While I wouldn’t want to make these every day, they were a fun challenge. These tea-for-one sets were the result of a special request from a co-worker whose girlfriend collects this type of tea set. I decided to make two very different sets and let him choose…
A teapot is always a tricky venture, even without having to make sure the pot fits in the cup, the handles line up, etc.
The process reminded me a little of making gingerbread houses from scratch with my kids…with every step there is a real possibility of total disaster!
The body of the teapot, body of the cup, lid, lid handle and spout are each made individually on the pottery wheel, dried to “leather hard” and then trimmed and joined together, along with the “pulled” handles for the teapot and teacup.
The pieces are allowed to dry slowly to avoid warping, and then bisque fired to almost 2000 degrees (a 24-hour process of firing and cooling).
Glaze is applied (the lavender one was brushed with three coats of glaze and then hand-painted with a black “ink”; the multicolor one was brushed with three different glazes – one with little crystals which burst to make the dots) and then fired again in a fast glaze firing.
(He chose the tall, funky set for the gift.)
Happy New Year!!