the teapot is done!

I am very excited to announce that my first teapot is a success! The lid didn't stick during the glaze firing, and water pours out the spout in a nice smooth stream, not an annoying dribble. Very happy with it. Now just to purchase a bamboo handle. I admit there was a moment there when I couldn't get the lid off when I first picked it up. My heart sank; but after a tiny amount of twisting and lifting, it came off. Hooray! I tested the pouring action right away too, in the lab sink. So happy it came out.

I also picked up two other finished pieces. One was the wonky cup thing that I had glazed with Maria's Blue. It came out very well. It's all shiny and smooth and wobbley in just the right way so your hand fits into the curves in a satisfying fashion. Not sure what I could drink out of it; probably something strong that one would slowly sip, since it doesn't hold very much.

I also picked up the slightly curved handle-less mug that I glazed the inside of a dark blue and left the outside naked. The clay really looks lovely all exposed like that.

As far as production. Well, it was our last class to throw stuff. I sat down at the wheel with some 6 balls of 1-2 pound clay, and threw. It didn't go well. I was using the brown clay, and I didn't realize until I got home that I haven't made anything at all out of the brown clay all quarter. Just a bunch of discarded mistakes. Wow. Remind me not to buy that clay again in the future. The red clay threw much, much better. It's softer and listens to you a little better. The brown was just so stubborn, and if you weren't exactly centered before opening, it was all over for that piece. The red was more forgiving, you could make it up along the way.

I glazed the tallish vase from a couple weeks ago, the one with a bottom trimmed to match the teapot. I glazed it with the same floating red as the teapot, so they will match. Not sure what to do with a matching teapot and vase, it's kind of odd.

Also, I trimmed a fairly large bowl I threw a few weeks ago, but I managed to put two little cracks running down about an inch from the rim from pinching it too hard when attaching the piece to the wheel to do the trimming. Oops. I guess that one will be a flower pot, with the cracked bits facing a wall. Oh well, I was too tired to really care.

Also, I was still pretty tired from being sick. My oozy symptoms are pretty much gone, so at least my nose wasn't dribbling all over the wheel, but I couldn't put much strength into the clay (and clearly the clay knew it could get away with acting out). I ended up going home after 2 hours of the 3 hour class.

Next week I'll trim the one measly little ugly shot glass I managed to throw (I threw it thick and tried the technique of cutting facets into it with the wire tool) and pick up the one piece I glazed last night. That's about it for this quarter!