Who's the mug?

The price is right...

I often get asked to make mugs but they're fiddly little buggers. First you've got to get them all the same height and width (let's be clear here, I'm no production potter, in fact if skill level is judged by the 10,000 pot rule, I'm barely off the starting line). Pulling a handle is as uncomfortably sexual as it sounds and as difficult as getting a decent date on a Friday night (not for me now you understand, I have the company of the lovely Mr B), then if you let the bodies dry that little bit too much you can't turn them and attaching the handle can become a disaster out of all proportion to the actual price you can charge for a plain drinking vessel. Of course, if you've got the time - or the inclination - to hand-paint them with a pretty pattern or fire three times to add a few transfers then you can probably ask a little more but try to charge upwards of a tenner for a mug and people think you've gone money mad! If your handle stays attached on the first firing then that's all well and good, but you've also got to make sure when glazing that the rim that 'kisses your lips' (copyright Kate Malone - The Great Pottery Throwdown) is super smooth. So, if you want a mug, I'm happy to make it but be aware it will probably contain blood, sweat and tears... hence the price!