Latest reviews

Lou Holloway reviewed: Furniture making and Cabinetry beginners course

"What a fantastic experience!…. Jake is warm, friendly ,so enthusiastic, knowledgeable and a great instructor. I came to the course with almost zero experience but a genuine interest, and left with a beautiful coffee table that now takes pride of place in my home. I still can’t believe that I made it from scratch! The whole day is busy but relaxed, with Jake taking the time to talk you through everything you do, all the tools you are using, and making sure you are using them safely, all whilst having a good laugh. He goes above and beyond to make sure you have a brilliant experience - I definitely highly recommend. "

Debbie Bradley reviewed: Watercolour Wednesday - paint a watercolour kingfisher

"I spent a very enjoyable afternoon with Amina in her garden studio. I am an absolute beginner in watercolour painting and Amina was very patient with me and by the end of the session I had a wonderful watercolour painting of a Kingfisher. It was all very relaxing and the icing on the cake was having Toby, Aminas Jack Russell, curled up on my lap! I would thoroughly recommend this experience😊"

A.S.K Garden Art Gallery & Studio responded:

"Hi Debbie, It was lovely to meet you and Toby loved spending time with you. We hope to see you very soon. Amina & Toby"

Anita reviewed: Container candlemaking course and wax melts with afternoon tea

"Lovely welcome from Jules and Janet. Clear instructions during the day. Time to reflect on process of candle making. Great meal provided. Really helpful and took time to answer questions, thank you."

Wil Drost reviewed: Learn to spin at Burnt Fen Alpacas

"I had a wonderful day in a beautiful setting in the yurt with alpacas in the field. Annie is a very kind and helpfull teacher. I would definitely be interested in a weaving or dying course with Annie. "

Rita J. reviewed: Mosaic/chat/create! with award winning mosaicist Emma Abel

"The instructions were excellent and you were very patient with me. It was very clear and easy to understand. My wow factor was seeing so many different types of mosaic tiles."

abelmosaics responded:

"Your house sign has turned out brilliantly as a mosaic Rita, Great cutting to achieve the uniform numbers!"

Karen B. reviewed: Mosaic/chat/create! with award winning mosaicist Emma Abel

"Emma was very clear with her instructions and demonstrations. She provided subtle guidance to help us produce a mosaic to the best of our abilities whilst, at the same time, allowing us to discover our own talents and interpretation of the task in hand. She was very patient, answered all questions with clarity and was always complimentary of our efforts. The day was very relaxed and enjoyable and I learned a lot. I’ll certainly be booking another session. This may well be my new hobby!"

abelmosaics responded:

"Thanks so much for your review Karen. Your colourful seahorse worked very well as a mosaic."

Katy Lee reviewed: Fresh Natural Advent Design

"Angela Turner is a wonderful teacher . Being in her workshop / studio is inspiring in its self . She has such a calm , gentle and encouraging approach and her love and enthusiasm for floristry sings loudly in all she does. Such a joy. Thoroughly recommend her workshops and courses. "

Penny Took reviewed: Explore 1 & 2 colour lino cutting and printing in Derbyshire

"Excellent day. Learnt new skills from a well organised teacher. Lovely studio to work in too! I look forward to attending another workshop."

Liz Wellby - Artist, Teacher & Maker responded:

"Hi Penny, Thanks for letting me know about your day in the studio. It was lovely to work with you again - it’s always productive and good fun. You made great progress and created such a fab series of prints. Well done! Best wishes Liz Wellby"

Luke Walsh reviewed: Silver jewellery stacking rings workshop (Saturdays)

"We really loved this class. Rachel was great and super accommodating. She was able to give me an alternative style ring design that was more suited to a male hand! Both myself and my partner came away with some lovely pieces that we really enjoyed the process of making. Very satisfied with the process and the end products, never felt rushed and always had help if needed. Would highly recommend! Thank you Rachel!"

Mick Atkinson reviewed: Fused glass Christmas decorations (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"Great day again on the Xmas decorations fussed glass course, this is my third year doing the course and I'm still enjoying experimenting with new designs as well as doing ones Martin has prepared for the day. Good way to relax and enjoy letting your creative side take over for a few hours and using your hands to make something beautiful and hand made by you."

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for the nice review, glad you enjoyed the workshop."

Andy and Cathy reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"Was exactly what we wanted.Simon informative and patient. The bowls we made are lovely and a great reminder."

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"Hi Andy & Cathy, Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and I’m glad you enjoyed the day. — Simon"

Iain Turner reviewed: Upholstery Workshops Bring Your Own Project - Full Day

"Brilliant! Helpful, patient and so much experience to share! Comfortable, warm workshop with everything you need to hand. Came away with a pleasing beginner's chair project and lots of ideas for the next one."

Cathy Payne reviewed: Cake Covering and Decorating Course

"I did the Snowman cake with Jane this weekend and although I have done some cake decorating before I learnt lots of new techniques. Jane is an excellent teacher and host. What a great day - thank you Jane."

