About the Studio
Where everything is made
Elena Vasquez
I grew up in a small town in Colombia where my grandmother made everything by hand — candles, soap, baskets, pottery. I didn't realise how much that shaped me until years later, when I found myself miserable in a marketing job in Toronto, spending every weekend at ceramics studios.
In 2017, I quit my job, bought a kiln, and moved to Nova Scotia because someone told me Wolfville was 'the kind of place where makers can make a living.' They were right. I started selling at the Wolfville Farmers' Market and haven't stopped since. I added weaving in 2020 and copper jewelry in 2022.
I still make every single piece myself, and I still love the feeling of pulling a perfect bowl off the wheel at the end of a long day.
The Process
Raw Materials
Everything starts with quality materials — Nova Scotia clay, copper sheet from a Halifax supplier, wool and linen from Maritime farms.
Forming
Each piece is shaped by hand — thrown on the wheel, built with coils, hammered on an anvil, or woven on a loom. No moulds, no machines.
Firing & Finishing
Pottery is fired twice — bisque, then glaze — in my electric kiln. Copper is hammered, textured, and finished with a patina. Textiles are washed and pressed.
To You
Every piece is inspected, wrapped by hand, and sent to you — or placed on the shelf in my studio shop, waiting for exactly the right person.
In the Press
"Elena Vasquez is part of a new wave of Maritime makers who are proving that handmade can be both beautiful and sustainable."— The Chronicle Herald
"Copper & Thread is the kind of studio that makes you want to quit your job and learn a craft."— Saltscapes Magazine
"Best artisan studio in the Annapolis Valley — 2025 Reader's Choice Awards"— Valley Events