Handmade ceramics, art and souvenirs
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Clay and Craft workshops by the sea
Handmade Margate is a cosy seaside shop and craft studio, offering relaxing, creative workshops for all ages alongside a carefully curated selection of handmade ceramics, art, and curios. It’s the perfect place to discover something unique — or to make something special yourself by the sea.
Join a Workshop
Explore hands-on ceramics and art workshops by the sea at Handmade Margate. Book your place and create something unique in a relaxed, seaside setting.
Upcoming Workshops»
Pinch Pot Pottery Taster: Make a Mug or Dish (1 Hour)
Come and have a play with clay at Handmade Margate — a fun, relaxed one-hour pottery taster that’s perfect for beginners and ideal if you fancy something creative and social.
In this friendly hand-building session you’ll make one ceramic piece from soft white earthenware clay using the pinch-pot technique — a simple, satisfying way to shape beautiful forms with your hands. There’s lots of step-by-step guidance throughout, so you’ll be supported from the first pinch to the final details.
You can choose what you’d like to make on the day: a soap dish, small vase, cup, bowl, trinket dish (or something unique). We’ll help you shape, refine and finish your piece so it feels good in the hand and looks lovely at home.
Once your piece is formed, you’ll decorate it with underglaze colours and easy surface techniques — brush marks, patterns, carving, stamps, shells, stripes, little motifs — keeping it clean and minimal or going bold with colour and texture.
Expect a warm studio atmosphere, good chat, and that satisfying “I made this!” feeling. You’ll leave with clay under your nails and a piece you’ll actually use.
After the session, we’ll dry, fire, glaze and re-fire your piece for you, ready to collect a few weeks later once fully finished.
Workshop details
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Price: £30 pp
Clay: White earthenware clay
Level: Beginner-friendly (no experience needed)
You’ll make: 1 piece (soap dish / small vase / cup / bowl etc.)
Includes: Tuition, clay, tools, underglaze colours, glazing + firing
Collection: Ready to collect in approx. 4–6 weeks
A playful, hands-on pottery workshop where children (and their grown-ups) create a one-of-a-kind ceramic animal friend from clay.
In this relaxed and welcoming session, participants will be guided step-by-step through the pinch-pot technique using white earthenware clay.
Starting with a simple ball of clay, children will learn how to gently pinch and shape their pot by hand, before transforming it into an animal of their choosing. Cats, dogs, bears, frogs, imaginary creatures — all are very welcome here.
Once the basic form is made, we’ll explore adding clay details such as ears, tails, legs, noses and textures. The focus is on imagination, confidence and enjoying the process rather than getting things “right”. Every animal ends up with its own personality, and that’s exactly the point.
After shaping, children will have the chance to paint their animal using colourful underglazes during the session. These are specialist ceramic paints that will be fired into the clay, creating a durable, glossy finish once glazed and fired in our kiln.
When the workshop ends, we take over the technical bits: drying, bisque firing, glazing and final firing. Your animal friend will then be ready to collect a few weeks later — a proper ceramic keepsake, made entirely by hand.
This workshop is designed to be calm, creative and supportive, making it ideal for beginners and first-time clay makers.
Workshop details
Age: Suitable for children aged 5+
Supervision: Children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult: maximum two children to each grownup please
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Level: Beginner friendly – no experience needed
Clay: White earthenware clay
Decorating: Painted with underglazes during the session
£35 cost covers one child and one adult. Additional children can be added at £15 a head, with a maximum of two children per adult.
All clay and tools
Underglaze paints
Glazing and kiln firing
Finished piece: One fired ceramic animal per participant
Collection: Ready to collect in 4-5 weeks
For parents & carers
This is a shared, gentle experience. Adults are welcome to help, join in, or simply enjoy watching their child create. The studio is a small, cosy space, with clear guidance throughout and plenty of encouragement, however there is not enough space for an adult to just observe you will need to be sat with your child.
Clay is naturally messy, so we recommend wearing clothes you don’t mind getting a little mucky.
Each child works at their own pace, and there’s no pressure to finish in a certain way. The aim is joy, curiosity and a sense of pride in making something with their own hands.