potterywhattery-blog

[potterywhattery-blog]

This Midwinter Homeweave variant plate is a real oddity. Why? It’s the wrong shape, wrong colour and probably wrong date. Homeweave was a 1953 pattern by Midwinter’s star designer Jessie Tait. It came on the Stylecraft shaped wares that were so original in the early 50s - square-ish, angular pieces - and it was produced in red or green versions. You can see a Homeweave Red milk jug and tureen in the upper photos. But this little plate is on the round, traditional Classic shape that was rolled out from 1960 onwards - and it’s pink and yellow and green! Things I love about it: striking colours, messy execution (look at the smears in the lines and the dabs of colour on the white areas!), weird mixture of modern pattern and traditional shape, not really working too well. The backstamp has a serial number “5 - 62” - does this mean it was a test piece of some sort? Is that a date? And how did it escape the factory, come to be in my kitchen? I hope you love my odd little plate too. Any information on it super-welcome.

[potterywhattery-blog]

Another Hornsea Heirloom piece, this time a canister found in a charity shop in Wellington, Somerset. It still has some coffee in it.

[potterywhattery-blog]

Lovely Hornsea mustard or preserve pot, in the Heirloom pattern designed by John Clappison in the early 1970s. It sits on a teak Wyncraft stand with a patented golden wire that never oxidises. Still looking good after nearly 50 years. Matches its teak lid. From a charity shop in Plymouth’s Southside Street.

[potterywhattery-blog]

This speckled green Jie Gantofta cruet set was in a charity shop in Lichfield. 1960s? 1970s? Hard to find out, any info very welcome. Teak and a shiny, glassy glaze spotted like a bird’s egg. Love the button-style pot lids. They prize out with funny little metal clips that tend to chip the lip of the ceramic, but are quite unique. I’ll be trying to repair the lip chip on the pepper. These look like two fat stuffed olives: very satisfying.