Almost Perfect

Sometimes you get pretty close.

Sometimes something you've planned and worked hard on comes out exactly the way you want.

But not always.

This is one of *those* times.


I made this little teapot as the final project of last semester's ceramics class. I wanted a teapot that was about 25% larger than the beehive one I used as my everyday teapot because it was just a little smaller than two normal (Lisa sized) tea mugs.  There are a ton of things I absolutely love about this pot.  

• It's the right size
• It's a happy shape
• It has a little 'hat' for a lid
• The lid fits precisely
• The glaze looks like little fish scales

See how nice the shape is? I've worked hard, practicing on the wheel for over 5 years to be able to do something like this. It's also well balanced in the hand and not too heavy. For this teapot, I was able to throw the spout and the cover, which were both new skills for me.

 So what's the problem?

Um. Well. You see. . . The holes inside got sealed in by the glaze.

So I have this utterly lovely, perfect, and perfectly unusable teapot.

We're still getting used to the way these new glazes flow and although I blew in the holes after I glazed the teapot, it still flowed into the holes.

Ahh well. I'm still pleased in what I was able to do and the next time I sit down at the wheel, I can recreate this teapot. Only this time, with much bigger pour holes.