Green Fox Wild Crafts reviews

11 Aug 20'

Ian Davies reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I have just enjoyed one of the most relaxing, enjoyable, informative and useful days in a very long time. Nadine is a wonderful teacher who is so patient with us beginners but also inspiring. From showing how to select and prepare green wood , understanding the tools and how to slowly reveal the beauty of a handmade spoon, this was a fantastic day in a perfect location (Lupine Woods). If you are thinking of doing this course or indeed any by Nadine, stop thinking and book! You will not be disappointed. Very many thanks Nadine."

22 Feb 20'

Neil Fletcher reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Thank you Nadine for a fantastic course. Exactly what I was looking for. I had been keen to have a go at spoon carving for a while and this course has given me the skills and knowledge to begin. Covering all sorts from axe and knife carving to choosing tools for a beginner and then how to care for them to get the most out of them. Venue was ideal, especially in the middle of storm Dennis. Plenty breaks and a friendly atmosphere. A great day and well worth it"

17 Feb 20'

Mike Rhodes reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"A really enjoyable day. Nadine is an excellent teacher, well organised, knowledgable about wood crafts and her enthusiasm and empathy were great"

17 Feb 20'

Julian reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Thoroughly enjoyable course, excellently led by Nadine. She is a patient and articulate teacher who went through each step of spoon making in a logical manner. Tools were explained and introduced slowly, so that each one seemed a natural extension of the last. The finished (well, almost) spoon a pleasing souvenir, and inspiration for further study. Many thanks, Nadine. Highly recommended."

16 Feb 20'

Jason reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I went on the spoon making course for beginners yesterday. It was excellent and I have no hesitation in recommending it. Nadine went through step by step, in a very patient, enthusiastic and understanding way. She worked with the different experience levels, including absolute beginners like me. She gave one to one feedback at every stage, answered all questions, and gave the answers to all the obvious questions we all had at the start. Nadine recommended tools, and there were tools from a variety of manufacturers to try, so we could all find the ones we liked (left and right handed). She demystified sharpening of tools, and kept it simple, ensuring we avoided expensive mistakes. There were 2 tables of spoons which she had made. Very thoughtfully, one table showed the spoons from early on in her career, and the other were the ones she makes now, managing our expectations, but showing where we could get to (if we have the talent which she evidently has). Because of a mistake one of the students partially broke their spoon, after working on it all day. The way Nadine handled it was excellent, explaining what had gone wrong, making suggestions on other things that could be made, showing some of the mistakes she had made, from the spoon table. Nadine offered the student the spoon she was making (as the example for the day) as an option so the student could finish off a spoon. I have booked on the bowl making course, and can't wait. Now off to find some wood!"

4 Nov 19'

Lucia reviewed: Women's woodwork retreat

"I had an awesome day doing pyrography with Nadine ? She is very knowledgeable about her products & where they come from & how she resources them ! Very interesting to listen to her knowledge on the woodlands & her passion to teach her skills . She was very patient understanding & helpful I will be saving up for my next visit with Nadine Thank you ? ."

21 Oct 19'

Emma reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Had such an amazing day - I would recommend this course to anyone. Nadine was an excellent teacher and patiently helped whenever I was stuck with a technique. Nadine broke up the process into methodical stages, whilst teaching us about wood properties, sharpening and wood sourcing along the way. I have learnt so much and feel thoroughly inspired to learn more! I've put 'carving axe' on my Christmas list and I can't wait to expand my knowledge of green woodworking."

21 Oct 19'

Richard Buckley reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"We had a brilliant day at Regather in Sheffield. Nadine is an engaging and inspirational teacher and we learnt the basics of shaping the spoon blank with the axe, followed by more detailed shaping with spoon gouge and knife. Importantly, we also had an introduction to sharpening our tools and also to the different timbers used. We were not pressured in any way and as other reviewers have said, Nadine was very patient with us all. I had a little bit of experience of green woodworking, but really benefited from being taught a systematic approach to spoon carving with clear stages, rather than my usual bull-at-a-gate way which leads to poor results. So highly recommended!"

