Here’s the back stack of the kiln… loaded piece by piece, shelf by shelf, post by post.

And a quick bird’s-eye-view of some wall pocket vases & ornaments mixed together.

So after a couple hours of focused kiln loading, my kiln was finally full. Pretty much everything fit in… just a few “strays” that will hopefully sneak into the next firing. Pretty pleased with my loading… it took quite awhile, but there’s not any spare space unused in this kiln Hopefully it’s not packed too tight for the soda mixture to fly around inside and hit all of the pots. I guess we’ll find out Monday when I unload?!

Time to close it up, brink up the door… then add a little heat to dry things out.
I’ll be back early tomorrow morning to get it all started.

And you’ve gotta love the wonderful colors building up on the kiln arch bricks.
The beauty of chemistry in action!

It was a long drive home… but actually enjoyable with beautiful skies, wonderful scenery, songs to sing with and great road trip snacks! Did I mention homemade pie from Norske Nook??? Any way, I rushed home today to load another bisque kiln. I’ve got a lot of glazing to do before next Friday’s kiln loading. And first things first… got to get ’em bisqued before I can start glazing!

Kiln Layer #1 – mugs, large bowls, and ornaments.

Kiln Layer #2 – wall pocket vases, mugs, tiles and tripod supports.

 Kiln Layer #3 – mugs, tumblers, bowls, and berry bowls.

Kiln Layer #4 – oval vases, mini vases and ikebana vase tops.

Kiln Layer #4.5 – a half layer of berry bowl plates, ikebana vase tops and small cups.

Tonight I loaded another bisque kiln. I’ve been making a lot of work lately. Lots of pieces to squeeze in, snuggle together and pack a tight kiln. You know how I LOVE loading a kiln…
I only hate to admit that I didn’t quite fit it all in.         Shoot!!!

Layer #1 : Lots of mugs… each with a wheelthrown ornament nestled inside.

Layer #2 : Wall pocket vases, spoon rests, cups & tiles.

Layer #3 : More mugs, oval vases, salt & pepper shakers, ornaments & tiles.

Layer #4 : Some bowls & birds… surrounded by more bowls, shakers & tiles!

Layer #5 : A few platters, ikebana vase tops and a lot more tiles!!!

You know how much I love a well-packed kiln… well-packed ALL the way to the top!!!

Here’s a quick glimpse into the kiln as I loaded layer by layer last night. It’s a smaller electric kiln, so there’s not a lot of room. And yet I tried my best to squeeze a good amount of pieces in. And while I still LOVE soda-firing and the large percentage of my work is soda-fired… I must admit that it’s kind of fun to glaze & load a kiln in a couple hours – then close the lid, press the button and go home for the night. A quick kiln firing and we have some fun pop-of-color mugs to add to Saturday’s Holiday Home Show!!!

Kiln Layer #1 – mugs & cups

Kiln Layer #2 – a small bowl and a lot of holiday stars… replenishing the inventory!

Kiln Layer #3 – mugs & cups & bowls… oh my

Kiln Layer #4 – three larger mugs & some more bowls

Kiln Layer #4.5 – a partial layer with some more bowls

Kiln Layer #15 – a small plate and lots of tiles

With a little “creativity” with the bricks in the top right corner of the door, my kiln is close to top temperature. All of the soda mixture has been added. So now it’s a bit of a “soak” and then I can turn it off for the evening. Mission accomplished.

The back stack is already done. Shelf by shelf. Layer by layer.
Lots of pieces packed in getting ready for next weekend’s Holiday Home Show!!!

And then about halfway through the front stack, I found the perfect shelf for two new masks. The “instant” masks I made on Tuesday before teaching my class… bisqued wet that night… and now going into the kiln already on Friday! Whoo-hoo!!

Sealed up and put to bed for the night. I turned the burners on for about 20 minutes to warm it up, dry the wadding & glaze. But now it’s bricked up, and done for the night.

The empty soda kiln filled with potential & possibilities…
with a beautiful soda-glazed brick interior. Let the loading commence!!!

Loading another bisque kiln… rushing to get everything done in time for my soda kiln. So much so that some of the pieces going in are still a bit damp. Not bone dry as they’re “supposed” to be. Fingers crossed…

Layer #1 – LOTS of mugs… filled with LOTS of ornaments!!!

Layer #2 – More mugs, ovals, and spoons.

Layer #3 – My new wall medallions… and some new wall blocks.

Layer #4 – More of my spoons resting inside a large box by one of my studio neighbors!

Layer #5 – Two bowls and a LOT of new wall blocks… a little wetter than I would like.

Trying on the edges… but still a little wetter than they “should” be. Oh well…
I’m pretty confident that they’ll survive the firing. They’re well made, hollow and as dry as they can be… so here we go!!!

A FULL day of glazing & wadding. Followed by more than a couple hours of loading. Luckily everything pretty much fit. Okay sure, some sections might be a little tighter than I would normally like in a soda kiln. But oh well, it is what it is. So now it’s all packed, loaded and bricked up for the night. Time for a “couple” hours of sleep and then right back to start the firing in the morning!

Here’s the back stack… one shelf deep.

And the front stack… two shelves deep… and DONE.