Latest reviews

Suzanne Howarth reviewed: Beginners crochet workshop

"I attended this course 3 weeks ago and it was excellent. It was well taught in relaxed surroundings. The craft centre is a fabulous place and lunch was amazing!"

Anne Stobbs Thompson reviewed: Willow Hare/Rabbit Workshop

"Third course I’ve been on with Victoria , great day, smashing teacher, lovely work space, brilliant end result. Problem now is I need a bigger garden to accommodate all the willow sculptures. Can’t recommend it enough ?"

Jo Wightman reviewed: Feltmaking OOH the choices!

"Just had a fantastic day with my Mum learning how to make beautiful nuno felted silk scarves. Barbara is very knowledgable and enthusiastic and there was plenty of individual tuition and support as neither of us had felted before. We learned a lot, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the company and came away with 2 stunning individual silk scarves that we will wear with pride! Thanks Barbara :-)"

Feltworld - Creative Arts responded:

"Thank you Jo, I am happy that you and your Mum had a lovely day. Your scarves looked fabulous, I do hope you get continued pleasure from wearing them :-)."

Anna Francis reviewed: Plaster mould making for slip cast ceramics with Ed Bentley

"Not only was Ed’s skill in mould making astounding, but he really is such a brilliant and patient teacher. I felt that I learned so much from the session, and more than that had a brilliant time! Ed was able to really understand what was needed and ensured by the end of the session we had made a really beautiful mould, which I can’t wait to use! Highly recommended to other artists that need to develop this skill."

Ling Tan reviewed: Beginners’ Stained Glass, One Day Course, Llandeilo, Wales - archive

"Fantastic course! Simon was very supportive, patient, kind and encouraging. It was a pleasure and privilege to be taught by someone who is clearly passionate and skilled at his profession! Thoroughly recommend this course and look forward to going back at a later date."

David reviewed: Timber framing courses

"I rarely leave reviews on anything online but the quality of my experience during two weeks at Hewnwood prompts me to do so, if only to add yet another excellent rating. Imagine: you are located at the edge of a small but ancient forest, on a big field of tall grass with undulating green mountains and woodland all around. Everywhere you can sense the presence of sheep and offroad vehicles. Just inside the forest amidst a soundscape of bird songs lies the secret Hewnwood base camp, a magical place of that will imprint itself into your memory forever. During your stay here you will become part of a pleasant rhythm that characterises the philosophy of the Hewnwood crew. You rise when you feel fit and stop when you feel content with your creation. You learn at your own speed and contribute according to your interest. You eat in abundance some of the most glorious dishes you have ever tasted, enjoy consistent world class hospitality and get to laugh every single day, guaranteed. There is also some timber framing on the side, to justify these gatherings of strangers in a beautiful, healing environment. The humans that invite you here and teach you to build beautiful wooden structures that last centuries will take care of you as part of their tribe. They built this place for you to prosper, whatever the reason or duration of your stay. If you read this, treat yourself by signing up for this experience. Not enough cash? Ask, and maybe you can work something out... ✌️"

Rhian Brice reviewed: Beginners’ Stained Glass, One Day Course, Llandeilo, Wales - archive

"Absolutely fantastic day with Simon and the other students. Lovely informal setting at his studio. I was made to feel very comfortable from the start and was given loads of encouragement throughout the day, which flew by. Would recommend to everybody and I would love to attend further courses."

Nick Anderson reviewed: Feltmaking OOH the choices!

"A well run and informative creative day. Barbara is not only a good teacher but a welcoming host who made the day so enjoyable and the new skills easier to grasp. I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a new craft challenge. ?"

Feltworld - Creative Arts responded:

"Thank you for your kind and encouraging words Nick, I love my job and I hope this shines through. Lynn's scarf looked lovely and your picture was fabulous. I hope you both keep up felting as well as enjoying your other activities. Best wishes"

Sophie reviewed: Residential Gyotaku Japanese NATURE printing in Pembrokeshire Wales

"The Gyotaku workshop was inspiring and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone. Thank you to Deborah, who was generous with her time, and really interesting to speak with about this art form. I am really happy with my prints and loved that I had lots of opportunities to be experimental with them."

