How to Create a Homemade Miniature Clay Spring Flower Pot

There are variations on mading the miniature clay spring flower pot. The instructions are for self-hardening clay.

Prepare the work surface with a cloth or newspaper. Gather the materials.

Materials Needed for the Homemade Miniature Clay Spring Flower Pot

Self-hardening clay (kiln-firing clay could also be used if you have kiln access)
a cloth or newspaper
a large bottle cap or another small circular object
a needle tool
a rolling pin
a garlic press (or similar item)
fabric wire or a green pipe cleaner
terra cotta colored paint (or a mix of red and brown)
optional - a teaspoon of clean sand
grass green paint
a paintbrush
colorful flower-colored paint: you choose the hue

Using Coils to Construct the Base of the Homemade Miniature Clay Spring Flower Pot

Make a small ball of clay. Soften it in your hands. Flatten it out. Use the a bottle cap or another object about the size of a half dollar to cut out a circle. Or draw a circle on paper and cut it out. The circle will be the bottom of the clay flower pot.

Take a cherry tomato sized clump of clay and roll it between both palms to make a coil. Make sure the clay stays between your palms, and not your fingers, for an even coil. Place one end of the coil on the circle.

Use the entire coil to wrap around the circumference of the circle. Attach both ends of the coil together. Remove any excess by pinching off the end or using a needle tool.

Repeat this process, three or four times, making each coil slightly longer, which will make the pot slightly larger on the top than on the bottom.

Use your fingers to gently smooth out the coils on the outside of the pot. You may need to place fingers from other hand inside the pot for support. Smooth the coils out so you can no longer see the coils. The coils on the inside do not need to be smoothed since that part of the miniature clay spring flowerpot will not be seen.

Using Flat Clay to Construct the Top of the Homemade Miniature Clay Spring Flower Pot

When the pot is 3/4 of the size you'd like, which for this project should be about inch or so high, it is time to stop the coils and and switch to slab pottery techniques.