Custom Dinner set

I have done a few dinner sets and the main reason I avoid making dinner plates is because they take up so much room in my kiln. I have a small 7 cub foot kiln and I can't fit two of these square dinner plates on a single shelf. My wife had to wait for 5 years to get her dinner set! I did get a request early this year from a customer purchasing a new home. It was for a dinner set with additional pieces and since there was no strict time contraints I took it on. The pictures you see above are the dinner plates. All different colors and patterns. Along with this there are bowls, tumblers and small dishes too. It was a lot of fun creating this colorful place setting. I would love to be dined with such an array of colors. In addition to this there were oil bottles for the kitchen, soap pumps and soap dishes for the bathroom. I want to visit that home now. :)

For the main dinner serving pieces, I chose to match those and make them distinct from the place settings. The platter, casserole and salt pepper shakers compliment the rest of the set very well. Now I am just waiting for a dinner invitation. :)

Repairing cracks with paper slip

If you are a potter and especially a handbuilder you must have come across the small hairline crack.  It usually happens when pieces are made to dry too fast. Well sometimes you are in a rush, so what can you do?

I have used my paper slip which has worked everytime and also in cracks in bisque ware. All it contains is my clay body with toilet paper and water. Quick way to make it is use some bone dry clay, water soaked toilet paper and some water. No real propotion. Just use a hand blender to make this goop. You will know you have enough paper by looking at the fibers in the goopy slip.

All you do next is score and apply this goop where the crack is and burnish it smooth. Bisque as normal. You can use this to repair bisqued cracks too. For bisque cracks or joining broken pieces adding a little white glue helps to keep the pieces together while it dries. You still need to rebisque the piece before glazing it.

Glad to see all this salt pepper shakers survive. Love seeing this colorful bisque load.

I use this slip for all my handbuilding purposes, attaching handles, bottoms of pieces and it works great.

Do you have a slip that does wonders for you? Do share in the comments below.

A Great Wedding Gift!

It always thrills me more when people buy my work as gifts. One can always spend money on themselves, but when they spend it for someone else, it shows they have confidence in their purchase and the the receiver is going to love them.

And of course it is great when people combine different items as gifts. This last order was just the perfect gift for a wedding. Sugar creamer set, a butter dish and salt pepper shakers.

Wouldn't this be just great for a wedding gift? Other popular items in my shop for gift are my Oil vinegar bottles, teapots, set of mugs.

Best wishes to everyone receving these gifts!