Latest reviews

Nita Newson reviewed: Indian wooden block printing in Leicestershire

"Great fun,friendly workshop,making beautiful unique items,no experience needed ."

Judith Thurland reviewed: Introduction to summer millinery - 1 day - Newcastle NE1

"I was lucky enough to attend one of Margaret's excellent courses with a view to making a hat to complete a wedding outfit. With Margaret's amazing & inspiring tuition i have now got a unique hat in exactly the right colours - way better than anything i had imagined i would be able to produce! Thanks Margaret!"

Margaret Woodliff Wright Millinery responded:

"Thank you Judith, for your lovely review of the millinery workshop you attended. It was great fun helping you design your headpiece, and I was delighted when you received so many compliments at the wedding! Thank you again for your lovely review of the summer millinery workshop series - Margaret"

Tracy Williams reviewed: Upholstery full day class - strip, pad and cover a dining chair

"David is a font of knowledge, whilst making everything understandable and easy to follow. Very interactive, fun and enjoyable. I learnt lots and will be booking more courses with him"

Margaret fraser reviewed: Making a mosaic with slate

"I really enjoyed your workshop today . Very informative but relaxed atmosphere . I felt I was able to learn the whole process more or less what to do to complete a piece of artwork . And can carry on at home experimenting . Very addictive . And pleased with what I produced."

Delphine reviewed: Glass blowing for beginners with Jon Lewis

"I got this as a surprise for my father and he loved it. It was a great experience and would highly recommend it if you are looking for something fun and creative. Jon was great at teaching us the basics of glass blowing and to make our beautiful glass pieces! I will definitely consider this class again next time my family comes over to visit."

Lesley Main reviewed: Making a mosaic with slate

"Thoroughly enjoyed the course, learned so much and came away with a piece of work I am really quite proud of. Has definitely inspired me to have a go at home. Rachel is a lovely host and tutor. Everything was ready for us and a wonderful choice of materials to use. Extremely good value and I have already recommended it to several friends. Hope to attend again."

Martin Munden reviewed: 1 to 1 Bladesmithing or Blacksmithing

"Bladesmithing course with Dave and Ian , I was a complete noice, we were shown examples to give us an idea of what we were making. Good paced learning where a step was demo’d and then we had a go. Format worked well , having two craftsmen share their knowledge was great , they can salvage anything that goes wrong . We all produced a knife , had fun heating and hammering a bar into handle and then forming a blade , we learn news skills , had an appreciation of the furnace, working temperatures, hammering techniques . I would high recommend this course. Only recommendation is location offer more courses and opportunities for others to participate ."

Jan Hopkins reviewed: Collagraph Printmaking with Megan Evans + self catered accommodation

"Megan's course was really interesting. It was completely new to me and I liked her style of teaching. She explained clearly and concisely what we were to do but she allowed us a free rein. This meant that we made mistakes and learnt from them. We then had a chance to rectify them in new pieces of work. I especially liked her focus on environmental pollution and how it could be highlighted by her, and our work, I would highly recommend Megan's courses. They are suitable for complete beginners."

Chris reviewed: Pyrography Delites

"Lovely relaxed fun evening. Jane gave excellent tuition showing us how to create fantastic pieces. Every thing we needed was provided. Great value for money. I recommend this."

Peter B reviewed: Photography Days

"Richard and Sue provided me with exactly what I wanted as an introduction to DSLR photography for a complete novice. They even allowed me to use their gear for the day by prearrangement as I had indicated that I intended to use the day, and their knowledge, as a platform on which to base my future decisions on investment in kit. Weather was atrocious on the day but they didn't let it stop us from an outdoor lakeside practice. Very relaxed and accommodating day well worth the fee."

Art by Camera responded:

"Thanks, Peter. Thank goodness for large umbrellas! Whilst we sometimes rig up a fake stream and rocks it was nice to have got outdoors with you. So glad you felt ready to make a choice of camera and lens to suit your needs. Wishing you years of fun as your skills grow in using them."

Ben reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners course - 1 to 1

"Really great day, knowledgeable and friendly instructors, everything was easy to follow and I felt really confident by the end of the day in what I was doing. Only downside was that it ended! Had a blast and wouldnt hesitate to do it again!"

Mark reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners course - 1 to 1

"Good team of guys, with lots of valueble info . Enjoyabe day. The weather was kind."

Ingrid reviewed: 1 Day bag making course - 10 design options

"Rebecca is a lovely, passionate, creative professional lady. Her teaching and sewing skills are impeccable. I intend to attend future classes. Thank you"

shona farquhar reviewed: Bookbinding and sketching workshop at The Arienas Collective in central Edinburgh

"Super class. Well organised in a lovely casual environment. Good hands-on tuition from Cass for the bookbinding. Really love my sketchbook-it's been much admired by my arty and non-arty friends alike! Afternoon sketching was really enlightening. Picked up a lot of tips from Mark on how to tackle line and wash subjects, perspective, tone etc. Especially appreciated the care taken to accommodate dietary requirements for snacks and lunch. All in all a real treat of a day!"

