Set of two…. January 14, 2008

…bowls that I glazed last year in matching colours.  I used a combination of two glazes in different variations. They didn’t quite turn out as expected but even better! Part of that is that something seems to have changed since my teacher got her kiln fixed, the glazes are more shiny and they react a bit different. I think that’s where the little black/grey/sparkly bits have come from – at least that’s my very non-scientific description- don’t ask me about which elements react with each other to form what colour I’m still trying to learn that.

Pinky pottery January 5, 2008

These little beauties came out of the kiln last year (we’re still in Tasmania). I’m specially chuffed with the little white detail and the handle on the shaped bowl. I had thought of using it as a gravy/sauce bowl but didn’t make a lip so it pours pretty bad. but it looks very pretty with pickled onions when having fondue.

Hot feet January 1, 2008

Here’s one I made last year as we’re still enjoying our extended holiday in Tasmania!

We have a big bed. When moving here we decided to splurg and go for a 200×220 bed which is great but as the days are getting shorter and it was getting colder it’s harder to heat….and who wants to get into a big cold bed…not me. So we bought a hot water bottle/ but this was a bit hard and plasticy so now I made this cover with some pieces of felt I was given as a sinterklaas present. Now the feet are nice and warm and happy with their soft bed companion.

Christmas and more excitement December 26, 2007

So I had a whole series of posts planned but the last few weeks have just flown and not it’s boxing day! And in an hour
we’ll be getting onto a bus to get to a plane and another one and another one and then in about 26 hours we’ll be landing in Melbourne to start our 4 week holiday! I’m so excited! Good friends of both Barry and me are getting married in Tasmania in January and we decided it was a great opportunity to catch up with them, see them on their special day, meet other friends who are attending and spend some time on what promises to be a fabulous island. So there won’t be so much posting done although the bag definitely has some wool in it. I hope you all have a fabulous New Years Eve and see you in 2008!

Girlie baby blanket December 8, 2007

I made this baby blanket as a present for one of Barry’s cousins. She had a baby girl in September (shows you how late I am!!). I got my inspiration from some lilies we had around the house and based the color scheme on it. I decided to weave this as it’s so much faster than knitting, however its still a new thing for me. Last year I went on a weaving weekend with friends of mine at our favourite local wool shop. I loved it and was full of enthusiasm, when I moved away from Dundee shortly after they gave me a small Ashford loom as present which was great. I haven’t used it as much as I would like (so many things to craft!) but this has definitely given me a taste for more. For the blanket I used cotton as it can be easily washed, the pattern is easily made with randomly alternating colours in the warp and then having even rows of weft. When finished I sewed it onto some purple fabric (not very straightly but that makes it look more “authentic” )and lined it with thin batting inside. I will be giving it to them tonight as we’re seeing them all in this fantastic hotel for their yearly family reunion.

Mighty mittens! November 26, 2007

These mittens are a present for a friend in Scotland, hopefully they will give her nice warm hands both around Edinburgh and during her winter walks in the mountains. They are made out of an old set of woollen trousers I had, when they broke I was very sad as I loved the material and just couldn’t bare to throw them away…after two years of carrying them around, they have finally been recycled and should be extra warm with a beige felt lining. The fabric for the trim fitted perfectly and a button and loop finish it so they can be either tied into a jacket (kiddy-style) or just neatly stored. I think I might have to make a second pair just for me!

Happy birthday!! November 19, 2007

 

I think I can safely blog about this now as most of these should have arrived at their destination?! A lot of my friends seem to have their birthdays in November (6) so at the end of October I did some massive card producing with this lovely set of wrapping ribbons, some white cardboard, a set of stamps and some plain brown cards. I was pleased with the result and think I’ll be making more of these soon.

Buttery goodness! November 17, 2007

Just a quick one as we have a busy weekend filled with friends, lots of nice food and the prospect of a long walk in the snow (!I’m so excited!) on Sunday. But this is the newest addition to our breakfast table. It came out of the kiln last Tuesday and I’m so pleased. I used 2 glazes in different combinations, double layers result either in whit or the dark blue while the light blue is a single coat of each.

Cylindra, Goddess of Power…. November 4, 2007

…was the title of the pottery course my teacher held for us this summer. It was all about how to work with big quantities of clay on the wheel to get the result you want. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go as I didn’t feel quite confident enough with my throwing skills to move onto bigger pieces, plus it was pretty pricey. In the end, she convinced me to go as she said I would learn a lot and also improve my current skills. So off we went, there was three of us in the class, which was a good number and for four consecutive days we battled our big (5-7kg) lumps of clay. I found it very tough going, specially the first few days as in the 3 hour classes we would make 1-2 pieces and I would mostly collapse/ruin them. Then day three, I started to get the hang of it a bit and by the end I managed to produce some decent stuff. So was it worth it? I’m not sure, I definitely learned a lot but feel I would have done better if I had been a bit more advanced already. However, it has definitely helped my throwing on a smaller scale and with time I think I will get back to the bigger pieces again but at the moment, I don’t feel like a goddess of power I have to say.

 

This bowl is one of the pieces I made during the course (they’re only coming out now as the kiln was broken for the last few months). It’s very thick at the bottom which makes it quite heavy but I’m pleased with the overall shape. I was also very pleased with how the glaze turned out, unfortunately, it dripped a lot at the bottom even though I’d cleaned off a good 2 cm ;-( My teacher suggested this is because it was so thick, it took a lot longer to cool and therefore dripped more. But I’m pleased with the end result and filled it with biscotti and little ghosts I made as a great birthday present for my good friend Simone!

Autumn lights October 21, 2007

It’s well and truly autumn here with leaves falling off the trees, cold sunny days (6°C today!) and preparations for the Basler Herbstmesse (autumn market) are in full swing. So I decided to match our inside light with the season. This light is one of my favourite pieces in the apartment. When we moved in here one year ago (!!) we did the standard expat thing, went to Ikea, bought a couch, table, wardrobe, lights, plates and glasses. As we were almost at the checkout (or safe as Barry calls it), my eye fell on these Christmas decorations and I was sold. As I was trying to talk myself out of buying one, Barry convinced me that if I really wanted it, I should just get it, treat myself, we could always hang it in the window for the holiday season. But I had a much bigger and better plan….it would become our all-year-round dinning table light! And there it has been, perched from a wooden slat so we can move it around the room and give atmospheric light to our dinners. Now the light from it is even better with a lovely orange glow as it bounces off these lanterns. I hope autumn will stay for a long time.