Necessity is certainly the mother...

...of all inventions! I wanted something that could make foot rims or decorative lips on my pottery. I searched EVERYWHERE for potter's tools shaped like the ones in my mind's eye! What did I find, you ask? Nothing! So what do you do when no one will sell you what you need? Well...you make your own of course!

So I explained to dad what I was looking for expecting to whittle myself a tool from a Popsicle stick and sandpaper...but NO!! (not in this family!!) ha! It never hurts to have a family full of eccentric "junk" collectors! Between dad's accumulation of gadgets and my grandfather's collection of oddities there's probably a tool to do just about anything you can dream up! Anyway, back to the story...

I had a lesson in milling machines, lathes, bandsaws, belt sanders, and even a drill press...I mean who has their own milling machine? Really?

The result? Two amazing little tools that have added a little flair to the foot of each pot! I think they will be put to great use! Thanks for the "shop class" dad...glad we both still have all our fingers!

my what a lovely foot you have...

Lion on the ground...

Well, week #2 in a row that I have been able to get to dad's and turn a few pieces.  I still really suck at this whole "centering" thing and I like to blame the crooked pots on that...although I'm sure that there are other reasons! ha!  I managed to turn a few pieces that are gradually getting larger in size and scale to the others I have turned. 

lion decapitation

Sometimes it doesn't always work out...this poor lion lost his head during the bisque firing...but then again, I'd probably lose my head at cone 6 as well, ha!  I've only had a couple of the pieces that didn't make it through the entire process so I can't complain really...

it's just like riding a bike...

...if that bike is a unicycle and you do not belong to the traveling circus performing group! Ha!  So first time I have tried to turn since before Christmas, and other than the initial "getting back into it" it really wasn't so bad.  I didn't tear anything apart today and actually managed to turn about 4 pots!



I haven't forgotten how just yet...

 I think maybe if I can get up to dad's a couple of times a month I might actually get a few pieces turned and glazed to sell in the October show? (at the rate I'm going though, it looks like I will be of much more use behind the B.R. Hilton staff tent than in the studio! ha!)

a couple that might make it to the show?

Face the facts...

People like face jugs!  I have never understood the fascination with these pieces, but there are so many potters and so many collectors that really go crazy over these jugs?  So in the spirit of Catawba Valley potters and the obsession with face jugs dad turned a pitcher and we put 3 faces on it.  One by B.R. Hilton, one by Robert Hilton, and one by me...probably the only thing like this you will ever see with all three of us, but it was really fun! 

left: Robert Hilton  center: B.R. Hilton  right: Heather Hilton

I think it's only appropriate that the face jug was a Christmas gift for my aunt Linda...the biggest fan any of Hilton pottery any of us could have!

family works for free right?

I'm sure hoping so! ha!  I put my brother (Robert) to work on creating a logo for Heather Hilton pottery.  I mean, if I'm going to keep making it I might as well have the full marketing to support the process right?  Ha ha!  So anyway, after spending three times the amount of time I have spent turning creating a "signature" and driving Robert absolutly bonkers with my constant "what if you moved this here..." and "oh no, I like it better over there" I think we have a logo! 


artist at work...


He created the logo from one of my earliest pieces, a little pot with rings on the side.  He is quite a talented artist and I think he really was happiest showing off his fancy tablet drawing board and computer programs.

oh glazing, how you infuriate me!

Like it's not hard enough to turn the pieces, trim the pieces, and bisque fire them...then you have to glaze them!  If you haven't had the joy of this experience yet, let me just tell you...it can all be over with one wrong dip...ha!

So, another lesson learned the hard way (or possibly the hard-headed way) is don't experiment with glazes on pieces you like, use the ones that you aren't sure about to try new things on...

My winter man, and my dogwoods are just a little off in the coloring, but that coffee mug with the floral design, it is a HOT MESS!  The glaze ran down and clumped, the color is okay but boy was it too thick! Gotta work on my glazing skills before the next time around.

In the Lion's Den

I am really starting to like this whole sprig mold experience!  I made a few bowls today and tried out a couple of new designs...one looks like what I'm going to call "Mr. Winter" and another "Mr. Fall" and I put a few rings on either side of the pots.

Mr. Fall (left) and Mr. Winter (right)

But I have to say my very favorite so far is this lion!  I turned a wide bowl and then made the lion heads.  It wasn't quite right so I added a ring between his teeth!  Now let's hope the ring survives the bisque firing, it's so smalll I'm afraid it could get broken or cracked...

the first Lion attempt...