Clay is forgiving on your hands and less forgiving on your clothes. It washes out of most things, but you'll relax more if you're already dressed for a little mess. Here's the short version, then the detail.

The short version

Wear something you don't mind marking. Push your sleeves up. Short nails, no rings, hair tied back. We give you an apron. That's genuinely most of it.

At the wheel

Wheel throwing is the messier of the two — water and slip (watery clay) flick up as the wheel spins. Trousers are easier than a skirt or a dress, and short or rolled sleeves keep your cuffs clean. The apron we provide catches most of the rest.

Hand building is tidier, but you'll still be working clay with your hands and a few tools, so the same rules apply, just gentler.

Hands, nails and rings

Keep your nails short if you can — long nails catch on the clay and make centring harder. Take rings off and leave them in your bag; wet clay works its way into every setting and is a pain to clean out. A watch is the same.

Hair and shoes

Tie long hair back so it stays out of the clay while you lean over the wheel. Any closed shoes are fine — there's no special footwear, though something you don't mind the odd splash on is sensible.

After class

Dried clay brushes off most fabrics, and what's left rinses out in a normal wash — nothing special needed. If you're coming from work or heading out after, bring a spare top and no one will ever know.

That's really it. No kit to buy, nothing to prepare. Come as you are, roll up your sleeves, and let the clay do the rest.

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