Wedding Day pots

Here are some pictures of my amazing wife-to-be, decorating a big jug that I made.

We're going to make a few collaborative pots together and they'll be used for the flowers in the church on our wedding day.

There's a little film at the end too.

Wet slip

Well it's been a tough few weeks. We seem to be dogged by bad luck at the moment.

First of all Hannah was poorly, then the glaze started flaking off the rims of pots and Hannah lost several weeks worth of work, then the kiln in Scotland broke down, then the kiln in Devon malfunctioned and we lost a £600 order, meanwhile, the glaze problem continues.

But, all we can do is keep on making and be thankful that we have each other. And I really am very thankful, when things are tough it would be so easy to just give up, but we look after each other and giving up just isn't an option that we would consider.

 I remade the lost order, a batch of loving cup style, one pint tankards. Hannah has subsequently decorated them with sgrafitto text.

This large baluster will have a white slip and fingerwipe decoration tomorrow.

 A freshly slipped 7lb jug

with a simple, single sprig

This is green slip. I really like the green ones, I could be tempted to slip everything green.

This big jug had such a lovely texture that I just dipped the neck, like the old traditional North Devon jugs. I will leave it with a naked clay body, to be flashed and toasted by the flame of the wood kiln.

Time for sleep and with the clocks changing tonight, there's going to be an hour less of it! Goodnight all

Balusters and their buddies

I made some tall baluster jugs this morning. We've had it toasty in the workshop today with the burner cranked up, so they were dry enough to handle tonight.

Here they are with some of their juggy buddies

And here are the handles.

I always think pots look like people, particularly baluster jugs. This lot look a bit like an identity parade!

Blog from Devon

Blimey it's proper hectic here at the moment.

We got back from Cornwall last night after doing a demo to the Cornwall Ceramics and Glass Group, thank you to them for that, we really enjoyed being there.

We're straight back in to it today. It feels like our feet haven't touched the ground since we got back here from Scotland last week.

The workshop's filling up with freshly made pots and the kilns are running flat out bisc firing. As well as trying to make stock for our forthcoming shows, we're trying to catch up with a backlog of orders that have been delayed because of the glaze issue and a poorly potter. The glaze is sorted and I'm very happy to report that the poorly potter is very much better now.
 
We'd been aiming to fire the wood kiln here this month, but we just don't have the time. We have to dash back to Scotland soon, as we have a wedding to plan and time is ticking down to the big day.

Instead of firing here, we'll take the pots back with us and fire in Scotland. Some of the pots we're making now will have to stay here until our next visit, as we're going to run out of bisc firing capacity.

The pictures show the 7lb tapered jugs I made tonight and some of the bisc that's starting to fill up the workshop. Also a moneybox, covered in rooks

Time for a scrub in the tub and bed

Goodnight all