Latte for two, please!

This pair of lovelies came about as a way of teaching a dear woman who has always admired my ceramic designs and didn't believe she could be a creative artist herself, just how super easy-peasy it was to create a sweet little rose shape using an old t-shirt ripped and dipped in clay slip.

Of course, being me, I felt the need to add to the embellishing of the cup shape with a snippet of delicate cotton lace and a tiny sculpted leaf. The lesson took all of 15 minutes and was a big smiling success!

I begin with creating the basic cup shape knowing I would need it to have a base wide enough to place the vintage lace and tiny t-shirt flower with a leaf so that each will all attach easily and won't slip off while it is still wet clay, that way it all becomes one when it dries completely.

Then I cut the snippet of lace to the perfect size to fit the base without overlapping the ends and then dip it in slip and manipulate the clay throughout the lace and attach it carefully to the base matching up the two ends and tucking the top edge of lace in carefully along the base of the cup.

I've created the flowers on each of the vases using on old ripped cotton t-shirt snippet approximately 1 inch wide by 5 inches long and have also dipped it in slip and have simply twirled it around the tip of my forefinger and dropped it in place on the base of the mug.  The little leaf was created by hand with a small piece of clay rolled flat and using craft scissors to cut a leaf shape with zigzag along the edges of the clay then with a dull pencil pulled a line down the center  of the leaf and carefully attached it to the classic latte cup shape and tucked into the side of the flower.

It is touched up and dried completely before putting it into a kiln firing at 1200 degrees. The fabrics burn out at this temperature but you are left with the clay design that coated them and when it comes out of its first firing you can then chose your favorite colors of glazes to be added to make it beautiful and waterproof, and it is fired a final time.

Thrilled to share the creative fun in Somerset Home Magazine!

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