Latest reviews

14 Sep 17'

John Whiting reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thanks for last Tuesday. Your teaching style must be totally unique you have the ability to put your point across so easily. You make learning fun and the time flew by. The end product (my lovely bowl) surprised me with how professional it looked I don't think I could have managed this without your help and humour. Many thanks George John Whiting"

14 Sep 17'

peter farrier reviewed: Watercolour painting afternoons at The White Room Art Studio

"a quality course professionally tutored with help for the advanced and beginner , ideal to learn new techniques and reacquaint with forgotten ones , small classes give time for help and encouragement"

14 Sep 17'

nan whorwood reviewed: Pottery 6 Week Classes

"I was looking for a course to provide me with a few skills and some time to 'play with clay' and I am really enjoying my weekly visits. I have only been going for a month but Joan provides a great calming atmosphere - she has incredible patience and her friendly approach has really allowed me to learn. I am a total beginner and found Joan by chance and I could not recommend her enough. She gives you tips to improve but allows you to take the direction you want - I am now moving on from my pot and bowl but have not used the wheel yet! I have been inspired by her work and also the people I have met through the course. A great relaxing way to spend an evening."

14 Sep 17'

Colette Galvin reviewed: Pottery 6 Week Classes

"What a delight! Three hours hard work (well it is now I'm retired), passed in the blink of an eye. Joan, the tutor, is clearly very experienced and very patient with a total novice! I'm not usually a big fan of mucky hands and "yes, Joan" I know my nails are a bit long but I can't wait for next week to see if my masterpiece is still intact. I would highly recommend this course which is growing in popularity."

14 Sep 17'

Jayne Olden reviewed: Canal art roses and daisies - decorate a wooden stool in narrowboat decoration

"Really enjoyable and informative day, very pleased with the result. Lunch was great and would love to do another course."

14 Sep 17'

Denise Liebermann reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"What a fantastic day! We were all spoilt rotten, beautiful environment, restaurant standard delicious lunch AND Sophie sharing so many of her amazing needle felting skills with us. We were a small group so had plenty of one to one attention on the day, whatever level you're at I absolutely recommend Sophie's workshops, I'm slightly addicted!!"

13 Sep 17'

Barbara reviewed: Taster Pottery Session

"Great introduction to pottery and ceramics by Joan. One to one session with a patient and helpful expert."

13 Sep 17'

Allan and Wendy Shale reviewed: Wood turning tuition, New Forest, Hampshire (1 day, 1 person)

"This was a birthday gift for my husband, but we both ended up thoroughly enjoying ourselves and were very proud with the bowls we took home. Graham was really friendly and helpful providing excellent instructions without feeling rushed. looks like my husband may now have found a new hobby! Graham and his wife Chris made excellent hosts and we also enjoyed the tour of the garden and seeing the hedghogs. Thoroughly recommended... 4/9/17"

13 Sep 17'

Pam Ward reviewed: Upholstery classes at Sandra Fryer's Workshops

"I can thoroughly recommend Sandra's upholstery and lampshade classes: I was a complete novice at both, but her gentle yet perfectionist manner of teaching, attention to detail, and endless encouragement helped me to achieve not only four dining chairs that I am really proud of, but also several lampshades of varying styles and sizes. The small-sized classes helped to create a real sense of camaraderie and support between us all, and they were also great fun (not forgetting the coffee and cake)! Sandra will be sorely missed in the northern Highlands: I wish her well and would strongly recommend her classes to anyone wishing to re-vamp their furniture or lamps."

13 Sep 17'

Matthew Keeler reviewed: A relaxing day of clay making

"Another fantastic day at Trisha Crocker's studio! This was my third time on her course and I will be going again and again and again. A great day out learning something new each time in friendly, relaxed and beautiful surroundings. Trisha is a great teacher and inspires you to create. I can not recommend her highly enough. Good coffee and food too."

13 Sep 17'

Alison Avery reviewed: Pottery 6 Week Classes

"I did the beginner's course a few months ago, and then continued going along. I still class myself as a beginner, but I have been helped and guided by Joan to use the techniques she has taught us, to create some lovely pieces of pottery. I still haven't got to grips with the wheel yet, but intend to do so as I have just signed up again after the summer. Classes are small and Joan is always on hand to give as much help as you need. Pottery is very therapeutic and absorbing, and a good 'mindfulness' activity: a real tonic if you have a stressful life! I have enjoyed learning something new, and seeing my own and other people's creations take shape. All the equipment and tools you need are provided (even cups of tea!) - you just need an apron."

13 Sep 17'

Richard Leggett reviewed: Mini bronze casting course for two

"To start with the rating, I wavered between Good and Excellent; I wouldn't give it 10/10 for reasons given below, but Good seems a bit grudging. Liz Ryan who took the workshop was a lovely person and very patient, and supported me to finish my work even though this meant going well beyond the published end time. She is an experienced art teacher, tutoring in a sixth form college as her day job, and knew her subject matter well. As a complete novice I felt that the principles of silk screen printing were outlined very quickly and we were immediately learning 'hands on'. The project I undertook in the afternoon, building on what I had learnt in the morning was complex, and at times I thought that I had been allowed to go advance to this too quickly. All turned out well, though with Liz's confidence and patience! I was lucky to be in a small group, but I did feel that, given the complexity of what I did, I would have benefited from more space so that I could see more clearly what I was doing. I would have liked to come away with a handout about materials and pointers; to be fair Liz provided this when I emailed her afterwards. Revised marks? 9 for set up and 10 for the experience!"

