Latest reviews

Dave Evers reviewed: Pole Lathe Bowl Turning - Your First Bowl

"Can't recommend this course enough! Highly knowledgeable, Adrians teaching style was in depth, informative and relaxed. The course covered all the essentials of bowl turning on a treadle lathe, from selection of wood right through to finishing touches and after care. I came away from the course inspired to try more turning, with a beautiful wooden bowl to boot. 10 out of 10 for value and content!"

Rebecca Pay reviewed: A night (or morning/afternoon!) on the tiles: a 2.5 hour taster mosaic course

"A thoroughly enjoyable evening. Fiona was a fantastic teacher and helped with all aspects of the mosaics - from design to finish. I had no previous experience and had great fun choosing the tiles and learning how to cut and fit them. An inspiring and relaxed evening with two coasters accomplished too."

Cara Savage reviewed: A night (or morning/afternoon!) on the tiles: a 2.5 hour taster mosaic course

"I really enjoyed making the coasters, the whole process was explained well and no previous experience with this medium is needed. Once I decided on my design and chose the colours of tiles I wanted to use (there are a lot!) I found the process very therapeutic, cutting the tiles to size and then fitting them on a little jig saw puzzle of my very own! Fiona was a great teacher and her own designs are a great inspiration! I highly recommend this course!"

Elizabeth Teague reviewed: 3 Day beginners Fused Glass crash course - Silver Zebra studio Cheshire - Est 2004 by one of the UKs leading glass artists

"Excellent course, I learnt a lot of techniques to further my studies. Deborah is a great tutor patient and enthusiastic. She guides you through the glass sessions effortlessly. The ladies on the course were fabulous too. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and the learning. Thank you."

Alison reviewed: Creative gift wrapping in Derbyshire

"Today I attended the ‘Creative Spring Gift Wrapping’ course, run by Jo, that was held at Horsley Hall in Derby. It was a surprise birthday present from a friend who knows me very well and the gift was just perfect. Jo was friendly, welcoming and above all very knowledgable; she can make something from nothing! The day was well structured, well paced and the venue itself just perfect for this type of day. We carried out a number of wrapping tasks, learning tricks and techniques along the way that will without doubt be of use in everyday situations. Being able to take examples of our achievements home meant friends and family were able to see the fruits of the days labour and needless to say they were very impressed! Thank you for a great day Jo, I’ll be recommending ‘More Pretty Things’ to friends and colleagues."

Kirsten reviewed: Beginners Pottery Day Course

"Great course, thank you Mathew, just what I needed. I had already tried the potters wheel at another studio but felt frustrated with my throwing skills. I was ready to give up. After reading the reviews on Mathews course I decided to give it another try. It's all true, Mathew's enthusiasm and endless patience revived my confidence. Whilst he is obviously an accomplished potter, he is happy to go at your pace. I really enjoyed the day and came away with pots to be proud of. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone, who like me, is new to throwing and wants to learn and have fun in a welcoming and friendly environment."

Kat Spreadbury reviewed: Pottery course for at home pottery

"I have been coming to Fired Thoughts for over a year. I have learnt alot from Geri and Sue's help and expertise. I came with my mum, at first as she has always been keen to have a go at sculpture and ceramics. I thought it would be fun to have a go together. Geri and Sue really helped my mum, to come out of her shell and she created some really lovely pieces. Which she's very proud of! I would definitely recommend to people to come to Fired Thoughts, if they wanted to experiment with ceramics. As Geri and Sue are lovely ,very encouraging and knowledgeable. They make you feel welcome and it's lovely relaxed atmosphere. The main thing is to have some fun with clay."

Elizabeth Woodrow reviewed: Fortnightly art classes with Artist Laura Andrew - drawing, painting & more - Lincoln

"Laura welcomed me into her beautiful home and studio space with generosity and kindness. Her tuition, personal guidance and encouragement made me almost believe I could be an artist, be it in my own home! Laura personalised the tuition and content to my needs and interest. She intruitively knew when to step in to assist and when to leave me to discover things for myself. The pace of the days was relaxed, yet productive. I walked away feeling more inspired, empowered and eager to continue to explore further creative work. I would definitely recommend Laura as a teacher and mentor and hope very much to return. Thank you Laura. My painting is on my wall already!"

