Christmas Patterns?  Centre Pieces? Butter Pat Trees?

Hi everyone, welcome to the December Blog.

I wasn’t sure what to share this month – Christmas Patterns?  Centre Pieces? Butter Pat Trees? So many ideas popped into my head, but what to choose?  Well, I have decided to use as many as I could. So, hope you enjoy my efforts 😊.

The Christmas-themed patterns chosen are a cup and saucer in the “Poinsettia” pattern, maker unknown, then another cup and saucer in flow blue without the polychrome decoration, a nice panel-shaped jug in a sheet pattern called Holly by R & J Godwin and a plate with the “Holly and Mistletoe Turkey” by Doulton. All these patterns will fit well into a nice Christmas-themed display.

Last month I mentioned how savvy the potters were in using the same centre patterns but just tweaking maybe the border of the pattern giving the idea that it is a new design – So I am again using The Doulton Turkey plate as an example, which for Christmas is framed with Holly and Mistletoe (you don’t get more of a Christmas theme than that lol) making a nice piece for your table settings or decorating your shelf or wall. The “Poinsettia” Flow Blue and Polychrome cup and saucer is another case in point – note that the flow blue cup and saucer are identical in the main body of the pattern but then the potters have “tweaked” the pattern and have added a little colour in the form of the flowers and there you have another pattern. By the way, the name “Poinsettia” is a given name and not a factory name it is listed as such in Monica South’s book on Gaudy Welsh patterns.

I have tried to check other cups and saucers to see if I could place these 2 sets with the relevant factory but I haven’t had any success, the handles on these two sets are very distinctive – I have found similar but just not a match – so I will keep on searching – if any of you have an idea then please let me know as these are now in PID but without a maker.

For the next theme, I have added photos of a few table decorations making use of Tureen bases and plates. Tureen bases are one of the things I look for at the Annual Convention Tops and Bottoms Table Sale – the bases both vegetable and sauce are a nice depth and come in various shapes they are so pretty it is a shame not to use them. You can often find a lone tureen base that will match your dinner service and it then makes a lovely centrepiece for your table setting, for any holiday.  Mine all have florist foam in the base, and I have used Greenery from the garden the Holly had so many berries this year I am sure the birds didn’t mind sharing. Then there is the candle centrepiece – I used a plate (Royal Lily) that has a few chips but still looks pretty with fir cones and greenery glued into place around the candle (good old hot glue gun lol) I think it looks good – so look out for those damaged plates, again you might find one to match in with your table settings – if not mix and match always looks good,

Lastly, I have added photos of a couple of Butter Pat Trees and also some of the members’ Christmas displays. My Butter Pat tree is a cone-shaped wire frame covered with silver tinsel, I have used very small wire plate hangers to attach the butter pats – the other one shown belongs to Brenda Myer who loves a Christmas tree, I am sure there are many more examples out there, just waiting to be seen this Christmas. Look at the Butter Pat wreath – this belongs to Judy Boyer,

There is so much more you can do with our lovely pottery be it flow blue, mulberry or polychrome. So, get your thinking caps on and get some ideas for your centrepieces or how about designing your Christmas Cards? I hope you enjoy the photos and that they give you a few ideas for your own Christmas settings.

Now it is time to Wish you all a Happy Holiday and may the New Year bring you health and happiness in abundance, hoping you all have a wonderful time with family and friends over the festive period.

 Hope you have enjoyed the Blogs we have shared this year and look forward to doing it all over again next year. Don’t forget if you have something to share, we want to see it.

Take Care, Stay Safe

Jackie