Cheese + Pickles Design Studio / Henry Hedgepodge Academy responded:

"Thank you! Come again anytime to visit @HedgepodgeART. Stay in touch, would love to keep up with your GCSE portfolio work! Debs"

RAdhika reviewed: A Practical Dry Stone Walling Workshop Central London

"Great hands on course. John was knowledgeable and a wonderful inspiring teacher. Thanks for a brilliant memorable day ! And will look at stone walls in a different way .."

London School of Dry Stone Walling responded:

"Hello Radhika thank you for your review and very happy you enjoyed the day. It can be daunting at first, but to let you have 'hands-on' experience early in the workshop, i think helps as shown in the progress after lunch. Certainly check out the other places where you will find DSW around town, you will now find them interesting. Take Care and Best Wishes, John"

Ian Boxall reviewed: Firebird Forge Blacksmithing School

"Excellent!!! I had such a great day, Mort is very friendly and was an amazing teacher who was great at explaining everything we needed to know. I was in a group of three, and everyone had a brilliant time. We all went home dirty but with a smile from ear to ear. The day went extremely quickly, and I plan to return to expand on what I learnt and create even more difficult items. Thank you for a wonderful day."

Patrick Deen reviewed: A Practical Dry Stone Walling Workshop Central London

"Really interesting course. Very well presented and demonstrated. John was extremely engaging and friendly, as well as knowledgeable. He spent time and talked with each person on the course. His guidance was instructive and interesting as we worked through the day and developed our skill (or at least our very basic beginner skills!). The venue worked very well in terms of getting to the site as well as the amenities available (ie cafe / toilet etc). It was the right length of time (you felt you learnt something and delivered an end product but did not get bored / feel you were there for an excessively long time). The general course was pitched at the right level. The material post course material given to us also provided a useful way of finding out more about dry stone walling. All together it made for a great day. Thanks Patrick"

London School of Dry Stone Walling responded:

"Hello Patrick Thank you for your constructive feedback, you developed a 'natural eye' during the day and was good support for colleagues. The feature developed really well after lunch and 'topping it off' was a delight for us all. You became a good 'juggler' of stone to get the right fit, face and 'batter' when putting it on 'it's bed'!! I hope you find Gloustershire walls much more interesting. Take Care and Best Wishes - John"

Paula Wilson reviewed: Upholstery and cushion covers with Jo Walton

"Jo has been invaluable in improving my sketchy knowledge of traditional upholstery. Her teaching approach is hands on with a thorough explanation of each stage, and I have learnt so much in the three weeks I have been attending her drop in classes. I can't wait to get back to continue my learning experience..."

Nuria reviewed: Christmas Pudding - needle felting workshop with The Lady Moth

"My first time needle felting and really really satisfied!!! Zenia is an amazing teacher! Really patient and encouraging! I will come back for sure!"

Steve Canning reviewed: Make your very own Tote bag

"I can highly recommend this workshop. Richard is a great teacher - patient, kind and willing to share his depth of knowledge and love for Leatherwork. I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say the whole experience was inspirational & has sown a seed in me I plan to nurture in the future. All in all a terrific experience!"

Kate Hannon reviewed: Beginners’ Stained Glass, One Day Course, Llandeilo, Wales - archive

"Spending a day with Simon is an absolute joy. He is an excellent teacher who is able to clearly explain what you need to do and why, and with care and encouragement. So often experts in their field (as Simon clearly is) find it difficult to pass on their knowledge to complete beginners, but Simon did so without ever making me feel that any question was too silly. On top of all of this, he is really nice guy! I'm sure I will do another of his workshops in the near future."

Jo Starling reviewed: Alcohol inks and doodles

"Really enjoyable day with an excellent tutor. Six attendees and six beautiful works of art created and framed to take home ready to hang! Would highly recommend this course and Mandy as a tutor to others. Thank you Mandy for a lovely relaxing day."