John Bird reviewed: Wood turning courses

"George is a wonderful teacher, very patient, and corrects your mistakes kindly and with humour, provided you keep your hands out of your pockets. Clearly a master of his craft, George is also an artist which you are reminded of every time you pop to the loo. I have been using a lathe for the last year or so but wish I had come to George first, it would have saved a lot of ruined work and cross words. My wife could not believe how beautiful the bowls were that I took home after being with George, she might even let me spend more time in the shed. I look forward to the next few months tying to use the techniques I have been taught, but expect I will be back again for a refresher course before long.""

Paul Thornton reviewed: Pole Lathe Bowl Turning - Your First Bowl

"I'd turned bowls before but lost the enthusiasm to turn more. Attending Adrians "handled bowls" course at the bodgers ball 2018 has given me renewed enthusiasm. Great teaching, a relaxed approach & good group of fellow learners. I recommend you seek Adrian out if you want to learn any green wood craft."

Stephen Ryan reviewed: Pole Lathe Bowl Turning - Your First Bowl

"I went to both Adrians bowl turning and bowls with handles courses. Two really great days! Ade explains things with a simple and relaxed appraoch and nothing is too much trouble. Ade has a very high skill level which shows in his teaching. My aim was to learn how to turn bowls, so that I could take these skills home to start turning bowls myself, I now feel I have the confidence and knowledge to do this. Highly recommended!"

Steve Robertson reviewed: Learn to Turn in the Dartmoor National Park

"Fantastic day !! The course was arranged by my girlfriend for my birthday. I thouroughly enjoyed the day; a very warm and friendly welcome from Chris, my instructor. Chris is a highly qualified woodturner and a member of the register of professional turners. The course started with a safety briefing and issue of safety visor and protective smock. With Chris's valued help and expert instruction I made a lovely sycamore fruit bowl !!.... from start to finish ... from mounting the face plate, attaching workpiece to lathe and the final sanding and oil finish (using 6 grades of sandpaper)...... great day. THANK YOU, I LEARNT SO MUCH. We are staying in touch to continue my wood turning skills p.s.Chris thanks for the tea and chocolate biscuits !!"

Ró Humphreys reviewed: Pole Lathe Bowl Turning - Your First Bowl

"Excellent course, Had a lot of fun learning from Ade. His demonstrations showed us everything we needed to know to get from log to bowl. Making this bowl was a lot easier than I though. Gave great advice on all aspects of working with greenwood and technique with tools. Would highly recommend this course. (Bodger's Ball 2018)"

Sue Reeve reviewed: Pole Lathe Bowl Turning - Your First Bowl

"The course was well organised and well presented. Ade was very patient, knew his stuff and was approachable and good at explaining how to use the tools etc and correcting your mistakes. Also very good at demonstrating each stage of the process. All aspects of safety were covered and well explained and appropriate gear available as required. The equipment was well maintained and the tools were very sharp - essential for this sort of work. The whole process of making a bowl using green wood was explained, from choosing your wood right through to which tools to use and when, including the idiosyncrasies of the tools being used. Good instruction given for how to dry out your bowl on returning home. Would really recommend the course, I loved it - now I need to build my own bowl lathe!"

Chris reviewed: Taster Session – throwing on the Potters Wheel with Pris McGirr

"This has been such a fun and engerising experience! Pris is such a gentle, patient and calm teacher and I have learned so much as well as laughing and enjoying what we've done. Thank you Pris and Alford Craft Market."

