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Choosing to make your own pottery is an exciting challenge. Though you might think all of your cups and bowls need to come from a pottery shop or home supply store, this is far from the case. You can make your own mugs at home, with just a few tools and a little patience. In doing do, you can not only admire your collection of handmade pottery, but you can also use it to drink your favorite beverages. Here is a quick tutorial on how to build your own mug.

Make a Pattern

The first thing you need is a pattern from which to make your mug. What's easy about this part is that you probably already have a mug at home whose shape you'd like to emulate. Take a piece of paper or a piece of thin cardboard and hold it up to the mug in order to get the shape you need to cut your clay into. You might want to make the seam where the handle of your mug is in order to help you easily form the cup and then cover up the seam with the handle. The pattern can then be used again and again to make a whole set of mugs, if you so desire, so hang onto it.

Building the Cup

Once you have your pattern, take the pattern any lay it on top of a rolled out slab of clay. Then, just cut out the pattern shape and then move the pattern to the side. At the edges where you want to link the sides of your pattern, cut each side at a 45 degree angle. But on the side to the right, the 45 degree angle should be on the bottom of the cup side, while on the left side, the cutting should be done toward the top. This way, when you match the sides up, they fit together. On those newly cut edges, take a knife and score the surfaces. You can do this by cutting back and forth on the edges to create texture. If the clay is wet enough, you will then want to push the sides together without any additional slip or water. Push the edges together until they stay together, using your fingers and any tools that will help to create a finished edge. You have a cup at this point, but now you need to have a bottom. You can stand the cup up on a piece of rolled out clay to cut around the bottom for a perfectly fitting bottom. Again, score the edges of the bottom of the cup as well as of this new bottom piece and push together. You can attach the bottom piece to the cup by taking a wooden tool and pushing up the edges of the bottom piece onto the actual cup. This way, you will have a secure fit.

Adding a Handle

To add a handle, you simply want to cut out the design you want out of the remaining clay and score the edges you want to attach as well as the places where you want the handle to attach. Push the handle into these positions and push the clay at the edges into each side of the connection to be safe. Let your mug dry and you will be ready to start glazing and drinking out of it in no time.