P for POTTERY!

P for POTTERY!

Hi there,

Thanks for popping in. TGIF! What are you up to this weekend? Anything exciting? Got anything crafty planned? I have….

Pottery tomorrow morning! Woohoo!!!

It’s a throwdown session, in addition to the Wednesday class. Who says I’m addicted?! Can’t wait. Although I have to say that there is so much more to the art of pottery than working on a wheel. I want to learn the skill for sure, but I get a real buzz out of building with clay, if you get my drift.

First day of Pottery term was on Wednesday, and the theme was Interesting Vessels. Mmmmm. I built a very long necked bottle for starters. It looks a little strange, but it’s not finished yet!

It started life as two cylinders, I added a base to the larger one,

then they were attached with coils, by bringing in the larger cylinder to meet the neck. All very technical. It’s much taller than I envisaged in my sketch, but it will probably shrink by 20% in the kiln.

Hey hey! And what about my funky ears, or handles or whatever they are? This is the best bit! Wait till I make the other interesting vessel to match! I lay awake this morning planning it! If I can get it right, it will be P for Perfect! I know, I know. This long bottle very primitive just now, but it’s supposed to be!

In my mind’s eye, I am creating something which was unearthed at an archeological dig. Well, it will look like that when it’s finished, fired and glazed and all that good stuff. Come on – help me! What do YOU think?Where was this amazing discovery made? Africa? Brazil? Peru? Australia? And what was this vessel used for? What are the ears for? What is their function?

Answers below please…. P.S. Your guess is as good as mine! I have no idea! I made it up!

Life is good.

Time to go find my husband and chillax.

Love & Hugs,

Barb xxx

33 thoughts on “P for POTTERY!

  1. I reckon it was found during the dig at Tintagel in Cornwall. It was used by the Duchess of Cornwall, Ygraine for her scented bath oil, but got left behind when she left there after the death of her husband, Duke Gorlois, and went to Caerleon to marry King Uther Pendragon, before the birth of Arthur. It came to Cornwall from the East, brought by the enchanter, Merlin, as a very expensive gift. It is a miracle it survived in such fantastic condition and is worth millions. There is still a hint of that eastern perfume inside.
    How is that, Barb? Can you tell I am in the middle of reading a five book series of books about Merlin? Coincidentally, the lady I am swapping with in the PTC swap comes from Cornwall. I really must get down there for a holiday. Perhaps you could do a retreat down there and I could combine it with a holiday? xxx Maggie (Silvercrafter)

    1. P.S. The ship was a small trading vessel, crewed by Breton sailors, and the holes in the handles were to allow the jar to be suspended safely during travel so it did not hit anything on the ship during storms. xxx Maggie (Silvercrafter)

    2. Ooh Maggie, that sounds wonderful! Which set of books are you reading? -is it by Mary Stewart? I loved those. I’m intrigued to know, as I do love a good Arthurian saga – the tale has been retold so many times, and I’ve enjoyed a good many versions, but maybe you have another for me.

  2. So glad you are enjoying your pottery classes Barb – nice to have an escape from reality every now and then. Can’t wait to see what it looks like when it is finished. Maybe the little handles with the holes were used to lift the bottle out of hot water! Now why it would be in hot water I’m not really sure!! Lol. Enjoy your evening with your man. Xxxxx

  3. This looks jolly interesting can’t wait to see what happens!
    Don’t know about exciting but we are going to a jumble sale tomorrow. Hoping for some ‘new to me’ stuff – aw heck, I just like stuff.
    I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day about Dave and your typewriter meaning more to you than diamonds – that got me thinking about my lovely husband and what he has bought for me over the years – I still take the tin opener he gave me to bed, so I can always be near him. Does that make sense? (I wouldn’t recommend doing that with your typewriter – bit lumpy – but it rings!!)
    Anyway, have a good weekend.
    Love
    Maggie (Yorkite)

  4. Enjoy your evening with Dave. Your bottle looks interesting not really sure what the ears or handles are for and I just can’t compete with Maggie’s wonderful story. Not in the zone tonight, in quite a bit of pain with inflamed cartilage on my ribs. xx

    1. I was just in the right mood tonight, Lynne. I love Time Team and other archaeological programmes and I am in the middle of rereading the books about Merlin. Hope those ribs soon settle down. xxx Maggie (Silvercrafter)

  5. Wow, what a whopper!!! It must be for that very special vino from a secret vineyard in the Aegean.
    Love the story originating in Tintagel, what an imagination.
    This weekend nothing planned, just chilling for a change.
    Hugs 🍒🍒🍒

  6. My first thought when I saw the header pic of your blog was oh, there’s an elephant ! Then I read on. Glad you’re enjoying your pottery! X

  7. Oh what fun! Love the Tintagel story as when I was a kid we spent many happy holidays on a camp site near there so Margaret’s story made me happy and giddy lol!

    I think you are building a bong me dear lol!

    Looking forward to seeing what you create! Have a lovely night with your Dave xx

      1. I don’t remember what it was called but we spent a lot of summers there, and used to walk down to the beach from our tent. It’s given me such a love for that area and for Arthurian legend too. It appears to be a much loved place for many of us x

  8. Barbara – your post really made me laugh! Not least because some 30 years ago I attended weekly pottery classes with my husband. My creative gene loved it but I have competing genes. I spent about 3 weeks lovingly creating a hand formed vessel and at the same time my emerging interest in politics meant that I couldn’t attend the political meetings I was being invited to. You may have guesssed what is coming because when I went back to ss my lovingly created pot I was presented with a 3D jigsaw.

