Ceramic Spoon Rest & Utensil Holder

This past year my daughter moved and I thought it would be fun to make her something for her new kitchen....so I made her a spoon rest and utensil holder using clay and leaves. 

Supplies

clay, I used red grog cone 06
clay cutter
rolling pin
leaves
slip
glazes 
9Z
X15 cardboard template
leaves etching tool
glaze brush
Kiln

Spoon Rest

choose leaf to use for spoon rest and roll clay large enough to fit shape.

press the leaf into the clay, run your fingernail gently along the veins of the leaf to indent them into the clay

using the etching pin cut away the excess clay from around the leaf.

Carefully remove the leaf
 from the clay

place the clay leaf shape on a drying board, roll small 
pieces of clay and put them under the edges of the leaf to give it the shape of a fallen leaf. 

when the clay is leathery or has begun to harden I smoothed the edges with a small sponge

Utensil Holder

Roll large enough piece od clay to cut the 9X15 shape. 

For clay into a cylinder shape, set aside

roll a large enough piece of clay to place the cylinder on to cut base.

use tool to cut clay for base, give about 1/2 inch around bottom.

reach inside cylinder and with finger tips apply pressure from the inside of the holder, then using a finger push the clay up on the outside edge to secure the base of the utensil holder. 

roll more clay and begin to press more smaller leaf shapes into the clay, again use fingernail to apply pressure to get veins indented into clay.

cut the shapes from the clay, remove the leaf, if it rips or gets stuck it is okay it will burn off in the kiln

Using slip, (liquid form 
of clay, it acts like glue on the wet clay.) smear the leaf shapes and attach to the cylinder

This is a fig leaf from my daughter's Great grandfathers' fig tree!

the leaves can overlap

I use a bit of water on my finger to smooth the rough edges of the leaf shapes. 

If slip squishes out a paintbrush
 can be used to clean up the wet clay.

Glaze

When pieces are thoroughly dry , fire to a bisque ware in the kiln, I used an o6 cone.

I used clear glaze 
for the inside of the utensil holder. I poured it in and out. I like the clear glaze on the red 
clay, it looks very earthy. 

I chose an overglaze called speckled brown for the outside of the Utensil Holder

and the spoon rest

Final Firing

The pieces are fired again in the kiln and ready to wrap for the holiday gift giving.