12 Sep 17'

Denise reviewed: Full day introduction to glass fusing course.

"I bought this creative experience day as a birthday present for my daughter. We had an absolutely fabulous day with Amanda who ran the course. She was extremely welcoming, friendly, kind and humorous and made us feel at ease as soon as we walked through the door. We were joined by Vicky who also signed up for the course and we all got on together really well. Amanda guided us through the day and was extremely helpful, encouraging and supportive of all of our creative ideas and efforts and she encouraged us to use our imagination. This was a first class course and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to try out their creative skills using glass. I learnt so much more than I thought I would throughout the day and I would like to take this hobby further in the future. As well as all of this Amanda supplied a first class lunch that I would have gladly paid for in a restaurant. All in all the day was absolutely brilliant and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in working with glass. It doesn't matter if you think you are creative or not. Just go for it and you will surprise yourself. Thanks Amanda the day was absolutely fantastic! Denise"

12 Sep 17'

Caroline reviewed: Knitting workshops in Leeds City Centre

"Ann is lovely and patient. I learnt a range of skills to prepare me for knitting. One to one tuition really helped, especially as Ann was hand when an issue occurred. Thank you, highly recommend."

12 Sep 17'

louise lafferty reviewed: Upholstery classes at Sandra Fryer's Workshops

"Enjoyed every minute of every class I attended with Sandra , learning so many new techniques and ways to upholster chairs . The work was a challange but i enjoyed it so much and it was fulfilling . Sandra's approach to teaching is excellent and her enthusiasm is contagious. Such a shame she is leaving the area. she will be missed."

12 Sep 17'

Lesley Pitcher reviewed: A relaxing day of clay making

"A fantastic day spent with Trisha, a warm welcome with coffee and homemade cakes. Then an introduction to different pottery techniques, by the end of the day I was very pleased with the many pots I had made, can't wait to glaze them now. Great lunch too, thank you. Lesley x"

12 Sep 17'

Matthew Jones reviewed: Wood turning tuition, New Forest, Hampshire (1 day) (2 people)

"Great days tuition. Graham was very knowledgeable and helpful, giving a good overview of Wood Turning at his well equipped workshop. He guided the 2 of us though basic wood turning techniques and we came away with a candle stick and a bowl. I would recommend this course to anyone wishing either to have a go at wood turning or anyone wishing to develop it as a hobby."

12 Sep 17'

Stephen Orr reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Brilliant day, would not change a thing. Thanks again."

11 Sep 17'

Penny reviewed: 1 day introduction to silver jewellery making

"A wonderful day from start to finish. We learnt so much from Jonathan and have come away with enough knowledge, together with worksheets to continue making jewellery. I was so pleased to have made a ring and a bangle. He was a fantastic host supplying coffee, tea, cake and a wonderful lunch. I would highly recommend Jonathan to anyone who is interested in silversmithing. We will most certainly b returning!"

11 Sep 17'

Wayne groom reviewed: Blacksmithing Introductory Workshop - One Day

"A big thank you to stuart and his team at the trading post. I had such an exciting time learning to use the forge and trying to make the metal do what I wanted (badly).Stuart was patient,witty and very knowledgable and helped us get through to the final result.i throughly enjoy my day and would highly recommend it to anyone to give it try."

11 Sep 17'

Jeanette reviewed: Hand spinning for beginners at Cartmel Handspun

"Having never spun any wool I was really nervous about attending this course in case I couldn't do it and was out of my depth. Elaine very quickly made me feel relaxed and at ease. She was a great teacher, so calm and nothing was too much trouble. I was really please to come away with my home spun wool. A really enjoyable day."

11 Sep 17'

Rachael Leach reviewed: Photography Days

"I highly recommend this course to anybody. Right from the first meeting, Richard and Sue made me feel completely at ease with them. They are both very knowledgeable and passionate about photography, and are genuinely interested in helping other people get the best out of their cameras and photography. Richard and Sue explain things in a way that is easy to understand, and give you plenty of time and guidance to take plenty of photographs and then review and change them in Lightroom. They also gave me lots of advice on equipment I may need. I feel much more confident using my camera now and playing around with different settings. As others have said, you will not regret going on this course if you are keen on photography!"

11 Sep 17'

Rachel Palmer reviewed: Introduction to stone setting 2 day course

"Absolutely loved this course. After doing the 2 day silver jewellery making course with Jonathan 3 weeks ago I was really excited to learn how to finish off my pieces with stones and it was even more rewarding than I'd expected. I came away with pieces of jewellery that I'd actually buy which felt like a great achievement. As before, Jonathan communicated everything so well, made sure to balance information with hands on practice, managed to split his time evenly between all 3 of us on the course and make sure we were ok with what we were doing at all times. Not to mention he kept us well fed and watered. Would recommend to anyone wanting to learn the basics of stone setting."

11 Sep 17'

Rachel Palmer reviewed: 2 Day Silver Jewellery Making Course - Ely

"What a great course. Really hands on and loads learnt in such a short time. Jonathan is a great teacher and has helped make what once felt so daunting feel so doable (with a little practice). Definitely got the jewellery bug."

11 Sep 17'

Stephen Reynolds reviewed: Wood turning tuition, New Forest, Hampshire (1 day) (2 people)

"Very good, thorough, informed and interested tutoring in the basics and not-so-basics of wood-turning. Excellent matching of information to the customers - proper conversation rather than a prescribed course. I'll be signing up again soon."