    At this point I decided that pottery was not for me and I would attend the next Monday night political meeting. As a result of that decision I became a local councillor and I then went on to become an MP. After a few years of that I realised the need for a destress and for many reasons (not least portability but also because I love needlework) I discovered an outlet in the form of beading (not stringing a lot of big beads together but making very intricate and beautiful projects from some tiny and beautiful components – it took ages!). A bereavement meant that I wanted to create some scrapbook albums (there is a personal back story here regarding other relations) so I asked a papercrafting frined for some “start up” advice and told her that I didn’t want to make cards etc etc etc.

    fast forward 18 months and I have been on a real journey. I have discovered a whole new world and I love the fact that there is always a new technique to try but more than anything I love the fact that if it goes pear shaped then all you have lost is a bit of ink, paper etc etc. In my beading world a lot of time can be spent before you realise your mistake. I know that I will go back to beading (and lampworking which was my personal extension of that) but for the time being, in a busy job, I love the fact that papercrafting has introduced me to some lovely new people, has given me a crafty “quick fix” and has introduced me to a whole new world. The biggest lesson that I have learned is that you need to make time for you and that it really doesn’t matter what form that takes but if there is an added bonus – such as a card created with clarity products – then the format really doesn’t matter. Papercrafting has also helped me with failure – beacuse sometimes you produce something that is truly shite (this is a technical term for “absolute load of rubbish” but you can laugh about it, put it down to experience, learn from it and move on. Oh, and I am making cards – so never say never

  9. Sorry Barbara, my
    Naughty head said
    It’s a very old portable urinal,
    Carried round your neck on a cord.!!!
    BUT…my sensible
    head said, it a container your can bolt to the wall, and cascade a trailing plant down. Both useful ideas. It’s going to be lovely.

  10. Hello Barbara – your wonderful piece of pottery reminds me of Mexico and the Aztec culture or even Mayan, don’t know why, just looked at it and that popped into my head. Can’t wait to see it glazed. I’m getting quite caught up in your pottery journey. Have a lovely evening, lots of love Donna X

  11. I love this! I think this was discovered in Egypt, in a recently discovered tomb of an ancient Egyptian Queen. It was used as a vase, for beautiful smelling flowers. Several of them would be hung on hooks around the Queen’s bedroom, and bathroom, and the beautiful flowers would give off their gorgeous scent, adding to the overall luxuriousness of the rooms. Then, when the flowers were changed, they could easily be unhooked and the water poured away, ready to be filled with fresh flowers and fresh water x

  12. Egyptian I think looking forward to seeing it glazed.
    Happy Saturday pottering.
    Love and hugs to all on the blog
    I received my club folders and membership card today love the free groovi and free die too brilliant.

  13. Hello Barbara
    I love your pot but can’t compete with Maggie. That is a wonderful story.
    Tomorrow and Monday are the January meetings of our East Northants Groovi Group so I am looking forward to meeting up with old and new members.
    Love
    Roz.xxx

  14. Love Maggies story from Cornwall. You could attach a stopper to the bottle using the two holes to hold the wire like an old pop bottle.
    Nothing much planned for the weekend other than try & finally shake off my cold. Need to make some cards as the next few months are quite busy with birthdays, have started with the snowdrop art nouveau die but whilst paper piecing I have ended up with more topppers by using double sided sticky paper & positive & negative pieces. I also tried the sticky stuff on the end of a embossing tool to pick up the pieces. Have a great time tomorrow at your extra pottery session.

  15. Here’s another theory – a Victorian reproduction of the shards of an ancient tuak flask discovered by the Rajah Brooke expedition exploring the large caverns in the ‘wilds of Borneo’ and unwittingly trespassing on a revered head-hunters’ burial site of ancient ancestors where offerings of rice wine (tuak) were suspended from vine ropes to slake their thirst in the afterlife!

  16. I’m after a bit of help from some of you lovely ladies if you wouldn’t mind.

    Has anyone used the set of landscape masks? I’ve tried them out for the first time tonight and I’ve paint on one of mine and I’m wondering if the masks can be washed under the tap to remove the paint and to make the back sticky again?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you lovely people xx

    1. Yes, Karen, you can wash them under the tap. Make sure the water is just tepid to avoid melting the glue. After, just lay the mask, sticky side up on a couple of pieces of kitchen roll and allow it to air dry. xxx Maggie (Silvercrafter)

      1. Thank you lovely Maggie! I thought that was it but just wanted to double check and I knew one of you lovely ladies would know so many many thanks x

  17. Morning all! Just catching up on the week’s blogs after a busy week back at work. I can’t compete with any of the stories about the vase’s inspiration – they’re all brilliant! Love the new dies – I missed the evening show so will be watching on catch up.

  18. Hello Barb, looks like you have had a great time at pottery. I actually love this design, and think it will be perfect for displaying long stemmed dried flower and grasses in. Looking forward to seeing the finished article. I think it was unearthed in the Kalahari desert in South Africa, and was used for carrying water, hence the ears with the holes, as they used woven grass strands to carry it. Take care all. Bx

  19. I have another idea !!!! Some of my ideas are a bit odd, but at 72 years, I try to see the bright side of life, and have a fun time too, what else is there? My NICE idea is, to put a lovely red single stem rose in it, and give it to a special person ??? on Valentine’s day!

  20. Well, your pot is definitely a water vessel from the highlands of Scotland. It has to be that tall to catch all the rainfall we have up here, and the ears are to fix it to a stake with string so that it doesn’t fall over in the wind! Can you tell it’s been a day with lots of weather today?!!! x

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