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.
June Workshops
Slow down. Get your hands muddy. Make a mug that is truly yours.
In this relaxed, beginner-friendly workshop you’ll hand-build a ceramic mug using traditional slabbing techniques, shaping it from a simple lump of white clay into a functional, one-of-a-kind cup. Once your form is finished, you’ll decorate your mug using underglaze colours, marks, patterns or illustrations — bold or subtle and joyfully unique, it’s entirely up to you.
No experience needed. This is about process, play, and the quiet satisfaction of making something useful with your hands.
What’s included
– All clay, tools and materials
– Step-by-step guidance throughout
– One handmade mug per person
– Decoration with underglaze colours
– Bisque and glaze firing
– Clear glaze finish
– Your finished mug ready to collect in approx 4-6 weeks
What you’ll do
– Learn slabbing techniques
– Shape and refine your mug form
– Add handles and details
– Decorate with underglaze colour and texture
– Leave the firing to us
The details
Duration: approx. 2 hours
Level: Absolute beginners welcome
Age: Suitable for adults and older children who can happily sit and focus for two hours
Class size: Groups of up to 10 for a calm, hands-on experience
Your mug will be fired and glazed by us after the session and will be food-safe and made to be used every day — tea tastes better from something you’ve made yourself.
Perfect as a treat for yourself, a thoughtful gift, or a creative afternoon by the sea.
Make something delicate, decorative and full of seaside charm in this relaxed, beginner-friendly clay workshop at Handmade Margate.
In this session, you’ll hand-build your own ceramic shells, flowers or botanical-inspired pieces from soft white earthenware clay.
Think scallop shells, little sea treasures, flower heads, leaves, wall charms, trinket dishes or small decorative pieces for your home.
We’ll guide you step by step as you shape, pinch, press, texture and refine your clay, using simple hand-building techniques that are suitable for complete beginners. You’ll learn how to create form and detail using your hands, tools, stamps, shells and surface texture.
Once your pieces are made, you’ll decorate them with colourful underglazes — keeping them soft and coastal, bright and playful, or simple and elegant.
This is a lovely workshop for anyone who wants to slow down, make something beautiful, and spend a creative afternoon by the sea. No experience needed, just come ready to play with clay.
After the workshop, we’ll dry, fire, glaze and re-fire your work for you, ready to collect a few weeks later once fully finished.
Small ceramic treasures, made by hand.
Workshop details
Duration: Approx 1.5 hours
Price: £38 pp
Clay: White earthenware clay
Level: Beginner-friendly
You’ll make: A small collection of ceramic shells, flowers or botanical pieces
Includes: Tuition, clay, tools, underglaze colours, glazing and firing
Collection: Ready to collect in approx. 4–6 weeks
Good to know
You’ll be able to choose whether to focus on shells, flowers, or a mixture of both on the day.
Your finished pieces can be used decoratively around the home — as little ornaments, wall charms, trinket dishes, keepsakes or gifts.
Each piece is shaped by hand, so natural variation, soft edges and small details are all part of the beauty.
Pinch Pot Pottery Taster: Make something cute!
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 and child-friendly (no experience needed)
You’ll make: 1 piece (soap dish / small vase / cup / bowl/animal etc.)
Includes: Tuition, clay, tools, underglaze colours, glazing + firing
Collection: Ready to collect in approx. 4–6 weeks
Create something gorgeous for the most spoilt member of the household in this relaxed, beginner-friendly clay workshop at Handmade Margate.
In this session, you’ll hand-build a personalised ceramic pet bowl from soft white earthenware clay — perfect for a cat, dog, or any beloved little beast who deserves something better than a boring bowl from the pet shop.
We’ll guide you step-by-step as you shape your bowl using simple slab-building and hand-building techniques, helping you create a sturdy, usable form with plenty of handmade charm.
Once your bowl is made, you’ll decorate it with underglaze colours and surface details to make it completely your own.
Add your pet’s name, painted patterns, stars, stripes, paw prints, florals, seaside motifs, — cute and whimsical or simple and chic.
This is a lovely workshop for complete beginners and returning clay lovers alike. No pottery experience needed, just bring your pet obsession and a rough idea of the name you’d like on the side.
After the workshop, we’ll dry, fire, glaze and re-fire your bowl for you, ready to collect a few weeks later once fully finished.