Kirk Bindon Jnr reviewed: Welding For Beginners

"Enjoyed the course. "

Emma Demirgil reviewed: Blow a bauble at Chew Valley handmade glass

"Bauble blowing was a gift for my husband, who thoroughly enjoyed the process with lots of questions which were happily answered. A lovely couple with a passion with their artistry. We all enjoyed being able to watch the process, it was a family experience. Excellent value for money, would totally recommend. We were a bit early and loved the coffee and farm shop also. Please go you will be made to feel very welcomed. Your masterpiece will even get posted, what more could you ask for. "

Chew Valley HandMade Glass responded:

"Thank you so much for your review Emma, lovely to meet you all. Regards Steve and Angie "

Henry reviewed: Parent + Child Carving - Sloyd Workshop

"Me and my 9 year old daughter learnt loads in the time we spent with Max at his lovely garden workshop. We really enjoyed the experience, building technique by the fire and came away with satisfying pieces and knowledge we've since built upon. Recommend to anyone interested in woodcraft. Hoping to do more soon"

Nicki Phillips reviewed: Beginners' Stained-Glass Course, 2 days

"Excellent two day course with a piece to take home that I am proud off. Course was well paced with plenty of explanation and help. Would recommend to anyone wanting to learn about traditional stained glass making."

Patrina reviewed: Glass Bauble blowing experience with Chris

"We had a great time learning how to glass-blow an amazing Christmas bauble. Chris was very patient and explained things very clearly. We are so pleased with our baubles and can’t wait to hang them on our Christmas tree. Highly recommend. "

Rebecca Loveridge reviewed: Lantern Making with Fused Glass

"Wendy was a friendly host who was happy to help and advise you on this corse. We enjoyed our small group putting our artistic skills to the test. Can't wait to see the final product."

S J Went reviewed: Come Frame With Me - Making your own Picture Frame

"Ady was a wonderful, thorough and informative tutor. I really enjoyed his framing course, his attention to detail was second to none and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the course to anyone interested in picture framing. His wife’s soup was superb too! "

Studio 93 Framing responded:

"Thank you Steven, a pleasure to host you for the day. Best of luck with all your framing endeavours in the future! "

Wendy and Dave reviewed: Confidence with tools for DIY beginners

"We thoroughly enjoyed our day with tutor Matt Boyson on the 'Confidence with tools' course. We learnt how to operate a drill, a saw, and sealant gun, and had hands on practice with all three. Matt is a friendly/easy going guy, with an abundance of knowledge, and was extremely patient. We highly recommend this course, and would like to pass on our thanks to Matt for a great day."

matt boysons responded:

"Hey Wendy and Dave. Thank you for the review, that was very kind of you and I'm chuffed that you got a lot from the course. All the best over Christmas. Matt"

Anil Sahal reviewed: Blacksmithing course - spend a day in the forge

"A fantastic course, led by a very patient and generous teacher (Richard Bent). He gave clear instructions, demonstrated the use of various tools from hand hammers, tong, gas and induction forges and power hammers. We were led through the process of making a couple of easy projects, how to draw out and round rectangular sectioned bars. Richard was a delightful, down-to earth person to chat with during our breaks, replete with knowledge and anecdotes and we all felt safe under his watchful eye. He made this experience absolutely brilliant!"

Red Anvil School of Blacksmithing responded:

"It was a pleasure to meet you Anil, and really pleased you enjoyed your day. Thank you for your review. Kind regards Richard "

Lisa Robinson reviewed: Snail painting workshop

"Spent a wonderful afternoon painting my snail, and can’t wait to see the finished result. Saz was very busy with lots of people, all working on different projects, but everyone was looked after and it was a fun and social afternoon. Thank you. I look forward to attending another class in the future."

Saz's Ceramics & Crafts responded:

"Thank you so much Lisa! I can't wait to see how Shelley turns out! Looking forward to seeing you soon. Saz "

Shirley Green reviewed: Basket making for beginners using traditional willow basketry techniques

"A fabulous workshop for beginners with no experience. My niece and I made large baskets with patient guidance of Jon. We didn't think we'd get it finished as we were slow on the base of the baskets but once onto the side it was a lot quicker and could see our progress. I would definitely recommend this course, once we had done the course we would be able to do another more advance item. Coffee, tea and flapjacks were provided throughout the day, we paid £7 for a hot lunch which was a pot pie choice of mushroom, spinach and lentil of cauliflower cheese fillings along with a selection of hot vegetables followed by an apple, blackberry and blackcurrant crumble pie all delicious."

Karen reviewed: Stained glass weekly classes in Sheffield (South Yorkshire)

"Just finished my 5th term and thoroughly enjoying every class. Martin is a very approachable teacher - checking in with everybody throughout the class to make sure we are not going off track! He is always happy to answer questions and help/advise as needed. It’s great to be able to make our own designs in either stained glass or tiffany glass - and seeing what everyone else is doing is inspirational. The studio is always well stocked with wonderful glass to purchase. Thanks Martin - looking forward to next term already!"

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"So glad you are enjoying the course, thank you for the great review."