willow, weep for me (part 4)

Or, 'Make do and mend' (the mend bit).

This is my lovely Japanese-made Willow pattern tea pot which I bought at the Salvation Army in Seattle. The whole set was there but as it has gold trim and was not suitable for use in the microwave or to go through the dishwasher there was really no place for it in our house. But the teapot, the teapot I could just rinse out every now and then and it didn't need to go in the microwave. You just make a new pot of tea.

It's a very elegant teapot, a good shape, dripless pour (oh so important), makes two cups. So, you can well imagine that I was devastated when I dropped the lid and it broke in two upon the floor; I thought that I was going to have to bid farewell to my otherwise perfectly good teapot.

But no! This is where them mend comes in. My lovely friend Heidi Kunkel is a potter and she was kind enough to make a new teapot lid for me which was no mean feat. Pottery shrinks twice during the making process - once when it is bisque fired and once when it is glaze fired - so to get a teapot lid to fit so perfectly into a teapot is sheer artistry. And she added the little blue motifs and birds as a finishing touch. I love it.

And, whereas I certainly wept over my broken teapot lid when it happened, now every time I look at my teapot I smile and am reminded what a wonderful friend I have. Thank you Heidi! (Ah, thank you also for making this for me some, um, twelve months ago - I cannot believe how the time has flown.) Heidi sells her pottery online and in person at the Fremont Market here in Seattle - please do visit her!