Pottery Blog - Making Handmade Mugs & Tableware — Handmade Mug & Bowl Designs

I’ve recently experimented making handmade stoneware bowls with an expanded decoration. They have been made using a homemade wooden paddle which has lines sawn into it at different angles. To begin with the bowls were thrown into a fairly tall cylinder shape. With one hand supporting the inside, and the wheel stopped, the outside of the cylinder was whacked with the paddle a number of times. After this the inside of the bowl was opened out, making sure not to touch the outside and spoil the pattern. By pulling the pot out like this it creates an expanded decoration –...

My previous yarn bowls have proved quite popular and I’ve had some enquiries about when I’ll be making more, so I set to work on a day I had all to myself. I decided to try out some new ideas for yarn bowls, and thought I’d experiment more with flower themed decoration. I really liked the Sgraffito work on this old plant pot I found at my great aunts house. I did a few sketches using it as inspiration. I haven’t really done any Sgraffito work before, but it can give a really nice finish. The lines have a much...

This is a collection of articles documenting the evolution of my handmade mugs range which has changed a lot since writing this blog. Some of my current work is linked to at the start of the article. The mug is one of the most personal pottery items, everyone has their favourite mug they couldn’t live without! That’s why I love making them so much. My decoration styles have changed over the years. Currently I am enjoying making carved patterns in leather hard clay, and layering glazes to highlight the designs. If you are interested in buying stoneware mugs or other handmade...