The Race To The Finish Line

We have three deadlines to meet. Etsy orders to ship on Friday, Pottery for the Piedmont Craftsmen's show next week, as well as the local Celebration of Seagrove Potters show. We unloaded a bisque in the gas kiln and started glazing on Sunday, while we had another bisque load firing in our neighbors electric kiln. Since the move we have not wired our electric kiln. It may be time to get that done, although it won't be as easy as one would think, but that's a whole other blog post.

We had a lot of pots that needed to be sprayed with ash glaze. In reality, all the pots for Piedmont Craftsmen had to be sprayed. Jeff got started on some and I took over mid-afternoon. When I flipped the switch on the compressor it made some very strange noises and didn't produce any air. Thinking it had run too long, I shut it down and gave it a rest. Twenty minutes later and still nothing.

Jeff had to leave in two hours to do the evening shift at David Stuempfle's wood kiln.
The next day we would have another load of pots that would need spraying.
Thankfully, there is a Harbor Freight in nearby Asheboro!

I hopped in the car at 3:00 pm and at 4:30 arrived home with a new compressor.

It's a step up from the very old one and on sale, was under $60. While I was gone, Jeff took the old one apart and put it back together.

It's been working fine ever since.

At least we have a back up.

Deadlines

We (especially Jeff) are working hard to get the pots we need done for the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair next month. This is Jeff's gig. It's his work at this show. I become the assistant during the month of July. We usually have a good idea of what will sell. Bowls are always a winner. Big bowls often go first.

 It's been hot the last couple of days and we are really appreciative of working in an air conditioned studio. It sure makes life easier.

Deadlines

Thursday and Friday we loaded the kiln to fire a bisque. Lots of things weren't dry so we fired very slowly. Jeff  snoozed on the sofa overnight, setting his alarm to keep checking the kiln. As soon as it's cool we will glaze and load her up again. We have orders to ship next Friday.

 Jeff created two more custom skull mugs. These are a little more cartoon-like than the last. The buyer sent photos of what they had in mind. I think this one is pretty cool!

This week we are back to piggy bank production. Since the first of December, I have take thirteen new orders. I always get a stressed when the deadline is Christmas delivery. I don't want to be the person that doesn't deliver a gift on time!

Deadlines

 Jeff leaves on Monday for Japan and South Korea. We have vessel sinks and piggy banks that need to be shipped before his trip. In order to get everything in the bisque firing, Jeff did his creative kiln extension trick...

A layer of brick with some fiber and we were good to go!

I thought this piggy bank order came at just the right time...

Yep, there is money in pigs! The piggy banks sure helped us purchase our new home. Jeff and I also joke that they bought us a brick house. As the story goes, the little pig that built the brick house was safe from the huffing and puffing, big bad wolf.

Labor Day Weekend

We don't have a grocery store in Seagrove. They are building one, but it's been in process for four years now. I might be retired or dead by the time it opens. In the meantime it's about a fifteen minute drive to buy food. This summer there has been a guy in truck parked on the Pottery Highway, about 1/4 mile from us, selling fruits and vegetables. It's been very convenient to buy fresh tomatoes every few days. His prices are reasonable too. We didn't grow tomatoes this year, only basil and greens. Jeff and I both love tomatoes and can go through quite a few in no time at all. 

 A few weeks ago I tried my hand at making tomato pie. It's a little time consuming to put together, but it's worth the effort. I have been using either a frozen or refrigerated  pie crust, to cut down on some of the work. It's a recipe from the infamous Paula Deen so of course you know it's very rich. I cut the mayonnaise in half. I can't imagine it with more than that. I have also added a few strips of bacon, cooked and chopped. The key to a less sloppy pie is to drain your tomatoes longer than the recipe says. I even layer a couple of paper towels between them to squeeze out some more liquid. The recipe says to peel and slice the tomatoes. The easiest way to peel them is to blanch them. Ms. Deen even shows you how to do that in the video.
You can find the recipe here. If you love tomatoes, I think you will love this pie.

Aside from eating, we have been making pots and finishing pots. Right now, Jeff is fast asleep, after firing the kiln overnight. I think I heard him creep into bed at 7:15 am. We have a deadline to meet and orders to fill.

These little pigs were made on August 27th, put outside to dry on the 28th, bisque fired the 29th, glazed and loaded in the gas kiln on the 30th. Lots of other pots were pushed through as well. We keep the bisque under 200 degrees for a few hours. Once there is no steam coming out of the kiln we fire as usual. A blow up is a rare event in the bisque firing and we usually have a few wet or damp pots in every kiln load.

My plan for the day is to finish unpacking from the Lazy Days show. Right now it looks like our trailer threw up it's contents onto the porch. I can't look at the mess for another day. Jeff (when he wakes up) is heading down the road to help Fred Johnston cut wood and get ready for a wood firing this week.
It's definitely Labor Day weekend here at the pottery... we are laboring away as usual.