01
Charm with a face
Roll a ball, shape it, press in two eyes and a smile. A jump ring and a chain turn it into a keyring.
punch the hole while it's soft. no second chances
Make This
Gay menyou can make more
than a bowl
Twelve things made by hand at Friend of Dorothy Pottery. No wheel, no experience, forty minutes.
Start here
Never touched clay? Pick one of these. You will finish it, it will look like the thing it is meant to be, and you will still have time to make a second one.
02
Mushroom
A ball for the cap, a stubby cylinder for the body. Add spots, a face and tiny arms once the shape is right.
nobody has ever made a bad one
03
Magnet with a face
One flat shape, under five centimetres. Draw into the surface with a needle tool before it dries, then glue a magnet on after firing.
the face is the whole job. go bold
04
Fortune cookie
A flat disc folded once and pinched. Add a little stamped tag on a jump ring and it becomes a hanging decoration.
fold it while the clay is still floppy
05
Trinket dish with faces
A rolled slab with the edges pinched up. Press circles into the base and give each one a face.
shallow. it is for rings, not soup
Why everyone goes home with a bowl
Because a bowl is what gets demonstrated. Forty minutes is not long, so people copy the thing they just watched, and the room fills up with twenty slightly different bowls.
That is the only reason. Not skill, not time, not the clay. So this page goes on the table before anyone touches anything.
put it out before they sit down
Once you have the hang of it
A bit more shape, a bit more patience. All of these still come from one lump of clay and your hands.
06
Incense holder
Flatten a disc, poke one hole at an angle, pinch a lip at the edge to catch the ash. Add a small pot alongside if you have time.
fastest useful thing in the book
07
Textured dish
Press lace, fabric or a stamp into a flat slab, then lift the edges into a shallow dish before it stiffens.
press harder than feels right
08
Pressed plant dish
Lay a stem or a flower head onto soft clay, roll over it, peel it away. The impression stays.
flat leaves print best. thick stems tear
09
Yes, a bowl
If you do make one, make it a good one. Keep the walls even, stop before they go thin, then paint it properly.
a bowl you chose beats a bowl you defaulted to
10
Face planter
A pinch pot with a nose pressed on and dents for eyes. Real glasses hooked over the top do the rest.
these photograph better than anything else
If you are feeling brave
These take the whole session. Good for anyone who has already made something they are pleased with and wants to push it.
11
Pinch pot animal
A pinch pot turned upside down is a body. Add eyes, feet and a wide mouth and it becomes a frog.
score every join or the legs fall off
12
Tealight holder
A hollow dome with holes cut for eyes, sitting over a tealight. The light comes through the gaps.
cut the holes bigger than you think
Five things that decide whether it survives
Everything here is the reason a piece cracks, falls apart, or comes back from the kiln in bits.
Nothing thicker than a finger
Thick clay traps air and can blow apart in the kiln, taking its neighbours with it. If a piece feels heavy for its size, hollow it out.
Score every join
Scratch both surfaces, wet them, press and smooth. Anything stuck on without scoring falls off. Ears, legs and tails are the usual casualties.
Punch holes while it's soft
Charms, tags and decorations all need their hole now. Keep a straw on every table, and make it bigger than looks right, because clay shrinks.
Small survives
Small pieces dry faster, fire faster and fail less often. Steer people away from anything bigger than a fist.
Initials on the bottom
Before it leaves the table, every single time. Twenty unmarked pots is a fortnight of guessing whose is whose.
Pick one. Make two.
Friend of Dorothy Pottery runs monthly. No experience, no wheel, no pressure to be good at it.
the wonky ones are the best ones
