Attaching clay handles to pottery forms requires some basic knowledge and remembering a few key details. Create your handle when the pot is between soft leather hard and medium leather hard: soft leather hard for pulled handles, and medium leather hard for strap or coil handles. In this way, your handle and the pot it goes with should be at medium leather hard at about the same time. (Pulled handles are wetter and need more drying time than strap or coil handles.) If you need to, lightly cover one or the other with plastic or a damp paper towel so that they don't become too dry before attachment.
Look at the form and the future function of the pot. If the pot has a spout, the handle must be directly opposite from it in order for the pot to be balanced during pouring. For comfort and balance, handles generally need to have their upper end attached just under the rim of the pot or at the top of the pot's shoulder if it has one.
After you have determined where the two ends of the handle should be attached, score those areas with your potter's needle.
