Hartley & Noble

09/08/2026

What a brilliant day at Potfest Suffolk! ☀️ We arrived when the gates opened and stayed until after they closed. Surrounded by the most incredible mix of ceramics and the people who make them.

One of the loveliest parts for me was finally meeting pottery friends in real life who I’ve known through Instagram for the last few years, people who’ve encouraged me and supported me as I’ve been learning pottery.

Stuart loved chatting to potters about how they work (and, inevitably, how he could invent tools to make their lives easier). While I spent most of the day nattering, watching demonstrations and being completely distracted by beautiful pottery.

We were even lucky enough to meet and have a fascinating chat with Matt Cox about Potfest and how it all began.

Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat and made us feel so welcome, including those I was too busy talking to to actually remember to photograph! If you love ceramics and you’ve never been to a Potfest, we’d absolutely recommend it.

We already can’t wait to visit more pottery festivals. Which ones would you recommend we check out next?

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05/08/2026

Are you coming to Potfest in Suffolk this weekend?? Come say hi 👋 We’d love to meet you!

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30/07/2026

30/07/2026

A couple of weeks ago I thought I’d finally got on top of glaze pinholing. Then I tried a different glaze… 🙈

Same clay. Same shelf. Same firing.

One mug came out lovely. The other… not so much.
Whyyyyy?!

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28/07/2026

I like to come to the pottery with my ‘normal’ clothes and just pop this on apron top 🤍

Things I love about it…

• Step In leg design ~ so I don’t get a clay-covered crotch!
• Adjustable fit ~ Size Inclusive 🫶
• Lovely colour options 🌈
• Generous pockets 👛
• Long cross-back straps 🥰
• Soft, comfy cotton ☁️
• Handy towel loop ➰

It keeps my clothes covered while I throw, without needing a full change of outfit. So I can still feel like me.

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21/07/2026

It still takes me quite a while to make a mug from start to finish, but I’m finding little ways of making the process easier for myself 🤍 No matter how I try, I don’t get on with pulling handles. So I slab roll mine for now.

I sometimes watch other potters making mugs and wish I could make more in the time I’ve got. I can usually manage two or three before it’s time to tidy up and head home.

Then I remind myself why I started pottery in the first place. It wasn’t to see how many mugs I could make. It was because I wanted something that slowed my life down.

If pottery is your job, do you ever deliberately slow down and make something just for yourself? Or is that something that’s much harder to do when it’s also your business?

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