Oct. Session 1 Clay Weaving Part 1

The first Art Club of the 2013-14 school year was a huge success! Art Clubbers got to meet their friends, Middle School and High School Art Helpers that they will be with for the year.

Our first project is weaving with clay! Sounds pretty strange huh? Never thought you could weave with clay did you? Well you can! We are weaving a clay bowl. Students used a Styrofoam bowl as a mold to hold their bowl in place.

First the warp of the weaving needed to be created. Students rolled 5 clay worms that were draped across their bowl in a radial formation. Their bowl was inverted and covered in a wet paper towel so the clay did not stick to the Styrofoam bowl.

Clubbers rolled many more clay worms for their clay weft. These worms were woven through the warp in an under-over, under-over repetition starting at the bowls bottom center working towards the top lip of the bowl. Members had to press their clay weaving tight into the mold and remove any excess clay worms that were poking out.

Their bowls need to dry out for a few days and then I will Bisque Fire them to remove all moisture, making them permanently hard for glazing.

The kids, helpers and my hands were full of clay while creating so not many pictures got taken during the creation process. Here are some of the bowls at the end of Art Club. They look great!!

Thanks for visiting!
-Ms. B