I work with mirrors, so that I can always see what the figure looks like all the way round, when I am trying to create the fragile movement of crinoline skirts.

I sometimes buy a piece of fabric to make sure that I achieve authenticity. For example, silk falls differently to other fabrics. Velvet fall in long tubular folds and silk crushes and facets. The fact that I can sew makes it easier to imagine what these fabrics feel like when I am sculpting with the clay. I also look at magazine photographs for inspiration.

How long does it take me to sculpt a clay figure?

Usually, about three weeks. But this can vary depending on the intricacy of the design; some might go on for months. Every aspect of it has to be right and the finish perfect.

It then passes into the expert hands of one of the premier bone china houses. Using the time-honoured techniques passed down through the generations, their talented craftsmen and women start the delicate task of reproducing the original sculpture in beautiful translucent English fine bone china.