How to Make a Basket Using Slab, Coil, and Pinching Techniques Autumn McKay

Building the Base 

Before I begin building, I assemble my tools. I use a few rubber ribs and wooden tools for shaping, with an assortment of brushes and drawing tools for finishing the surfaces. I have a range of tools to create line variation: a double-ended knitting needle, a pointed wooden tool, and my personal favorite, the mechanical pencil with a sewing needle dropped inside. This last tool was something I picked up at a workshop with Kari Radasch years ago, and it is probably the most important tool I use (1). 

All of my pots are built using a combination of slab, coil, or pinched techniques. To begin building a basket, start with a slab. Use a rubber rib to compress the slab before using a stencil to draw an outline of the foot of the basket (2). Once you have an outline, cut away the excess clay, and score around the edges of your clay footprint. It is very important to slip and score every attachment in the process; the clay body I use acts similarly to porcelain and can be a bit temperamental in the drying and shrinking process. 

Roll out a coil (3), then pinch it around the bottom of the scored basket (4), creating a skirt or playful foot (5). Once the coil is attached, use a wooden tool to help blend the coil into the floor of the basket, followed by a small rubber rib to further compress the clay. Now, begin to build up the walls of the basket. When I am building upward in my work, I use strips of slabs instead of coils because of the patchwork look it gives my pots. I use a ruler with a cork backing (to prevent sticking to wet clay) to ensure the slabs are cut to consistent widths (6). Before attaching each slab, I recommend using a small wooden roller to smooth the slab edges to a softer angle for attachment. Then, slip and score before pinching the slab around the base of the basket (7). 

Once you have the first strip of clay attached, use a wooden tool to help blend it into the floor (8). Repeat the previous steps, adding more height to the basket by slipping, scoring, and attaching another strip of clay. After the second layer is attached, use the straight side of a rib to exaggerate the indentation of each scallop around the basket (9). This will both shape the form of the basket and add additional depth to the surface. Allow the clay to set up before moving on to the next step. When you feel confident that you can make additions without altering the form too much, add another coil around the rim of the basket. Do not blend this coil; instead, pinch it so that it creates another skirt around the rim (10).

Handling Handles 

My handles are a series of pinched-out coils attached together. Begin by rolling out coils around ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick, cutting them to 4 to 5 inches (10.1 to 12.7 cm), and pinching them out to the desired length and thickness (11). Once you have two horseshoe-shaped coils, use them to help make a decision on where they will be attached to the basket. Use a needle tool to mark their desired location and then score both coils and the areas of attachment on the rim. First, attach the back half of the handle; pinching and applying a little pressure to make sure it is firmly attached (12). Next, attach the second half of the handle from the inside of the basket. Apply slight pressure and pinch the handle into its desired shape. Repeat this step on the opposite side of the basket. Sometimes, depending on how wet my clay is, I will add a little piece of clay between the inside of the handle and the rim of the basket to briefly support the handle while it sets up. 

I do not wait for the handles to set up before adding the smaller coil additions to them. Roll out less than ¼-inch (6.4-mm)-thick coils and cut them down to 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) in length. As you did with the handle components, pinch out these small coils to the desired length and thickness. Again, mark where you plan to attach them, both on the handle and the rim of the basket. Score and slip both the tiny coil and attachment points. As you attach them, apply a slight but firm pressure to ensure attachment, but not so much pressure that the coil goes flat or begins to blend (13). This is the final step for building. Now, let the basket get to the hard-leather-hard state. 

the author Autumn McKay is an artist originally from Louisville, Kentucky, who is currently making and teaching as a long-term Artist-In- Residence at Queen City Clay in Cincinnati, Ohio.