Seattle pottery classes January-March 2010

My next 10 week session begins the week of January 4th, 2010.
Open Registration begins TODAY, December 7th, 2009!
Visit bdpottery for details and up to date registration information and availability. Refresh the screen there if you can't see the updated classes.

Individual and semi-private lessons also available.

Holiday Pottery Sale!

In Seattle? Please join me this coming week, December 4th-6th (Fri-Sun) for my Winter Pottery Sale at my studio!

I’ll have a great selection available in stock and I’ll also be taking custom orders.
French butter keepers, ornaments, bells, candle luminaries, bowls of all sizes, mugs, tumblers and much more.

A selection of my work is also online at Etsy
Everything you see there is 10% off in person at my studio.

December 4th-6th
Friday through Sunday (please note: Husky Game on Saturday afternoon so plan accordingly!)
11am-4pm each day.
Or call for appointments 206.229.3311

Barbara Dunshee’s Home Studio
1060 26th Ave E.
Seattle, WA 98112
Google Map Link:


I look forward to welcoming you to the studio!
-Barbara

Ceramic Bells, stringing them up, by Barbara Dunshee

This video is the FINAL installment of my ceramic bell making lesson. It shows you one way of stringing the bells together. Hope this helps!

NOTES:
-I used 20lb test fishing line for stringing the clapper to the stop. Other strings will do, but you don't want them too stiff.
-I used thin copper wire as a threader for getting the soft ribbon through the holes in bell and stop.
-If the holes are too small for your ribbon, you can use string between the stop and the ribbon and tie the ribbon to the top of the bell (of course it can get a little trickier if the holes are too small for the ribbon to pass through).

How do the bells sound?

These are a few of the ceramic bells from my video lessons, in action! They're available for purchase at my Etsy shop.

The bells are done! Well, some of them

I'm now in the process of stringing the fired bells, photographing and listing.
I'll make a video on stringing once I get a better system going. I'm still trying to find a more efficient process to share. You don't want to watch me fumbling around.

Ceramic bell making video, Glazing and firing them, by Barbara Dunshee

Another segment of my ceramic bell making videos. "Part 5" was originally to be about stringing together the parts of the bells I'd made in previous videos. But after glazing and firing them I realized there needed to be a video about that glazing and firing, so this is the alternative "Part 5".

Part 1 through 4 can be found archived on this blog.
Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 all deal with creating the outer bell shape.

Part 4s making the clappers.

Ceramic bell making, Parts 4 of 5, clappers and stoppers, by Barbara Dunshee

These three short video snippets below are a continuation of my ceramic bell making lesson. Previously on this blog Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 all deal with creating the outer bell shape.
In Part 4a I'm demonstrating how great these bells sound when finished. 4b, I demonstrate the sound making "clapper" of the bell. 4c I make the clay bead that holds the clapper at the right level inside the bell. Part 5, next Tuesday, will be stringing all the fired pieces together.

Video 4a: Ringing some finished bells to show off their lovely sound.


Video 4b: forming the bell clapper


Video 4c: forming the bead that secures the string and wiring mechanisms.


Enjoy these two video snippets and stay tuned for the rest!