The No-Drama
Pottery Club
The Best Things in Life Are Free! We agree!
Wanna pick up a new hobby, get creative, build something with your hands? Maybe you've been doing ceramics for years.
Either way — welcome!
Hi, this is Femke writing to you, and ceramics has become one of my favourite things in life.
did not see that coming!
I love, love, love being creative. I've been working in branding for years, but I'm also a bit of a silly perfectionist.
I thought while doing pottery you needed to be okay with not knowing what you'd end up with. And I didn't want to make 'art'. I wanted to make things. Things I'd actually use. Things I'd take out of the cupboard in the morning, thinking man…that's the perfect mug for me.
One day while working with my bestie Rosalia, I mentioned that I'd love to do pottery but didn't want to go through the whole wheel extravaganza.
She said ‘Haven’t you heard about a little something called slab building, silly?’
Rolling clay. Building with paper templates. The possibility of actually planned, intentional homemade ceramics.
Things that didn't look like something I made in 3rd grade.
Without a wheel, without years of practice. I tried it and never looked back.
God bless Rosalia (I love you, girl)!
Everyone can do this!
My husband Ben tested our free template — he had never touched clay in his life. You can see his result at the bottom of this page. And it's a banger!
Here, you'll get the whole starter kit:
a home pottery tool list
four guides that cover literally everything
a newsletter that keeps the inspo coming (psst — there's a free template hiding in there)
and another free template on top!
Let’s go and all build something beautiful together.
The kit that gets you started
This is the stuff we actually use and where we get it here in Germany.*
Most of it you'll find anywhere in the world, but we figured: why not share our ideas on what works and what doesn’t? Finding the good things when you're just starting out is trickier than it should be.
*Not sponsored. Just things we genuinely love.
Let’s start with the stuff you probably already have at home:
Printer and paper
The most sustainable option is to glue your printed template onto cardstock or an old cereal box — it'll last you ages. If you have a printer that handles it, 120g/m² or 160g/m² paper works great too. But regular copy paper is totally fine — and if it gets too soggy or warped after a few uses, just print a new one.
Scissors or craft knife
Any kinds work!
Rolling pin
Straight and cylindrical, about 40 cm. The tapered kind won't give you an even slab. Use a wooden one, so that the clay doesn’t stick to it.
Craft or kitchen knife
Any small knife will work.
Sponge and a small bowl
You’ll need a smaller one made of dense foam for smoothing surfaces and blending joins. If buying, buy in bulk, you’ll go through a lot of them.
*Don't use tools you stole from your kitchen for cooking after they've become magical clay tools.
What you can buy at your local store or online:
Guide sticks
Pick up a square pine modelling strip (ca. 100 × 0.6 × 0.6 cm) from your hardware store and ask them to cut it in half — instant perfect guide sticks. You can also buy these at Amazon, search “pottery guide sticks”. Remember to get them with a thickness of 0.6 cm (1/4").
Work board (MDF, wood or canvas)
Your rolling, building, and drying surface. At least 60 × 90 cm, 18 mm thick. MDF, plywood, or solid wood all work. Any hardware store will cut it to size. We wouldn't want to work without it anymore — but a piece of canvas or an old kitchen towel works as well!
Clay
The star of the show. Stoneware with a little grog is ideal for slab building (20-40% fine grog), low or mid firing temperature. This works with most firing services, so you're covered wherever you fire. Going kiln-free? Air-dry clay works great for flat projects. Find it at your local pottery supplier or a good art supply store.
Since you've been asking: We love the Carl Jäger Tonmasse 8F/FS — white, 20% grog, fires between 1000–1120°C, perfect for slab building. We use Georg & Schneider Ton 751 AirDry, white-beige.
Rib tool
A rib tool is your best bet for smoothing surfaces and creating clean edges. We love the firmer rubber ones at your local pottery or craft store, or on Amazon. Metal ribs work great too, especially the straight ones for sharp, clean edges. In a pinch, an old credit card does the job.
Scoring tool
A handheld scoring tool works best. You can also use a serrated metal rib — find one at your local craft store. If you're just getting started with pottery, an old fork works just fine too.
Small brush
Any small brush will work.
Angle Tool
Essential for clean joins! When building mugs, cups, or any upright form, you cut the edges at a 45° angle — they fit together perfectly and create a much stronger, neater seam. At Amazon or a similar store.
Setting up your Home Studio
Grab your work board — if it's on the smaller side (like an old cutting board from the kitchen), lay down an old bedsheet or some painter's plastic underneath to protect your furniture. Then round up all your tools, fill a small bowl with water, and you're good to go.
No Googling Required:
We covered it all — tools, techniques, glazing, safety, and the neuroscience of why clay is basically addictive. All yours as searchable, downloadable PDFs. Consider yourself covered:
A little something in your inbox.
Once a month.
Projects, inspo, stories, recipes, recommendations, and the occasional deep dive into this great craft!
A new issue lands in your inbox every six weeks or so. Sign up now and get our very first issue straight to your inbox — complete with a love letter to clay, a jam cookie recipe, and a mini project you can make this weekend.
A Love Letter to Clay
Story
A personal story about loss, healing, and why working with your hands changes everything:
A not-so-brief love letter to clay.
This is how it goes…
‘Hey Clay (seriously, can I call you Clay?),
I didn't know I needed you. Honestly, I didn't even know you that well.
I came to you the way most people come to things that end up changing their lives — a little lost (actually, I was a lot lost) but still with a small corner in my heart that held hope…’
Free for all subscribers
Thumbprint Jam Cookies
Recipe
Soft, buttery, with a little jam crater in the middle — these cookies are what Sunday mornings are made for. We make them while waiting for pieces to dry. Come on and join us!
Free for all subscribers
The Cookie Plate
Mini Project
A small, flat slab with the gentlest raised edge — just enough to keep your cookie from rolling away. Your first slab building project, done in under an hour. And yes, you should eat that cookie!
Free for all subscribers
Your first project. A proper one.
And yes, you'll nail it.
Ready to actually make something?
Stackable Candle Trays
A complete project, free.
You'll make a set of stackable trays with raised edges — elegant, minimal, and genuinely useful. Add the candle ring to one, both, or neither. Stack them, gift them, keep them.
Along the way you'll learn two foundational handbuilding techniques:
Forming raised edges from a slab
Score and slip for attaching pieces
The kind of skills you'll use in almost every project after this.
Works with air dry clay or kiln fired — so you can start right now, whatever your setup.
Leave us your email and we'll send you the template and the full video walkthrough — exactly what you get with every project in our shop. But this time, it’s totally free.
We got you covered all the way
Oh, and we owe you proof that literally anyone can do this…
Meet Ben's Candle Tray.
First time he ever touched clay in his life.
No notes.
