I’ve been producing a number of chopstick rests to give out as gifts this summer in Japan! The people are so nice and there’s such a gift-giving culture that I want to make sure I am able to reciprocate. I’ve mostly been making a variety of leaf chopstick rests:
However, I also am in the process of making a few Sioux City chopstick rests for those who are more connected to the sister city relationship between Yamanashi City and Sioux City or have strong bonds to Morningside University.
These are much more finicky to glaze, as keeping the text legible and the heart from “bleeding” into the white satin glaze requires a multi-step glazing process:
I glaze the heart with two to three coats of glossy red with a small brush
I apply wax resist to the heart and each of the letters with a very small brush
I brush on two to three coats of the white satin glaze
I painstakingly coax the glaze off the wax resist areas using a very small, wet brush
It’s tedious, but the results look great:
Any of my chopstick rests can easily be converted into a magnet instead, if the recipients prefer to use them that way!