Four weeks of clay, cozy making, and thoughtful little gifts 🎁 🏺 ✨
Handmade for the Holidays is a 4-week introduction to handbuilding designed around creating small, thoughtful ceramic gifts for the people you love or keeping a few for yourself.
Each week builds on the last, so you’ll learn the core techniques of pinching, coiling, slab building, surface decoration, and glazing while gaining the confidence to start designing pieces of your own.
No pottery experience needed. We’ll guide you through every step, provide plenty of project ideas and templates, and leave room for you to personalize each piece for whoever is lucky enough to receive it.
🎄 Upcoming Session
Each session is limited to just 6 participants, giving you plenty of one-on-one guidance while still having the fun of making alongside a small group.
🎁 Your 4 Weeks of Holiday Making
Week 1: Pinch + Coil — Little Gifts, Big Personality
We’ll start with the basics and turn simple pinching and coiling techniques into small, giftable pieces. Think trinket dishes, ring bowls, salt cellars, tiny planters, candleholders, or little vessels made for someone specific.
Week 2: Slab Building — Make Something They’ll Actually Use
Learn how to roll, cut, shape, and join clay slabs while creating functional gifts like mugs, spoon rests, catch-all trays, small dishes, or serving pieces. We’ll have templates available, but you’ll have plenty of room to customize.
Week 3: Personalize It
This week is all about making your gifts feel personal. Add carved designs, stamped patterns, names, initials, textures, sculptural details, or experiment with your own project idea using the techniques you’ve learned so far.
You can also use this week to make smaller pieces like ornaments, gift tags, incense holders, or those tiny ceramic things everyone suddenly becomes obsessed with.
Week 4: Glaze + Finish
Bring everything together with color. You’ll learn the basics of glazing and underglazing, choose finishes for your pieces, and add the final touches before everything heads into the kiln. Then we take care of the firing while you get to enjoy the very satisfying realization that your holiday shopping list just got a whole lot shorter.
✨ Course Perks
Small Class Size
Only 6 participants, so there’s plenty of time for individual guidance, questions, and help bringing your ideas to life.
Open Studio Time
Want to make a few extras? You’ll have access to designated open studio hours between classes, plus extended studio access on your class days to keep working on your projects.
Your Own Clay + Shelf Space
You’ll receive 15 lbs. of clay with your choice of white stoneware or brown speckled buff, plus a personal shelf for storing your works-in-progress throughout the series.
Everything You Need Is Included
Clay, tools, templates, glazes, firings, materials, and aprons are all provided.
A Creative Routine Before the Holiday Rush
For 4 weeks, you’ll have a standing night to step away from everything else, work with your hands, and slowly build a collection of pieces you’re genuinely excited to give.
📍 Location: Studio Sumi- 5031 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
Four weeks of clay, cozy making, and thoughtful little gifts 🎁 🏺 ✨
Handmade for the Holidays is a 4-week introduction to handbuilding designed around creating small, thoughtful ceramic gifts for the people you love or keeping a few for yourself.
Each week builds on the last, so you’ll learn the core techniques of pinching, coiling, slab building, surface decoration, and glazing while gaining the confidence to start designing pieces of your own.
No pottery experience needed. We’ll guide you through every step, provide plenty of project ideas and templates, and leave room for you to personalize each piece for whoever is lucky enough to receive it.
🎄 Upcoming Session
Each session is limited to just 6 participants, giving you plenty of one-on-one guidance while still having the fun of making alongside a small group.
🎁 Your 4 Weeks of Holiday Making
Week 1: Pinch + Coil — Little Gifts, Big Personality
We’ll start with the basics and turn simple pinching and coiling techniques into small, giftable pieces. Think trinket dishes, ring bowls, salt cellars, tiny planters, candleholders, or little vessels made for someone specific.
Week 2: Slab Building — Make Something They’ll Actually Use
Learn how to roll, cut, shape, and join clay slabs while creating functional gifts like mugs, spoon rests, catch-all trays, small dishes, or serving pieces. We’ll have templates available, but you’ll have plenty of room to customize.
Week 3: Personalize It
This week is all about making your gifts feel personal. Add carved designs, stamped patterns, names, initials, textures, sculptural details, or experiment with your own project idea using the techniques you’ve learned so far.
You can also use this week to make smaller pieces like ornaments, gift tags, incense holders, or those tiny ceramic things everyone suddenly becomes obsessed with.
Week 4: Glaze + Finish
Bring everything together with color. You’ll learn the basics of glazing and underglazing, choose finishes for your pieces, and add the final touches before everything heads into the kiln. Then we take care of the firing while you get to enjoy the very satisfying realization that your holiday shopping list just got a whole lot shorter.
✨ Course Perks
Small Class Size
Only 6 participants, so there’s plenty of time for individual guidance, questions, and help bringing your ideas to life.
Open Studio Time
Want to make a few extras? You’ll have access to designated open studio hours between classes, plus extended studio access on your class days to keep working on your projects.
Your Own Clay + Shelf Space
You’ll receive 15 lbs. of clay with your choice of white stoneware or brown speckled buff, plus a personal shelf for storing your works-in-progress throughout the series.
Everything You Need Is Included
Clay, tools, templates, glazes, firings, materials, and aprons are all provided.
A Creative Routine Before the Holiday Rush
For 4 weeks, you’ll have a standing night to step away from everything else, work with your hands, and slowly build a collection of pieces you’re genuinely excited to give.
📍 Location: Studio Sumi- 5031 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
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