Erica Smith reviewed: Fortnightly art classes with Artist Laura Andrew - drawing, painting & more - Lincoln

"Time well spent. As a complete novice, last time I drew anything was at school, I was very nervous. By the end of the course I went straight out and bought the materials to continue to work on my new project. Laura is a great teacher and coach who takes time to understand individual needs. This understanding enabled me to start a project I would never have thought possible. Great course and teacher with plenty of media to explore and learn with in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Thanks Laura, I’ll be back :-)"

Frank Wright reviewed: Pole Lathe Bowl Turning - Your First Bowl

"This was a course for turning the first bowl. Organisation was excellent and the tuition was spot on as far as I was concerned. Ade was very knowledgeable about all aspects of bowl production and full of good bits of advice. He was also very able to demonstrate technique very ably when and if any of us struggled. I have no hesitation in recommending his courses which, to my mind, represent very good value. I need to apply what I learnt now and improve. Regardless of flaws my bowl will be proudly displayed."

Jackie Gallagher reviewed: 1 day basic shoe making course

"What a lovely day! I made beautiful slippers with Judi's excellent guidance and left with enough confidence to have a go at home. I was so impressed that I intend to enrol my daughters for a course in the Autumn."

Samantha Teasdale reviewed: Candlemaking for Beginners

"Rob's courses was one of the few that offered the use of a variety of waxes, which immediately made it more appealing. Rob was so helpful and informative throughout the course, with a patient and relax teaching style which enabled us to all thrive as well as ask a plethora of questions. I have already started to research materials, which without Rob's in-depth knowledge would have been a nightmare! Thank you Rob for a fab course, it is indeed worth every penny and I cannot wait to begin my future!"

J Harper reviewed: Craft classes for adults - introduction to mixed media art journaling

"Have really enjoyed the classes so far. Corinne is very supportive and the classes are well resourced and friendly. I'm delighted with what we have made and have signed up for the next course."

Lisa Clift reviewed: Ceramic Studio Experience - Sunday Clay Day - Full Day Tutor Interactive Workshop

"I spent a wonderful afternoon learning about Raku with Sue and Geri. They are wonderfully organised, friendly and encouraging and I am delighted with the three completed pots I made. The structure of the day was very clear, and the site was organised so that everyone had space and materials to work. The explanation of what we should do and how to be creative with our pots was so helpful, and their warm encouragement led everyone to produce some beautiful work. Generous with their time, teaching, anecdotes and tea, I thoroughly recommend this course."

Sue Whelan responded:

"Thank you for your review, we are so pleased you enjoyed the course and wish you many wonderful creative days in the future, happy making!"

Gemma Carey reviewed: 1-to-1 Organic Skincare Workshop at Maid in the Meadow

"Alison’s organic skincare workshop was fantastic. My mum and I loved it we learnt loads and Alison’s passion really shone through. We love our products and we’re inspired to make our own. Alison was very generous with her knowledge, we highly recommend!! X"

Angela McDougall reviewed: Beginners Upholstery Footstool Course

"A really enjoyable introduction to upholstery. The course was well paced to ensure all participants completed their footstool. Sarah gave clear instructions, was supportive and showed a real enthusiasm for her craft. As a complete novice, I came away confident that I could upholster another drop-in seat on my own. Thank you."

Janine Fearon reviewed: Frame Baskets, 2 days with Phil Bradley in the Yorkshire Dales

"I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 days making a frame basket. I've now booked for the round basket course and (easily) persuaded my husband to book on the willow curlew making course. Broadrake is a lovely spot, Rachel is an excellent host and cook, and Phil is a great teacher. And the basket I made is very useful too."

Ann reviewed: Candle making workshops

"Angharad met me outside and ushered me in to tea/coffee and cake. What a warm welcome. She explained the format of the day before we went to her lovely studio in the garden. As she explained each of the waxes, we made the candles, so we could see how each worked. She gave advice on which waxes best took colour and scent, and which to use and how to apply them. She was happy for me to make notes and to take photos as we proceeded through the day-to help me remember!! She is so patient and knowledgable and obviously loves what she does. I had the best day ever and came home with beautiful candles and the desire to make more from the kit I purchased. Thank you so much. I absolutely loved this workshop. Angharad"