July 2024

My first year of joining Faropen who organise the Forest of Dean open studios week.

I took part in the nine day open studios in the village hall at Blakeney

It was hard work, I was so so tired so much talking, everyone wants to know your process and what you do.

It was fun and I made some lovely friends as I shared space with Paula Smith, Sara Ulyatt and Sue Bamford

March 2024

I was contacted out of the blue in February by stylist Alaina Binks, Style & Interiors Editor, Country Living magazine and asked for a prop loan of three of my pottery items, I was beyond excited I have never had a feature before.

I carefully boxed these up and post them to the photographer.

So proud of my candle holder which made it to the final printed edition March 7th 2024 Modern Rustic 25

January 2024

2023 was for me the first full twelve months with a purpose built pottery in the Forest of Dean. I tried different markets and events in the area and meet the amazing FAROPEN group who organise an open studio fortnight in the summer and yes I will be doing this next year put the date in your diary 6th - 16th July 2024 I will be at Blakeney Village Hall GL15 4DW.

With a proper studio I'm able to be more organised and develop more skills. I have been making more complex shapes and also learning about making my own glazes whilst trying to focus on quality not quantity.

Selling pottery in 2023 really feels like something substantial and not just a means to fund my hobby, I am still waiting sometimes for a sale so I can buy a bag of clay or fire the kiln, but overall I feel more optimistic about my skills and have more interest in what I make.

I never charge more than it costs to make to cover the materials and bags of clay and I feel if I want to take this further I have to charge a more realistic figure so that I could aim to give up some of my full time other job hours that pays the bills.

That in turn would also increase production as I only have evenings and weekends to make anything.

Urchins gallery have offered me a permanent place in thier Ross on Wye Gallery HR9 7AB

If your interested to see my process, here I am January 2024 making a jug with a lid which I will add a tea infuser to later

June 2023

There are a lot of sites called madeby...., when I first set the shop up as madebymanda4u I thought I might also sell sewing so I didn't include pottery in the title, five years on and I think its time to change to a more specific name dawsonpottery.uk was to be my new home.

Why Dawson you ask, well that is my maiden name. My Dad was so proud that I had started a pottery and I wanted to do something in his name after he passed in 2021.

Nothing else will change, if you type in madebymanda4u.co.uk you will re-direct automatically.

May 2017 my little shed arrived. I was so excited to be able to play with clay, for so long it had been a dream, I needed to de-stress from modern life and for me making things with my hands was my relaxation. 

The next four years I learnt what I could do with clay, making for myself to start with then little soap dishes because I could practice on them and help the environment. My skills improved, until I was proud of what I had achieved, I also realised people liked what I made, my little Etsy shop grew and became a full blown website, I had to learn how to set this up and my photography skills improved too.  

2021 I had a little business and it had outgrown the Shed! I needed light, heat, a sink.

So this was the year we put our house on the market, so we could find a place that had room for a pottery.

Chapter Two

We moved to the Forest of Dean, the property was in a poor state and needed work to make it what we wanted.  

This was an exciting time as a family, not least because my lifetime partner was a mountain bike fan, but because we all love the outdoors and nature. The Wye Valley and Forest of Dean is a beautiful area.

January2022, Life had thrown up problems along the way and slowed things down, it had taken so much longer to re-open than expected. But I re-opened March 2022.

It had been a difficult time without the mindfulness of making things, COVID BREXIT had all forced me to close for seven months but mainly, I struggled after an important person in my life passed away.

For Dad 1937 - 2021