How To Make Pottery, A Step
We do not use the shortcut methods of press moulding, buying bisque ware from outside suppliers, or using mechanical devices to make the pots. Cindy does all the wheel throwing on an electric potter's wheel and all the slab pottery is built by hand. The only moulding we do is some slump moulding of platters, and even then each is made from a slab rolled on the slab roller and cut by hand before being draped into a mould.
Our clay is purchased from the Plainsman Clay Company which is located in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Plainsman processes clays from Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, as well as Montana to provide raw materials for potters all over Western Canada. We work with different clay bodies depending on what we are building and to obtain a bisqued product with which our glazes will fit well. For wheel thrown pottery the red and brown clays are first "pugged" in a pug mill to thoroughly blend them. White clay is simply wedged straight from the box. Our pug mill was made for us by a local machinist and inventor, Guy Ells aka "Moonlight Manufacturing".
I say that loosely because there wasn't much relaxing going on. We purposely put our nose to the grindstone and dedicated the days to getting this place painted, as well as finishing up some other long-put-off job. One of those put-off jobs was sewing up a roman shade for our bedroom. I LOVE me some roman shades.
If I could (and hopefully eventually I will), I would have them on every window in the house and do away with those dust collecting mini blinds forever. The problem here lies solely in finding a good block of time where I can sit down uninterrupted and sew away. Our little renocation (I'm stealing the word from a friend cause I think it's brilliant) provided the perfect opportunity. I thought while I was at it, I'd take pictures and write up with a "how-to" for any of you who might be interested in tackling some shades of your own.
When I learned how to make them, all I had was a bit of chicken scratching and a rough sketch to go by. I would have loved some really clear instructions, so I've tried to do my best here for you. These shades are not difficult to make, they just require some time and patience. Can't beat that, right, First you'll need to purchase your supplies - obviously! Figure out the measurements of you window and make sure the fabric you choose is wide enough.
I typically buy 1.5 meters (roughly 1.7 yards) and I always have enough to cover a standard window. First off, give your fabric a good ironing. A crisp press makes a sewing project sooo much easier! I always press both the fabric and lining. Measure the width and height of the inside of your window where the shade will be hanging. Then, cut out your fabric adding 1/2" to each side and 4" to the length.
Now take your lining and mark out your measurements for the tube tape (show below) with pins. The first row of tape should be 5 inches from the bottom. The next row should be 8 inches up and repeat with three more rows 8 inches apart. Tube tape is a fantastic product that has little loops along the top of the tape for running nylon cord through (as shown above) and a pocket along the bottom (shown below) where you can insert a dowel.
If you are still unsure of what you are looking for, ask for tube tape used for roman shades at your fabric store and they should hopefully know what you're looking for. Now it's time to pin down the tube tape. Pin the tape to the right side of the lining and start at the bottom.
You have already measured out five inches and marked it with a pin. Pin your tape down with the bottom of the tape right above the marking pin (as shown above). Keep measuring as you pin your tape across the width of the lining, making sure you are keeping the tape straight.
