Getting ready for shops opening

 We are beginning to get orders ready to send out to some of  the small craft shops we supply throughout Scotland. Today we were packing up an order for a craft shop called Earra Gael in Tarbert in Argyll.

We have been supplying this shop for a long time and originally picked up the contact from the Scottish International Trade Show held in the SECC in Glasgow each year.

Although the original owner died a couple of years ago, the shop has continued trading with new people in charge.

 

 

The shop only takes pots in the oatmeal blue colour. Some of them are plain but others have the little mouse design on them.

The order will be packed in two carboard type tea chests, and will be taken by carrier around to the West coast of Scotland.

Making candle pots

Today Gerry has been working on a new design for a candle pot. He is making the support for the candle a bit taller so it holds the candle in place better. Here is a video link showing how he does it:-

https://youtu.be/PDMpytBrTgI

 

I have been busy making sheep for the order in Muker in Swaledale.

These are small fridge magnets.

I have also been making sheep ornaments, little titchie sheep and candle snuffers.
 

Another Lockdown jumper!

 During Lockdown I have knitted lots of cardigans, and jumpers using "left over" wool from other projects. This has meant that most of the jumpers have had to have stripes as I don't have enough of one colour to make a jumper.

This one has been made in various shades of green with purple bobbles knitted into the design.

I used an old pattern as a guide and then worked out how to match up the stripes.

To match up the stripes you have to count the rows down from the shapings of the sleeves to the correct length. Then you start at that point of the pattern so that by the time you have got half way up the sleeves you are syncronised with the stripes on the body.

This jumper is for my two year old grand daughter.

Are these the poshest rolling mats?

 

 

When you are rolling out clay, it is best to roll it on some material otherwise the clay can get stuck to the work surface. We had an old thread bare bed sheet so I spent some time today cutting it up and hemming the squares and making them into rolling mats to be used in the pottery. By hemming them it means they can be washed without falling to pieces!

Counting sheep

 

We supply a shop in Muker in the Yorkshire Dales that just sells things to do with sheep. 

We have just got quite a large order from them and need to make some candle snuffers, some sheep money boxes, little sheep titchies, mugs with sheep on and some fridge magnets.

That will keep me out of mischief for a while!!

You win some, you lose some!

We unloaded two lovely vases from the kiln today. They had been glazed in a mixture of overlapping colours and fired in a reduction atmosphere. This resulted in lots of reds on the surface.

The downside was that a lot of the other pots that were next to them also turned red, when they should have been green. They were ammonite mugs destined for a customer in Devon who had ordered 200. Now he can only have 150!

To make a pinch pot is a useful beginning...

This is a hedgehog that has been made by a child using two pinch pots joined together.

It is part of the project "Pottery @ Home

Anyone can make this! Check out the video below to see how easy making a pinch pot is!

 https://youtu.be/832CR4uIs2g