Ceramics: Ring Bowl

Materials: Sculpture mix (Cone 6); white, petal pink, black underglazes; rubber stamp letters and lace

I started this in my Skyline College ceramics class two summers ago with Frost porcelain and unfortunately effed it up with Sperry Crawl glaze--looked awful.  Do over.  I think this one will do though it's rather late.  I plan to make a baby birth date plate for the same couple who are expecting early July this year.

Thrift Shopping: My Favorite Find (which I couldn't buy)

I wish I had a craft studio that wasn't my dining room table--in other words, another room in my tiny condo or a well-lit rental space.  I found this vintage sewing machine at my favorite thrift shop, Pick of the Litter, the SPCA/Humane Society resale store where I can bring my dog and scavenge really good deals.  I'm guessing that this sewing machine was made in the 1940s, given its plug, and I loved that the majority of this machine is metal or its solidity.  I like my Baby Lock, but I suspect this machine is more durable.  OH well.

Ceramics: Homage to Wayne Thiebaud

Materials: Sculpture Mix (low fire), underglazes, clear glaze

A year ago, my clay mates and I in our Saturday class gave ourselves the ceramics assignment to render our favorite 2-D art into 3-D.  Wayne Thiebaud's "Two Jolly Cones" always makes me smile, and so do my two cone heads.

Sewing: Summer Projects

Linen!  What my husband doesn't know is that our dining room table will be turned into a sewing sweatshop this summer.  I've been buying fabrics to make rag dolls and baby quilt and throws.  I picked up this book because it had a how-to on French seams and because I just bought a graphic tee with the Merchant & Mills logo.

Ceramics: Bas Relief Tile of Delft Blue Whales

Materials:  Icelia porcelain (whales), Sculpture Mix (ocean background), dark navy underglaze, commercial decals

I rolled out 3 slabs in my Wednesday afternoon class and painted the Sculpture Mix slab with dark navy underglaze.  It occurred to me later that I could have painted a turquoise layer underneath the dark navy blue and sgraffito wave or blowhole action--next bas relief!  It's Sunday morning, and it's covered rather snugly in plastic until I can clean it up in Wednesday class.

Here's the finished piece.  Alas it warped!  My instructor said we should have low fired it, but that's okay.  I rather like it and will make it again.

Ceramic: Quote Tile

Materials: Frost porcelain (Cone 5 firing), black underglaze, rubber stamps, copyright free image (Graphics Fairy), ceramic decal (waterslide)

Ceramic: Retirement Gift (Tahoe Platter) for Diane

Materials: Frost Porcelain clay (cone 5), plate mold, dark green underglaze, pine needles (imprint), ceramic decals