Mollie makes all of our pottery from scratch either on the potters wheel or from slabs of clay. Each item is made in small batches which allows us to focus on the usability and functionality of each piece.
Every item, with the exception of our 2nd Release items, is weighed out into a specific sized peice of clay. Each item ball of pre-weighed clay is then placed onto the potters wheel where Mollie hand throws each item to specified dimensions. We allow for about 1/8" variation in our pieces during the making process. Once formed on the potters wheel each item is wrapped in plastic to ensure an even drying.
The next day (or possibly up to a week later) the piece is uncovered and wired off the bat, which is the surface that the wares are made on atop the potters wheel. These items are flipped over to then allow the bottoms to dry to be trimmed.
In the trimming stage the wares are still malleable but there is some moisture remaining in the clay to be able to alter the shape and/or add a handle. If the item requires a handle, Mollie makes the handle at this stage from a strip of clay, which is allow to air-dry while the batch is being trimmed. Each item is trimmed on the potters wheel which creates a finished bottom surface for the vessel. At this stage, the handle is then attached and smoothed and the items are set aside lightly covered in plastic to dry for a few days or weeks, however long is needed for all of the moisture to escape the pot.
Once fully dry the wares are dry sanded to smooth any rough spots and placed into the kiln. This can take anywhere from a day to two days for the kiln to fire and cool.