Cake Plates, Sponges, and Glaze Messes, OH MY!

What's wrong with this picture?  

That birthday cake is on one of my dinner plates instead of the pottery cake plate that I normally use.  That plate cracked last time I used it, so it was time to toss it out.  Because I know you are wondering, it was a pecan praline buttermilk pound cake and it was delicious even though I used twice as much butter as the recipe called for.  Oops!

So it is time that I made some more cake plates.

I am hopeful that these will work out.  I struggle with getting the size right.  They need to be mostly flat with just a little bit of lift on the outer edge (to catch stray icing).  I put some rings on them to help center the cake (I'm thoughtful that way).  They have to fit inside a cake carrier, so they have to be big enough for a 9 or 10 inch cake but small enough that the lid will fit on the carrier.

In other random things, I wore out my favorite sponge recently.

The one on the bottom I've been using for years and it has gotten really ratty.  You guys know how sentimental I am about some of the pottery stuff, so you won't be too surprised when I tell you that I am sad about my sponge and can't quite throw it out yet.  Allen gave me that sponge.  I think they must have thrown it in on one of his orders at Carolina Clay Connection and he didn't like it.  I happened to be in the studio that day, so he gave it to me.  I've used it ever since.

I want to share a not so good thing that happened in the last glaze fire.

The glaze on these mugs ran and stuck to the shelf.  I HATE it when that happens.  I should have checked the glaze, because the green was WAY too thick.  I made a great big mess.  I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to do it right.  You would think I would learn!  Notice the white on the bottom.  That is the kiln wash that I put on the shelves.  It served its purpose.  The kiln wash protects the shelf by keeping the piece from sticking when there are glaze accidents like this one.

This is how you fix that kind of mess.

You have to grind the extra glaze off the bottom.  I'll also have a little shelf repair to do, but that's a chore for another day.

Whirl Wind

The past several weeks have been a whirl wind of busy-ness.  I went back to work on July 9.  I've been helping my Mom and Dad get ready to move for what feels like an eternity but has really only been since late June.  (Please don't ask me to move any more furniture.)  Classes started on Aug 16. That was also the first day of games for the American Legion World Series.  I was pretty busy with the World Series beginning on Aug 13 and going through our team's last game on Aug 20.  In between, there's not been a lot of time for pottery or energy for writing blogs. 

Jeff and I volunteer with the World Series every year as part of a group that hosts one of the teams.  We always host the winner of the Great Lakes Region.  As a result, we now have friends from Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana.  I'm frustrated each year that I can't be more involved, but the series coincides with the beginning of our semester.  Sometimes I'm doing well just to be able to get to the games when our guys play.  This year I thought I would be completely out of it since Mom and Dad were supposed to move during that week too.  Due to an untimely injury (Mom broke her ankle), the move had to be postponed for a few weeks.  As a result, I was able to do more with the Series than I thought I would.

Over the past eight years or so, the team from Midland, Michigan has earned the right to play in the World Series five or six times.  As a result, we have built relationships with those coaches over the years, and by extension also their families.  It is SO COOL!

How does this relate to pottery?  Hang on!  I'm getting there.

I invited Coach Ben Wright's family (Cindy, his mom; Jolee, his sister; and Addysen and Kipten, his niece and nephew) to come over to the pottery studio one of the days that the team didn't play until later in the afternoon. In addition to showing them all around, I made a few pieces so the kids could see how pottery is made.  The pictures that follow are all courtesy of Cindy Wright and Jolee Throop. 

I always start a demonstration with something cylindrical.  It was going well, so I added some texture and gave it a little belly out and a flair at the top to make a nice little vase.

I asked the kids what they wanted me to try next.  A bunny was the first idea. After I explained that I couldn't do a bunny, they settled on a plate. 

I had grabbed a few leaves from the yard before I left the house that morning.  I let Kipten pick the one we would use to decorate the plate.

I explained how I can tell when a piece is completely bone dry and demonstrated the "tongue test". 

Kipten tried it.

And then Addysen.

All in all, I had a wonderful time that morning and I think they did too.