7 Aug 19'

Eleanor reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I loved this day soooo much. I have wanted to work through the process of making a simple cooking spoon for ages, from start to finish, and return home with knowledge and skills to continue this craft with a good beginners confidence, and Nadine’s course gave me this and more. A really practical day, hands on seeing this process through. Nadine gives a great balance of support, knowledge and wisdom and also letting you get on with it. A very inspiring person to work with. The setting too was wonderful, so special, in a beautiful woodland with lovely touches of teas, coffees and treats. Thank you Nadine! Just ordered my sharpening kit! X"

22 Jul 19'

Susan Wheeler reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"A fabulous setting to learn a new skill. Nadine is a very good and patient teacher with a lot of knowledge and skill to pass on. This was a lovely way to spend a day with like minded people. Thank you ?"

9 Jul 19'

Sarah Ollier reviewed: Woven bark craft (The foraging bag)

"An excellent intro to bark craft. It was really therapeutic working with natural materials in the forest and the finished results were all unique and beautiful. We had plenty of info on techniques and materials and as much or little intervention from Nadine as we wanted. We all worked at our own pace but everyone left with a beautifully finished woven pouch. Highly recommended."

9 Jul 19'

Sarah Ollier reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"We did this course in a beautiful forest setting. Nadine was a great tutor, gradually introducing new techniques and leaving us to work at our own pace with help when we needed it. She have us plenty of info on tools and materials to geek out on too. Highly recommended."

9 Jul 19'

Gregory Waring reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I did an introductory 2.5 hour course which taught us the skills needed to whittle from a spoon blank to a completed spoon (didn't include the axe work to get to a spoon-ish shaped bit of wood but this is included on the full day version). Nadine was a great teacher - introducing the skills gradually and providing just the right level of supervision/intervention to ensure we could learn in safety and at our own pace. I was delighted to leave at the end of the session with my first spoon, and a surprisingly respectable spoon at that. As a bonus, now I understand why my previous attempts at hacking a spoon out of a stick with a pocket knife hadn't worked out all that well! Highly recommended!"

9 Apr 19'

Brigitte Soltau reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"After thinking about doing a spoon carving course for years - I finally signed up to this one-day course with Nadine. Very glad I did - it was excellent! Nadine is an enthusiastic and motivating teacher and throughout the day she shared her extensive knowledge of wood, spoon-carving, techniques and tools. The practical demonstrations were clear and frequent, as were her explanations of handling and using the tools, with a strong focus on safety - spoon-carving tools are extremely sharp! The day was well paced, with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion. The balance between being taught, and getting on with it yourself felt just right. Overall, a brilliant start to learning a new craft."

23 Feb 19'

Ivan reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Tons of knowledge, very good pacing, and encouraging for everyone. Felt like even if you've never had a sharp tool in hand before, you'd be happily chopping away by the end. Was super helpful to have the days activity put into the context of wood and wild craft in general, and get some ideas of what skills to explore next. Lovely day"

15 Feb 19'

Doug Robertson reviewed: Bowl carving day Green Fox Wild Crafts

"This was my first crafting course and I really enjoyed working with wood using a variety of tools, to axe and gauge a bowl from a tree trunk. Nadine is a marvellous guide, knowledgable, enthusiastic and a natural teacher. Everyone in the class came away happy with a bowl of their creation after spending an active day working and feeding ourselves on the continuos stream of knowledge bubbling from Nadine, and plenty of tea and biscuits. We were led carefully through the processes of wood selection and treatment, splitting, axing, gauging and carving. We were introduced to several useful topics such as tool sharpening and decorative styles, each of which would warrant a course themselves. I've booked to go back next month for another course with Nadine to learn spoon carving."

