I am coming to you with a different makes post today. My pottery makes.

I went to a pottery class in the last year with my sister. It is not a typical class with scheduled plan and timetable. We found Bosiljka Bahat who worked her whole life with pottery and now runs private pottery lessons at her studio. Private means that she works with one or two people per class so that worked great for my sister and me.

 

When we started I had no idea what to make. First time we went there we had a meet and great day to meet and for Bosiljka to get to know us to see what we would like to do. She had some kind of a big scarf over her outfit and the scarf was decorated with a single clay button. So of course I instantly had an ephiphany and buttons it was. My sister ended up doing a vase.

 

Buttons are small and they look like a quick make but it takes time to have them finished because you need to:

 

Then…

 

And that is only part of the job.

It takes time to prepare the clay, cut it out to right size, sand, paint, glaze, wait for it to dry and bake for them to be ready for use. Especially when you are doing it for the first time. I made several designs and some of them I already used for garments. Usually I am a wooden button kind of gal but when I have my own me made buttons I reach for them to make the garment fully ‘mine’. And the feeling is just that much better when you get to say thank you, I made it. All of it.
I used the white and blue set of buttons for my Erin skirt from the Sew Over It City Break Capsule wardrobe e-book as part of my personal capsule wardrobe challenge but I will write more about this in another post. Another version of the similar button design but in a different colourway will end up on my Flint shorts soon that I am making out of this weird shade of green linen.

 

 

In the second month of the class I made three quick makes. These were modelled on some templates so took lees time than they would if they were modelled by hand. First two are a pot and a plate made as a matching set. I painted them with Angoba paint on the outside with no glazing and with glazing colour on the inside (or top side). The plate is in our dinning area holding fruits and the pot is in my sewing area holding all the threads.

 

The third make was a Christmas gift for my boyfriend. I decided to make him a beer mug painted with some music reference. Technically he asked me to do it for him, but let’s not fuss over the details. As there was not much time Bosiljka gave me a template of a mug she made earlier and had left over. So all I needed to do was to paint it. It is sort of a cheat for a Christmas present but it was the only way to get it done in time. I painted the mug in white and drew some typical Led Zeppelin details on it like zeppelin form the Mothership greatest hits album. This is not maybe the best one that symbolises them but was the easiest to draw on a mug. I also added the band’s “personal symbols” as they appear on the ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ album sleeve. At first I skipped that option as I thought it would be too tricky to do it without ending up with 4 black flecks but using the thinnest of brushes made it work. For a final kick I put the band name on the handle and I like that detail the most. On the bottom of the handle there is a slight dent in the mug design so I thought a detail like guitar pick would be fun. I realized I need to point out that one to people for them to go a-ha, but I like it. And boyfriend likes it so everybody wins.

 

In the third round I went for the vase. I searched Instagram for ideas and came to the class with several options but when you go to an artist for lessons you always hear this answer: „this is too regular and you can get that kind of a jar in any supermarket. We are going to make something more unique.“ Well, I could not agree more as a sewist. Although basics sewing is a big one for me I also like something nobody else has in my wardrobe – and on my shelves! So I went for a drastic design to have a beautiful vase for all those flowers I do not have. But now I can because I have a vase for them. Ta-da!

 

 

The vase is hand modelled (not on a wheel) and that took some time to make. I like that because it clears my mind and puts me in the right place while it is happening. The same as with sewing. You have to be in the moment. When the vase was made I had to decide on the colours. I had no idea what to do but went for a surprise element in the end. On the outside the vase is grey and glazed with a matt glazing but on the inside the vase is ‘painted’ with a colour glazing. It is fun to glaze it like that since you do not do it with a brush. You pour the glazing in and then pour it slowly out by tilting the vase and turning it while covering the whole surface with it. I am sure this can be better explained but I am lacking the vocabulary in this area even in Croatian so you will have to forgive me.

 

 

The glaze colours as different colour before and after baking. This made it hard for me to imagine what I would get in the end. Bellow I have put the before and after pictures together so you can see what I am talking about. Pink becomes deep blue, what? But it does.

 

I love how all hobbies I have somehow go hand in hand with my sewing even without me planning it. How I used the pot to hold my threads for example, or of course, all the buttons!
Bellow I have added more photos of my sister’s makes and some in progress shots.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Ana