On Day 6, the platter was dry and it was able to go through its initial bisque firing. After that, I glazed.  It doesn't really take that long to glaze one platter, but I can't run the kiln for just one item.  So I glazed a whole load.  It took me several days, but I think there will be a nice variety of things coming out of this load.

While I wait for the clay to dry on my platter, I thought I would share several ways that I add different textures to platters. Stamping, rolling, pressing, and carving into clay are all used.  I can't decide which is my favorite, and I am always trying something new. I have lots of ideas for next time.
Also, I wanted to share a link to the website of the company that makes the rolling pins: https://pastrymade.com
​Or you can click on the link below

Waiting for clay to dry - just the right amount - is always a challenge.  You have to catch it when it has hardened enough to hold its shape, but not too dry to trim the edges.  Then there is more waiting.  And these platters do need to dry evenly (which means slowly for me).
It is always nice to see how that pattern looks as I remove the wooden form.

When I make things on the pottery wheel, after it dries a bit I flip it over and trim the bottom and "add" a foot ring.  "Adding" the foot ring on the pottery wheel actually consists of cutting away part of the clay to leave a ring along the bottom. But when working with a slab, I do actually add strips of clay to make the foot.  Then comes the waiting for the clay to dry, very slowly - that's the hardest part.

Adding textures and patterns to the clay can be lots of fun.  Again, so many ideas that its hard to narrow it down.  This video shows adding the texture and getting the clay onto the form.

I recently purchased a couple of new patterned rolling pins from a company in Poland.  They are the perfect size to make rectangular platters, so I've been inspired to make a few.  I thought it might be fun to share my process.  My problem is that I have more ideas than I have time to complete! Here is the first installment of my video adventure (it was quite the endeavor to figure out how to do it all - I will do better in the future and try not to include views of the top of my head).  This one just covers the process of rolling out the clay to prepare it for customizing it.