DIY ceramic hanging

by Sunday Lane

In this time, we are embracing slow, relishing the quiet moments and sinking into what brings us joy. We are feeling less pressure to 'do' which in turn is stirring the creativity within.

Our simple DIY hand built ceramic wall hanging will add a sweet touch to any space - after all it's the small details that instil a room with soul. Making is quite a meditative practise, especially when working with clay as you are forced to move your hands slowly and precisely to smooth and soften. We hope it brings you calm amidst the storm.

Step 1:
Separate portions of your clay to make the small bobbles and a large ball just smaller than the size you would like your dome. You can make these to any scale you like, perhaps even mix up the size of the small bobbles. We created ours all approximately 2cm wide, and for the dome we separated a piece 5cm wide.

Step 2:
Wet your hands with a few drops of water and smooth the ball of clay that you will use for your dome. Make an indent in the centre of this with your thumb then start pinching the sides upwards, smoothing as you go so that the walls of the dome are a consistent thickness.

Step 3:
Turn the dome the right way up and using a skewer pierce a hole in the centre, so that later you can thread your hanging string through. Dip your finger in some water and do a final smooth over the outside to remove any bumps or marks.

Step 4:
Roll your smaller bobbles to form perfect circles, keeping your hands slightly damp to ensure they are smooth. Then thread onto your skewers, leaving a gap between each bobble. Place the skewers over a cup or bowl while they dry.

Step 5:
Cut another section of clay and press flat with your thumb so that it is about a half centimetre thick. With your knife cut a half moon shape then smooth the edges with a bit of water on your finger. Pierce two holes, on the top and bottom for threading the string through later then set all pieces to air dry for a minimum 24 hours.

Step 6:
Once the clay pieces are fully dry you're ready to thread them onto the string. Our tip is to first lay these out and try different arrangements until you create a pattern you like. Then start threading each piece, tying knots to keep them in place on the string. After that you're ready to hang and enjoy!