A handmade bowl for a very important creature.
Workshop details
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
Price: £45 pp
Clay: White earthenware clay
Level: Beginner-friendly
You’ll make: 1 personalised ceramic pet bowl
Includes: Tuition, clay, tools, underglaze colours, glazing and firing
Collection: Ready to collect in approx. 4–6 weeks
Good to know
Please come with the name you’d like to add to your bowl. Shorter names work best, but we’ll help you make it fit.
Your pet does not need to attend, but photos for design inspiration are very welcome.
As each bowl is made by hand, lovely little wobbles, quirks and personality are part of the charm. We’ll help you keep the inside smooth and easy to clean, while the outside can be as decorative as you like.
July Workshops
Cat Sculptures with Potty Jane
Spend two lovely hours making a pair of charming ceramic cats, each full of its own little personality.
Whether you want to make them sleek and elegant, round and goofy, or inspired by a real cat you know and love, this workshop is all about creating two small sculptural companions to take pride of place on a shelf at home.
With step-by-step guidance from Potty Jane, you’ll learn how to shape and build your cats by hand from slabbed clay, adding expression, posture, ears, tails and all the little details that bring them to life.
Once your sculptures are made, you’ll paint both of them with colourful underglazes, adding markings, stripes, spots, faces and any extra decorative touches you like.
This session is suitable for confident beginners as well as those with a little more experience.
It’s relaxed, creative, and focused on making something full of character rather than aiming for perfection. Every cat will come out a little different, and that is very much part of the magic.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: £42 per person
Level: Beginner-friendly to intermediate
You’ll make:
Two hand-sculpted ceramic cat figures
What’s included:
Clay, tools, colourful underglazes, glazing, firing, and step-by-step guidance from Potty Jane
Collecting your work:
Your cats will be ready to collect in around 4–6 weeks, once they have been dried, fired and glazed
Come and have a wonderfully creative clay session and make a beautiful ceramic wall pocket planter by hand.
In this relaxed, beginner-friendly workshop, you’ll create a flat-backed wall-hung pocket from soft white earthenware clay — designed to hang on the wall as a decorative and functional piece for the home.
You’ll be guided step-by-step through the whole process, from shaping the form and creating the pocket, to adding hanging holes and decorative details so it sits beautifully on the wall.
You can keep your design simple and elegant, or add extra character with textures, pressed botanicals, stamps, carving and painted details.
Once your piece is made, you’ll decorate it with underglaze colours. We’ll then dry, fire, glaze and re-fire it for you, ready to collect a few weeks later once it’s fully finished.
A calm, creative workshop with something special to take home (after firing!) — handmade memories and a one-of-a-kind piece made with love.
Workshop details
Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours
Clay: White earthenware clay
Level: Beginner-friendly but takes some focus and time
Includes: Tuition, clay, use of tools, underglazes, glazing and firing
Collection: Ready to collect in approx. 4–6 weeks
Please note: Each piece is handmade and beautifully unique, so size, shape and finish is up to you!
Slow down. Get your hands muddy. Make a mug that is truly yours.
In this relaxed, beginner-friendly workshop you’ll hand-build a ceramic mug using traditional slabbing techniques, shaping it from a simple lump of white clay into a functional, one-of-a-kind cup. Once your form is finished, you’ll decorate your mug using underglaze colours, marks, patterns or illustrations — bold or subtle and joyfully unique, it’s entirely up to you.
No experience needed. This is about process, play, and the quiet satisfaction of making something useful with your hands.
What’s included
– All clay, tools and materials
– Step-by-step guidance throughout
– One handmade mug per person
– Decoration with underglaze colours
– Bisque and glaze firing
– Clear glaze finish
– Your finished mug ready to collect in approx 4-6 weeks
What you’ll do
– Learn slabbing techniques
– Shape and refine your mug form
– Add handles and details
– Decorate with underglaze colour and texture
– Leave the firing to us
The details
Duration: approx. 2 hours
Level: Absolute beginners welcome
Age: Suitable for adults and older children who can happily sit and focus for two hours
Class size: Groups of up to 8 for a calm, hands-on experience
Your mug will be fired and glazed by us after the session and will be food-safe and made to be used every day — tea tastes better from something you’ve made yourself.
Perfect as a treat for yourself, a thoughtful gift, or a creative afternoon by the sea.