My terracotta lidded baking dishes are made individually in my 2 press molds that I had made to my own design.  Each base made only fits its own lid; the 2 pieces are carefully fitted together and dried slowly over a week or two.

The making process happens over 3 days. Day one, pressing into the mold. Day 2: fitting, trimming,  attaching, shaping handles and painting. Day 3- scraffito cutting and tidying up.  The designs are painted in coloured clay slips, so that you can easily see which way the lid fits.

The entire hands-on process, from wedging and rolling the slabs of clay to sanding and washing after firing, takes about 3 hours – or more if I’m getting carried away by a new design.