Home Stretch for the Dishes Set!

A few months ago, Jon and I worked out a plan with some friends of ours- furniture for pottery.  Our friend Gorg made us a beautiful table for our wedding gift.  This was at our request since at the time, we had a shorter table and our puppy kept stealing our breakfast from us.  And though she can still reach the taller table top, she has quit this lovely habit.  (Wow, the magic of consistency and training!)

So, since last August, I have been working in a piece here and there to get this set in in the works.  We didn't set a deadline for each other since we both lead busy lives that often require us to do other things than accessorize our friends homes- and have projects with more pressing deadlines to attend to.

However, the set came together piece by piece.  Through all this, I realized my kiln is not very plate friendly- My kiln is 24 inches wide.  The shelf is 22 inches.  So, for 11-12 in plates (they shrink from 12 to 11 in the course of firings, etc) you can only get one plate in per level so at most I was getting three plates per firing, and usually just one or two.  So, to get twelve of these through took quite a few loads! However, with the plates and bowls complete, I had to make a delivery to keep my studio shelves from being over loaded.  So, here is a look at my progress thus far- a couple pieces were not up to my standards so they will be replaced- and a couple more mugs are on the list, but overall, the set is looking ready for many meals, snacks and festivities!  

This is my sister Andrea and Mindy's youngest girl, Vanora.  We told V to give a big smile and this is what we got.  When we laughed, she refused to smile again.... as you can see in the rest of the pictures. 

Micaiah and Gideon 

The little lost butter dish.  I realized after unloading that he was missing.
 This made for a fun treasure hunt through the boxes to find this little guy. 

Happy mommy, kids- sad Vanora

Gideon- and sad Vanora

Mindy and me

Here are the jars I did for their kitchen back in December.

They are really only able to sit at the table without punching each other for so long...

Poor Vanora.

This has been a great project for me- it has really pushed me to pay attention to specifics like size, curvature, design, etc. to make things match just so.  Several of the plates intended for this set ended up under my plants as drip dishes due to  not being up to par with the others.  But, like anything handmade, these are not perfect by any means and have their unique maker's mark on each one.  But, that is life and that is what makes it interesting, spicy and special.

Love, 

Lisa