Jackie Goddard reviewed: Natural Vegan Cold Process Soap Making

"Just finished this course . Thoroughly enjoyed it. Came home with 2 different lots of soap. Lily is lovely and talked us through the process. Give it a go!"

Sally Newell reviewed: Beginners’ Stained Glass, One Day Course, Llandeilo, Wales - archive

"I really enjoyed this course. Simon is a great teacher. Despite some of the attendees wanting do more complicated glass panels Simon was very patient and managed to spend equal amounts of time with each attendee. I would definitely recommend this course."

Eva Skopal reviewed: Natural skincare & wellbeing - make & take parties/workshops

"Debbie is such a lovely wonderful lady, makes you feel welcome from the moment you walk into her wonderful home. You create these luxury lip balms, creams, scrubs and many more items that are natural and have no chemicals inside them so as to make you feel closer to nature. She not only makes you happy but makes your soul happy and you leave feeling like no matter what is happening in your life, no matter how busy or stressful, having a little bit of time out in our lives is easier than we think and is more blissful than we can even begin to imagine. I would 100% recommend Debbie to everyone, she truly is an inspirational woman."

TimeOut4Me responded:

"Hi Eva, It was such a pleasure to meet yesterday and spending time with you. Delighted that you enjoyed the afternoon. Thank you so much for your lovely review. Debbie x"

Steve Cottrell reviewed: Creative Art as Therapy

"I went on this course because my wife wanted to. I haven't done much since my foundation year at art college 40 years ago but I needn't have worried. Tajinder has a wonderful concept going here combining art and meditation. I must stress here that you don't actually need to 'be able to draw'. If you can pick up a piece of charcoal (all provided) and make marks on a sheet of paper, you're good to go. Tajinder takes you through the day, gently extracting thoughts and feelings from within yourself that you didn't know existed. Transforming these thoughts and feelings onto two dimensions in the form of artwork - and you *will* produce artwork - is a wonder to behold. You'll be pleased with the results of the art, and also of the exploration of your inner self - all in a great setting with good space and light. Easy, secure parking. Definitely worth the cost, and we'll be going back again. Excellent!"

Mary Oldroyd reviewed: Knitting workshops in Leeds City Centre

"Thank you Ann, my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our session on Wednesday. You definitely do have a lot of patience and you needed it too. I would highly recommend Ann, who is very knowledgeable and answered all our questions, a good laugh too."

Leeds Central Faith and Light responded:

"Thank you Mary, for your kind review - I'm glad you think I have lots of patience. I hope you and your friend have been able to continue with your crochet. Kind regards, Ann"

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

"I was amazed at what I was able to create in a day. Mel and Debra had a huge variety of resources available, coupled with loads of experience and enthusiasm. All 4 of us on the course created wonderful scenes, yet they were all very different and individualistic. Lunch outside in a lovely setting was an added bonus. A brilliant start to our holiday."

The Seals Whiskers responded:

"We are so pleased you had a relaxing start to your holiday and enjoyed creating your unique sculptures. It was a pleasure to meet you all and thank you for taking the time to review our course."

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

"A fabulous day, had so much fun and was delighted with my finished piece! Melanie and Debra were so kind and helpful, they had loads of ideas and guidance but were also willing to help us with our own ideas. A brilliant day, would highly recommend! Thank you for a great day"

The Seals Whiskers responded:

"Thank you for taking the time to review our course, we are so pleased you had a great day. Melanie and I were so impressed with your sculpture especially the rope ladder, well done"

Gill Chapman reviewed: Learning to Spin: One Day Workshop

"Fantastic experience! Lucy is the most patient teacher and helps you to find your own way to achieve the end result. It took many attempts and a lot of concentration but by the end of the day, I had produced my first skein of wool. She bought along so many useful resources, books, magazines, different types of fleece as well as samples of knitted hand spun wool. No hesitation in recommending this course."