11 Feb 19'

Catherine reviewed: Bowl carving day Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I recently did a bowl carving course with Nadine and she's a great tutor. Everything was explained clearly and during the breaks she gave us further info on finishing, tools and looking after them and painting. I came away from the day with new skills, not just a bowl!"

26 Oct 18'

Jonathan reviewed: Bowl carving day Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I've done a couple of courses with Nadine now. She's very engaging and a natural teacher. It's a great way to learn new skills and relax at the same time :)"

18 Oct 18'

Alice reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I booked this one day course for myself and my partner at Longshaw Estate in October 2018 as it is something he always wanted to do (me - not so much!). Nadine was great as a teacher, she was so open and welcoming and made us all feel completely at ease right away. She was thoroughly knowledgeable on everything you could need to know as a beginner, and explained things clearly. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for all of us and I am very proud of my spoon!"

26 Jun 18'

Helen Davidson reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I did the spoon carving course with Nadine at Longshaw in April 2018 (We had great weather by the way and had to be careful the heat didn't make the wood we were using dry out). It was a really enjoyable day - one of those days where you don't realise the time has passed because you're really absorbed in what you're doing. Nadine is a great teacher; knowledgeable and informative, patient and encouraging and didn't tire of answering any questions we had. She covered a great deal in the day but the pace never seemed hurried. The spoon I made I'm quite proud of - though it still needs a lot more finishing. More than that though - it's inspired me to carry on and I've just ordered my first set of tools!"

3 Oct 17'

Viv, Sheffield reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Can’t recommend this course highly enough to anyone wanting to learn how to spoon carve ! Nadine is a great tutor, presenting each stage in clear and understandable steps, and helping build confidence in using the tools involved, from axe technique to the different craft and spoon knife holds. There was an inspiring range of beautifully carved spoons on show to look at and handle, mostly Nadine’s own, loads to get enthused about and time just flew by. After previously spending countless hours alone scraping away at pieces of wood I have at last learned to do it properly! Bretton Hall, with stunning views across the Peak district, was also a great venue for the course."

27 Jun 17'

Dave Smith reviewed: Bowl carving day Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Very enjoyable and informative course, so much so I'm in the process of making my own bowl horse. Nadine is a very skilled instructor and crafts person. She brings skills from many areas, she has patience and a wealth of knowledge. Nothing seems to be any trouble and she is able to help, whatever your problem or skill level or ability. This was the second of Nadine's courses I have been on and look forward to going on another to learn another skill. The course finished all to soon. I couldn't recommend her courses highly enough."

21 Jun 17'

ClareP reviewed: Bowl carving day Green Fox Wild Crafts

"An inspiring and very enjoyable course in a lovely setting. Nadine is a brilliant tutor - very encouraging, explains things clearly, lets you work at your own pace and is always on hand to help. I came away with two bowls and the basis of a new set of skills. Great weekend."

19 Jun 17'

lynne griffin reviewed: Bowl carving day Green Fox Wild Crafts

"I have done a number of courses with Nadine as she is a knowledgeable and patient teacher who works hard to make sure everyone knows what to do and is safe doing what they need to do. I've been on courses with lots of people who are superb craftsmen and not particularly good teachers but Nadine happens to be one of those rare people who is both. The groups I've been in have been mixed ability and she has still made sure that everyone has gone away with something that they have produced. She has a good eye for detail and encouraging participants to stretch themselves. Would recommend her courses to both beginners and improvers."

19 Jun 17'

David Brealey reviewed: Spoon carving for beginners with Green Fox Wild Crafts

"Thoroughly enjoyed my spoon carving course. Very informative and I was glad to be taught the full range of skills needed to carry on with my wood carving. (I am now addicted as warned) A very relaxed atmosphere and Nadine was very patient and taught us all at our own pace. I would definitely recommend this course to people with an interest in learning wood carving or even just for an enjoyable weekend in the outdoors."