How I Make My Ceramic Croft Houses

To make just one croft house takes around three weeks. The process begins by moulding the clay, which is then left to air dry for two weeks. Then it is fired to 1,000 degrees in the kiln for 24 hours.

How I Make My Ceramic Croft Houses

You don’t have to travel far in Shetland before you spot one of the many little croft houses dotted across the landscape.

Some sit close to the shore, others tucked into a hillside or at the end of a winding road. Their simple shapes are such a familiar part of Shetland, and they’re the inspiration behind my ceramic croft houses.

Each one is made by hand in my studio here in Shetland, starting with a piece of clay and slowly taking on the shape and character of its own peerie croft.

Shaping each croft

Each croft house is sculpted individually by hand from clay.

I gradually work the clay into shape, carving and marking the surface to pick out the roof, windows, doors and all the little details that make the crofts so recognisable.

There are no moulds involved, so no two ever turn out exactly the same. The shape, markings and tiny details will always vary a little from one to the next – which is all part of their character.

Adding the colour

Once each croft has been shaped and had time to dry, I begin adding the glaze by hand.

This is when the little details really start to come to life, with colour added to the roof, windows, doors and other markings.

As with the sculpting, each one is glazed individually, so even crofts from the same batch will have their own little differences.

Into the kiln

Once glazed, the crofts are ready to be fired in the kiln.

There’s always a bit of anticipation when it’s time to open the kiln and see how everything has turned out. The firing brings the colours and finish together, and it’s lovely seeing a whole batch of finished peerie crofts sitting side by side.

Out of the kiln

Opening the kiln to see a new batch of finished croft houses is always a lovely moment.

There’s a surprising amount of work in something so small, with each one sculpted, detailed and coloured by hand before it reaches this point.

And then they’re ready to leave my studio.

Each one begins with the croft houses dotted across the Shetland landscape and ends as its own peerie piece of Shetland, ready to find a home somewhere new.

Launching on 24th September. 

As one of Avril’s most popular ceramic pieces, they regularly sell out. A limited number will be released to pre-order for Christmas, in a selection of colourways.

https://avrilthomsonsmith.com/pages/croft-house-waiting-list

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