyable. Laura is very helpful, responsive and approachable. Only thing is, I arrived second to last, and then the last person and we didn’t know anyone’s names. Not sure if we’d missed introductions. Thank you"

Creative with Nature Ltd responded:

"thanks so much marie! glad you had a good day. joe. xx"

Paulette Strong reviewed: Linocut printmaking at Bull Mill Arts Wiltshire

"This was a brilliant course, my little knowledge of linocut did not hinder me in any way. Lots of information and personal guidance provided. Olivia is a very enthusiastic and supportive tutor; her energy for the subject is infectious. I would love to come back for the next stages when I have a little more practice. Thank you"

Sue reviewed: Bring Your Own Upholstery Project - Block of 5 days

"I have just completed a 5 day upholstery course with Sarah. I was apprehensive as my skill level was non existent. However Sarah is an excellent teacher and soon builds up your skills and gives you the confidence to work on your chair. Sarah is great at keeping you fuelled with biscuits, drinks and lunch. Her groups are friendly and small enough to learn and watch others completing many different projects. A great experience - thank you."

Jane Ferrett reviewed: Painting animals in watercolour

"I have now attended 5 of Liz Chaderton's courses. Liz is always so well prepared in the classroom. A lot of prep' goes into these workshops: materials, time & thought of what we will paint. Fab lunch too. Providing a comfortable & relaxed environment with everything we may need. I am very happy with the final painting I produced & the other pieces we practiced in class went well too. In fact, everyone produced something they should be pleased with due to the individual feedback & support given by Liz throughout the day. I always find Liz very approachable & when I am stuck, Liz is more than happy to help. So overall a fab day."

Liz Chaderton Artist responded:

"Hi Jane, that's a lovely review. Thank you. I am so pleased you enjoyed the day. You are always full of energy and add lots to the workshop with your enthusiasm and positive attitude! See you soon! How's your seahorse??"

Leah reviewed: Introduction to traditional stained glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"This was an excellent day covering many skills. Kate was a superb teacher. She explained everything so well and was very encouraging and patient. I needed a lot of help being a rather non crafty, non practical individual. The final piece was stunning however with help! I did enjoy the day but found it quite intense. The soldering right at the end finished me off - wish I had had time to practice this skill. Thankfully Kate stepped in doing the job otherwise I might still be at the studio! I do fancy the mosaic workshop however with no soldering in sight. Thank you for the experience."

Natalie Haupt reviewed: Weaving with Waste with Sarah Cooke, Bristol Textile Quarter.

"I attended Sarah’s course yesterday with my 17 year old daughter and it was a lovely day to spend a miserably grey Sunday together. Neither of us consider ourselves particularly crafty but we were intrigued and Sarah had brought many samples to get inspired by, as well as a huge amount of different materials too. She had also prepared perfect sized frames which you could purchase at the end if you wished to continue weaving with waste at home. It was fun being within a very mixed class, and very satisfying to take home our various finished weavings by the end of the day, all reflecting our differences and tastes. Excellent value for money and good humour + valuable, clear and patient instruction."

Weaving with Waste responded:

"Thanks Natalie, you and Maya did brilliantly, I loved your colour combinations. Fingers crossed you do more in the future."

Katie bolhuis reviewed: Introduction to green wood furniture making - two days

"I attended the 2 day green wood furniture course and loved every minute. It was a small group which meant Peter had the time to help us individually throughout the day with help from a lovely girl called Row. We all walked away with beautiful pieces of furniture. Would highly recommend it!"

Ben Dunne reviewed: Beginners Spoon Carving Workshop - Afternoon

"Lovely course and a really helpful teacher - thanks! The session was chilled and calm with lots of chances to chat and be sociable and moments of quiet to focus on your spoon! I've since picked up my own set of tools and started some carving at home. I'd recommend."

Karen beaney reviewed: Painting animals in watercolour

"Great teacher. Liz provides a well-structured and simple approach to watercolour. All materials are provided. Liz demonstrates different techniques to try and then allows the individual to try out all the techniques before creating a plan then final piece of artwork on whatever size paper the artists is comfortable with. ‘I am always delighted with the results no matter which art class I do with Liz. Highly recommended for any level of experience and for those artists who would like to loosen up their style."

Liz Chaderton Artist responded:

"Thank you so much Karen for the lovely comments. I am glad you enjoyed it. I loved your final hare - did you do any more to it at home? Will see you again soon!"

Lynn Rae reviewed: Beginners spoon carving taster session

"This was a super course and very different to the usual craft courses on offer. A great introduction to this skill. The tutor was very engaging, well organised and encouraging. There was a good mix of group teaching and individual attention. The time went really quickly and everyone was happy with the spoons they took away with them."

Jean Coleman reviewed: Silver earrings workshop

"This was my first silver workshop, and not being very art minded I was worried about how I’d get on, it was a great day though with lots of hands on instruction from Jo, and I came away very pleased with my results, I would highly recommend Jo and her workshops, she goes out of her way to make your day enjoyable and memorable."

Joanne Tinley Jewellery responded:

"Thank you for your kind words Jean, and for coming on the workshop. You made some very lovely earrings, and I hope they have brought you lots of compliments!"

Sue reviewed: Beginners spoon carving taster session

"Good tutor, clear instructions, interesting and great with the sticking plasters. Yes this was a challenging course, even more so for those of us who had never handled a wood carving knife before, but we all finished with good looking wooden spoons ready to finish and oil at home. I was surprised at how much we did achieve in the two hours. I hope to repeat the course again to build on what I achieved this time."

Suki reviewed: Weaving with Waste, with Sarah Cooke in Bristol Studio

"What a great way to spend a Sunday! From the lovely venue, great company and tasty food to Sarah's ingenuity with every day wastes and how to breath new life into them. I would thoroughly recommend this workshop to anyone who wants to take recycling to a whole new level! Today the wall decoration, next the egg bag!"

Weaving with Waste responded:

"Thanks Suki. It was really good to meet you, please send me a photo of the egg basket when it's completed. And thanks for the baler twine!"

kim abbott reviewed: Introduction to candle-making as a business

"Enjoyed the whole day, learnt a lot of handy tips and how to start up my business, I will defo be back for a refresher"

Sarah Thompson reviewed: Felt picture making workshop in Rugby!

"What a fabulous morning! Karen took us through the fascinating process of making a felt picture from merino wool - and we all ended up with beautiful pieces of art. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in learning a new craft."

Karen Wyeth Contemporary Felt Artist responded:

"Many thanks for taking the time to leave a review Sarah! And I loved the vibrantly colourful poppy picture you made!"

Jane Edlington reviewed: Bring Your Own Upholstery Project - 1 day workshop - Week Days

"An amazing course and cannot recommend it enough! I went along for a one day taster session with a telephone table seat pad to cover. Sarah is both very knowledgable & a super teacher. She has the knack of clearly explaining & demonstrating every little step but then ensures the participant actually does the work. I finished the day with a really professionally covered seat pad that has freshened up a classic piece of furniture wonderfully. Class sizes are super small and Sarah is always there to help when needed. I learned loads!! After the course I’ve been able to independently complete a couple of similar projects. I’m now addicted and will be back for the 5 day course with a bigger project!! Additionally..... the setting is lovely: a beautiful farm house that’s immaculately furnished. Lunch was a delight.... not just the food but the company. Most definitely a highly recommended day!"