First Firing 2018

We have been glazing pots for our first glaze firing of the new year. The weather has put us behind this month. We should have fired this kiln a week ago. With the extreme cold and the recent snow, it just didn't get done on time. The majority of this kiln load is orders. So far everyone has been understanding about the delay. 

When the temperature is barely above freezing during the day, and dips into the 20's at night, we have to be sure that our kiln is loaded, door bricked, and ready to fire in one day. Pots can't sit in the kiln overnight when it's that cold. After we load today and brick up the door, we will look at the weather forecast and decide whether to fire all night or start in the morning. If it's not too cold we can turn a burner on low for a few hours tonight to keep some heat in there until morning.

I always start glazing sponge holders first. I think of it as a warm up exercise. It helps me get into the groove of doing my least favorite job.

There are about thirty piggy banks and salt pigs in this firing. I hope I got all the names with the right color combinations! I will have a few extras to put in the Etsy shop. It's always good to have a few that are ready to ship. Ideally I would like to have at least a dozen on hand. That is my goal for the next month.

On the home front, I actually took out the down comforter for the bed. I have rarely used it since moving to North Carolina. I am not sure who is enjoying it more, us or Sophie cat!

Keeping Warm and Trying to Stay Productive

The arctic air has settled in to Seagrove, NC. It seems we spend a good part of our day trying to keep warm and making sure the pipes don't freeze. I was fascinated by how the faucet in the bathroom sink creates a bubble when it's on the slow drip.

We had a short snow squall late in the day on Wednesday. In just a half an hour, more snow fell than from the entire winter storm of the previous day.

The expected high for the day is 18 degrees. The low tonight will be 4. I think that may be the coldest I have experienced since moving south. I am really longing for Spring this year.

Studio work is slowly getting done. While I have been working on more square bakers and bowls, Jeff has been completing a wholesale goblet order. This time of year we are thankful for the wholesale work because we don't have too many people shopping in Seagrove. Temps will climb into the mid 40s & 50's by the weekend. I hope that will stir some shoppers out of hibernation.

running water

We spent today battling the frozen water pump/pipes issue that comes along with arctic temps in a structure that wasn't designed for this kind of weather. As I looked at the dishes piling up in the sink, my mind drifted to the vessel sinks that Jeff has been making, and shipping out across this country and Canada...

Jeff's sinks are a generous size, deep and wide enough to function well. I have seen, and used, many vessel sinks that just weren't deep enough to wash your hands in without splashing water everywhere.
Clicking on the first photo will take you to Jeff's Etsy shop where you can take a look at pricing etc. We have a few sinks in stock, but most are custom ordered.

I am hoping that tomorrow we will have water and I can wash all those dishes that are piling up! In the meantime, I hope you are all fairing well in these frigid temps.