Newest Felted Hand Bag - $120 Custom Order

You can custom order a bag just like this with the choice of 69 colours for $120.  Super durable, practically indestructible!  Measures 10" x 10" and 5" in width.  Why pay more for a Gucci, Prada or Coach bag when you can have a one-of-kind hand crafted original in your choice of colours?

If you do not knit or crochet you probably think $120 is expensive.  Here is the breakdown.  It took 20 hours to make and I am a fast crocheter.  Each square takes 45 minutes.  There are 16 squares.  Then they need to be sew together, strap and handle added.  Then felted, shaped and shaved (fuzzy from the felting process).  Shrinkage through felting means that I need to make everything 35% bigger, therefore more time and more yarn.  If I charged a minimum wage of $10 an hour, the bag would cost $200 not including the cost of the 100% wool.  Seems like a bargain now doesn't it?

Felted Tea Cozy - $60 Custom Order

A friend of mine asked me to make her a tea cozy for her father's birthday.  I hope he likes it! 

You can custom order a tea cozy just like this from a choice of 69 colours.  Measures 10" wide x 8.75" tall.

Crochet Classes - REDUCED Price

I have reduced the price for Introductory Crochet Classes to $65!  Sign up now for the upcoming classes in March or May 2011!

Felted Bowls - Medium - $45

Custom felted bowls are $45 - measures 7" wide and 4" high. Choose from 69 colours upon ordering.

Latest Felted Purse with Ceramic Button

This purse was designed by me as well as the ceramic button was made by me in my pottery studio. I will take custom orders for a purse like this - $99. For colour choices click here.

Ceramic Buttons

What goes better with crocheted sweaters, bags and accessories? Hand-made ceramic buttons! The first batch of 80 came out of the kiln this week. They will be available for sale directly from my studio, at Stitch 'n Bitch evenings or at craft fairs (Feb 12, 2011 - Roundhouse).

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Click on any of the photos above to zoom in and see the detail. The sizes range from 1.25" to 2.75". Prices are $1.50 - $2.50 each.

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To see more photos visit my Facebook Fan Page or Photo Album.

Tea Bag / Spoon Rest

My husband put his spoons or his tea bags on the corner of the sink and it makes me crazy so these tea bag/spoon rests were developed out of necessity! The measure 2.5 inches square. To purchase visit my online store. They can also be custom made with initials instead of the word tea or just one initial and 3 leaf imprints.

October 2009 Show Newspaper Article

Reminiscing on fleeting moments Encore Squamish Chief, Squamish, BC - Just found this archived article on the Art Show I did at the Foyer Gallery in October 2009. Enjoy!

Farmers’ Market making winter debut, Squamish, BC

Farmers’ Market making winter debut Local News Squamish Chief, Squamish, BC

See you at the February 12th market. Just in time for Valentine's Day!

The Pottery Process

To create a pot (term used for anything made of clay whether hand-built or on the wheel) the process takes 2 – 3 weeks. Initially each piece is made in 2 stages, the initial body of the work and any additional pieces which are added (handles, lids, decoration) or trimming of the feet (bottoms). Sometimes this occurs over 1 – 3 days depending on how wet each piece is. Too wet and it will collapse. Too dry and the additional pieces will not adhere to each other.

Depending on the time of year it may then take anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks to dry. Living here on the west coast of British Columbia where it can be quite damp especially during the winter months, it can take up to 2 weeks before a pot dries. Once it is dry it is called greenware.

The next stage is to bisque fire the greenware. Firing is the process of bringing clay and glazes up to a high temperature. The final aim is to heat the object to the point that the clay and glazes are “mature” – that is, that they have reached their optimal level of melting. (Pots and other clay objects won’t look melted; their melting is on the molecular level.)

Bisque firing the first time the pots go through high temperature heating. It is done in order to vitrify the clay pots enough that they won’t be harmed when glazes are applied, but not vitrified to such an extent that the glaze won’t adhere correctly.

The bone-dry greenware is very fragile and must be loaded into the kiln with a great deal of care. The kiln is closed and heating is slowly begun.

A very slow temperature rise is critical. During the beginning of the bisque firing, the last of the atmospheric water is driven out of the clay. If heated too quickly, the water will turn into steam while inside the clay body, causing the clay to burst.

When a kiln reaches about 660°F (350°C), the chemically bonded water will begin to be driven off. By the time the clay reaches 930°F (500°C), it will have become completely dehydrated. At this point the clay is changed forever; it is now a ceramic material.

The bisque firing continues until the kiln reaches about 1730°F (945°C). This usually takes 8 – 9 hours. At this temperature, the pot has sintered, making it less fragile while still porous enough to accept the application of glazes.

Once the desired temperature has been reached, the kiln is turned off. The cooling is also slow, to avoid the pots breaking due to stress from the temperature changes. After the kiln is completely cool, it is opened and the newly created bisqueware removed. I fire to cone 6 therefore I bring the temperature up to 2232°F (1222°C).

At this point the bisqueware can be glazed, painted (with glaze) and decorated with glaze using many different forms.

Once glazes have been applied to the bisqueware and have had a chance to dry, the ware is carefully loaded into the kiln for the glaze firing. Pots cannot be allowed to touch at all, or the glazes will melt together, welding the pots together.

The kiln is heated slowly to the proper temperature to bring the clay and glazes to maturity, and then slowly cooled again. This also takes about 8 – 10 hours. Only after the kiln has cooled will it be opened and unloaded. It usually takes 12 - 18 hours before it is safe to open.

Winter 2011 Newsletter

Happy New Year Everyone! Our Winter Newsletter just went out!!!

Lots of exciting things going on in the studio!