Week 20 - More glazing and test pots

Well these two braid pots (which I made for my kitchen) have been waiting for several months to be glazed. I had a happy accident with a white tin glaze, and have finally decided how I want to finish them off! They are on the shelf waiting for a spot in the kiln.



Also I glazed these mocha test tiles - they are really experimental as they combine different kinds and colours of slip, and I am adding to them with brush on glazes and transparent glaze and we shall see what happens.





I had 2 more of these which I did not photograph as I just put them in transparent glaze. They were already quite busy.

Also the test pieces that I did for our next pottery making day have come out of the bisque firing - they look good. The style is rustic, but we are going for that handmade feel. I will be glazing these in white and the reddish edges of the terracotta clay will show through when they are finished. We might be making these at the next Fundraising 'Making Day' if the tests turn out well. The letter stamps look really fun.

week 19 - Time well spent for a good cause

I thought it was time that I write a bit about the 'other' thing I do on my Wednesdays - earlier this year I was elected as the Treasurer of my local arts charity which is called Kirkgate Studios & Workshops. Also known as KS&W. (I often call it the pottery studio - which I shouldn't really as there is a lot more going on there besides ceramics. Woodworking, textiles and all kinds of crafts...)

It is an amazing place, been around for 28 years and does a great job of servicing the local community. It is a bit like an artsy community centre. Sometimes people drop in for a coffee and a chat - someone else might come in for a bit of help with some knitting or sewing and meanwhile there will be a few people making fabulous things out of clay or wood or attending a painting class.

My role as Treasurer has led me to be very in tune with the financial challenges facing the organisation, and in response to this I have taken it upon myself to start up a Fundraising Team - to try and get the organisation and its group of DEDICATED volunteers thinking a bit more commercially.

What we have decided to do is to make objects for sale at a local market and also at a local Crafts Fair in the approach to Christmas. It seems like a simple idea to harnessing all the talents in the group, use our facilities and also get a bit of visibility for KS&W in the wider area. We are meeting once a month on a Saturday or Sunday to make various items to sell. The proceeds we make later in the year (in the weeks before Christmas) will go back into the coffers of KS&W.

Our first 'Making Day' was on Sunday - and we had a textile day. It was well attended and I really enjoyed it! Below are some samples of what we made. Or next 'Making Day' is on 5th June and it is a ceramics day.

Bags for Bags (for storing plastic bags). The polka dotted fabric is handmade by me. It was a bit of an experiment!


Rag wreaths -- fiddly and time consuming to make and a bit old-fashioned looking so we wont continue with those.


Bird Ornaments or scented pouches. Aren't they cute?
These still need to have some eyes sewn on, but they were definitely a success.

Week 18 - A few things fired at the wrong temperature

Apologies for being a bit negligent with my posting - it has been a busy few weeks with my parents coming over from Texas and then also being out a few days sick!

I had a few items come out of the kiln - sadly the kiln was fired at the wrong temperature, so all my brightly coloured glazes did not exactly appear as I planned! But they are still quite interesting looking - much more graphic and monochrome. The more I look at them, the more I like them! These things happen sometimes. No point in worrying about it too much!





I have also been volunteering my time on the Management Committee at Kirkgate Studios & workshops - one of my initiatives has been to use our group of dedicated volunteers to created craft items that we will sell later in the year - the proceeds of which will go back into KS&W.

We have our first making day soon - we are making several items out of fabric, and then the next few weeks will be pottery making days.

The below items are tests for the objects we will make on the pottery days - I saw some pictures in a magazine of some pieces similar to these - they were relatively easy to make and i have some great little rubber stamps for putting the letters on! Too cute! These are made in terracotta clay and would be glazed in a white glaze which would allow the red edges of the clay to show through.