The Arienas Collective responded:

"Hello Shona. Thank you so much for your lovely review. I'm glad you enjoyed both workshop sessions - we think it's a great combination: learning how to make your own sketchbook with Cass, and then taking it out and about with Mark to start filling the pages with sketches. Lovely to hear it's being much admired by friends and that you picked up so many helpful tips. We hope to welcome you back to The Arienas Collective soon. Best wishes, Lynn :-)"

Sarah reviewed: Hand Spinning For All - Norfolk

"As with the other reviewers I had a great day and learnt lots. Definitely worth doing as there are so many hints and tips that Teresa can pass on, including origins of sayings! Even though a wet day, the fire was on in the wood burner, dog on a sheepskin rug, us spinning away (yeh after a short time of practicing) made a lovely experience. If your wavering about going along don’t."

The Spinning Barn responded:

"Sarah, thank you so much for your wonderful review. I am so pleased that you enjoyed your day. It was such a pleasure to spend the day with you. I do hope that you have been able to sort the parts for your wheel so that you can continue your brilliant spinning. Best wishes from Theresa and Ted!"

Val Gisborne reviewed: Collagraph Printmaking with Megan Evans + self catered accommodation

"Megan is an extremely talented young lady and her workshop provided a wonderful introduction to her printing techniques. She is a friendly, patient and inspiring teacher and I thoroughly enjoyed her course in her cosy studio in Bromyard."

Lynne Doyle reviewed: Leather long stitch journal / artist's book (beginners)

"A fabulous day with Lynne. Accessible to all, Lynne was patient, kind, enthusiastic and a talented teacher. Thank you"

Ashleigh Hetherington reviewed: Hand sewn mohair teddy bear making course in Cumbria

"Attended Lyn’s bear making course a while back and every aspect was excellent. Warm welcome, second to none tuition, (very patient!) great banter, warm, brews on tap great value...what more could you want!?"

Boo Bears Cumbria responded:

"Hello Ash, Thanks for the brilliant review. We do have great banter at the sessions! Love your creations. Lyn"

Suzette Phillips reviewed: Macrame Workshop

"Lovely evening making a macrame plant hanger. Would highly recommend. Gemma has lots of patience and we all came away with pretty different designs."

andrew reviewed: Introduction to welded metal sculpture

"I have just finished a two day metal sculpture course with Alan. I had never welded before and am no artist. Alan was very patient in teaching me not only basic welding but also the use of the awesome plasma cutter (think bank robbery films where the robbers cut through the bank vault doors with a "torch"). Sounds much more scary than it is in reality but with Alans guidance I soon felt at home using it. By focusing on a garden sculpture I had decided to make and which Alan helped in refining the design of and then by learning to use each tool / technique when needed for the next section which needed to be fabricated Alan made learning both easy and rewarding. I now have a steel garden sculpture of which i am very proud together with new skills. Alan has a relaxed way of teaching and also importantly was good company for the two days. I would recommend this course to anyone and whilst i did it on a one to one basis i am sure that for 2 or 3 people the learning experience would be equally good. Final thought for anyone contemplating the course but concerned about needing serious physical strength to work with metal - dont be put off - as surprisingly this is not the case at all."

Paul & Sheila Wright reviewed: Box making weekend in Cumbria

"What a great way to spend the weekend. Mark and Richard were excellent instructors. After initial instructions we were encouraged to do everything for ourselves. They were always on hand if we got into difficulties. Their knowledge and skills are unbelievable and their levels of patience endless. Their workshop is well stocked with plenty of different high quality work working tools, that we were guided into using in order to make our boxes. Our boxes are for our twin grandchildren and the knowledge that dad-cu and mam-gu made them make us very proud grandparents. Thanks guys, you are an awesome duo."

Leah Borg reviewed: Hand sewn mohair teddy bear making course in Cumbria

"A fabulous workshop! Such a friendly, relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. There is nothing Lyn doesn't know about bear-making! I fell in love with my very first bear, and kept going back to make more! They are a joy to make and a joy to treasure. Everything is provided, and support is given every step of the way. Every home should have one! A truly lovely workshop x"

Boo Bears Cumbria responded:

"Hello Leah, Thank you for the fab review, you have made so many lovely bears. Lyn"

Suzy reviewed: Hand sewn mohair teddy bear making course in Cumbria

"Brilliant course and great teacher, met lots of lovely friends along the way - bonus was a little family of bears, a moomin and a Fox, all unique! Lyn provides everything and is really helpful when you need to get the hang of something (or when you get your ladder stitch wrong... again!) Highly recommended ?"

Boo Bears Cumbria responded:

"Hello Suzy, Thank you for the lovely review. Moomin was so cute! Lyn"

Carol reviewed: Lino cutting course - Laura Andrew Art Studio, Lincoln - Linocut lino printing

"I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Laura. She is a very clear and patient teacher, and was extremely encouraging, working with all three of us to make sure we managed to achieve what we wanted. Laura's studio is a lovely space to work in - there is lots of inspiring artwork to look at and the atmosphere is so calm and purposeful that hours go by without you noticing. Lino cutting is definitely absorbing! I hadn't done any lino cutting since I was at school, but Laura's guidance was superb, and I was really pleased with the prints I made. All in all, a fantastic course which I'd definitely recommend."

Christine Mullen reviewed: Pottery classes in Teesside

"Relaxed, friendly sessions, where the time flies! Great teaching by Louise. With support and guidance, she encourages you with your own projects and ideas. I’ve enjoyed the classes very much and am so happy with the pieces I’ve made. Hoping to be back again soon!"

PoppyRose responded:

"Thank you for your review Christine! It was lovely to have you in the class, you've created fabulous pots! Look forward to seeing you again. Best wishes, Louise"