400 Mugs a Month: How My Pottery Templates Changed Everything
I still remember the feeling of relief when I first started using templates consistently. It wasn't just about making more – it was about enjoying the process again.
At my busiest, I was making over 400 mugs a month all by myself using these techniques. Not because I was rushing, but because my templates removed the guesswork and repetitive calculations that used to slow me down.
During that intense period, I was wholesaling to major retailers like West Elm and Food52, as well as numerous small brick-and-mortar shops across the world. Often working 14-hour days, seven days a week. The templates weren't just helpful – they were essential to meeting those demanding production schedules while maintaining quality.
These templates aren't about mass production or cutting corners. They're about finding your flow as a potter – that magical state where technical concerns fade into the background and your creativity can truly shine.
When you're not constantly stopping to measure, calculate shrinkage, or worry about proportions, something wonderful happens: you become more present with the clay. Your fingers notice subtle textures. You experiment more freely with decorative elements. You find joy in the small variations that make handmade pottery so special.
From Production Potter to Pottery Mom
Life has a way of reshaping our priorities and schedules. These days, my pottery practice looks dramatically different. As the mom of a soon-to-be two-year-old, my days of marathon making sessions are behind me – at least for now.
Where I once had unlimited studio time, I now have about four precious hours a day dedicated to my craft. Weekends, once filled with catching up on orders, are now reserved exclusively for family time. It's been a profound shift, one that's required me to completely reimagine my relationship with clay.
What hasn't changed is my reliance on these templates. In fact, they've become even more valuable in this new chapter of my life. When your creative time is limited, you need tools that help you make the most of every minute.
Why I'm Sharing My Templates With You
I've always believed that pottery is about community as much as creativity. Every time I would upload a reel, the same questions would come up:
"How do you make so many pieces consistently?"
"How do you calculate the shrinkage so accurately?"
"Can I get a copy of your templates?"
After enough requests, I realized that keeping these templates to myself wasn't serving anyone. The joy of pottery shouldn't be diminished by frustration over technical details or inconsistent results.
You might wonder why I've chosen to sell these templates rather than share them freely. The simple answer is that creating the polished, tested, and refined versions you see today represents a significant investment of time and expertise.
The collection represents not just shapes, but a complete system developed through thousands of hours of professional pottery production. The simplicity of the templates is an intentional design choice, not an oversight.
In creating these digital products, I've worked to document not just dimensions, but the techniques, tips, and insights that make them truly valuable. By pricing them accessibly, I'm able to sustain the time it takes to create high-quality resources while making them available to potters at all levels.
Think of it as investing in a decade of trial and error without having to experience the errors yourself. My hope is that these templates provide value far beyond their modest price by saving you time, materials, and frustration as you develop your own pottery practice.
What You'll Find in My Template Collection
Each template in this collection carries a little piece of my pottery journey:
The Pottery Slab Template Bundle Kit contains the comprehensive collection – every shape and size I've refined over years of production. It's like having a decade of my trial-and-error in your hands.
The Espresso Cups Kit came from my love of small, perfect forms. There's something deeply satisfying about creating these tiny vessels that hold just the right amount of coffee.
The Coffee Mugs Kit contains my most-requested everyday forms – the ones that customers would order again and again because they just felt right in their hands.
The Tall Mugs Kit was developed for those who, like me, believe that sometimes more coffee is the only reasonable solution to life's challenges.
Whether you're making pieces for yourself, loved ones, or customers, I hope these templates help you find more joy and less stress in your creative process. And remember, these are starting points – feel free to adapt them to your own unique style and vision.
If you have questions as you explore these templates, please reach out. The pottery community has given me so much over the years, and I'm always happy to pay that forward with a bit of advice or encouragement.
Happy creating!
P.S. You can find the complete template collection at www.fromfran.com/pottery-templates. Each download includes the templates plus notes on how I use them in my process.
