Firing the clay day pieces was challenging. The first attempt was made on Labor Day weekend, and was cut short by rain. I tried to regain the firing but the temperature rose too quickly, and I had to shut the kiln down, leaving the pieces underfired. The second firing was yesterday, and was successful. I hope the kids (and grownups!) are as pleased with their pieces as I am.

Here are a few favorite “other” pieces from the firing.

Plant pot:

Soap dishes:

Spoon rests:

I am still having temperature variance issues with the kiln. The cones on the right were in the top, and in fact, the pieces that were on the top shelf will have to be refired. I think I’ll need to start leaving that top shelf empty if it is too close to the top. It only had about five inches clearance from the lid and it just doesn’t get hot enough up there. Getting more studio time in the new year should help, since I’ll have more variety of sizes and shapes to stack into the kiln, as well as more practice using it.