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intermediate

polymer clay

FCT-

CRO

N02

16_A

RT22

FCT-

CRO

N02

16_A

RT22

Beauty

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D3

The inspiration for this organic, sculptural pod

necklace was derived from the Möbius strip, a

fascinating surface dimension that displays the

illusion of motion. Similarly, the polymer-clay pods of this

necklace appear to spin as the wearer moves. To add to

the dimensionality of the piece, a basic millefiori-caning

technique — traditionally used for glass — was adapted

to bring vivid color and dynamic patterns to the pods.

Connect the pods with wire components to complete

this lively, sculptural art-jewelry piece.

Turn flat polymer-clay squares into three-dimensional jewelry sculpture

by Ellen Berne

The Möbius strip — a surface dimension created by holding one end of a long, narrow strip, turning the other end 180 degrees, and attaching the two ends — was defined by a German mathematician in the nineteenth century.

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[1] Form one log. Choose two contrasting colors of clay — one main color and one accent color. Condition two 2-oz. (56g) packages of the main color and one 2-oz. (56g) package of the accent color. For bolder, brighter colors and suggestions for color combinations, see “Color Alternatives,”. Using the main color, hand roll a log 3 in. (76mm) long with a 1-in. (25.5mm) diameter.

Roll out a sheet of the accent color using a pasta machine on setting #3. Wrap this sheet around the log, and blunt-cut the sheet on the log so its edges do not overlap. Hand roll the log, with the accent sheet in place, until it is 12–13 in. (30.5–33.0cm) long and the seam is smooth.

[2] Form a cane. Trim the ends of the log scantily to conserve clay. Cut the log into four 3-in. (76mm) pieces using a tissue blade [a]. Group the four logs together to form a quad [b]. Hand roll them together until the roll becomes one round log. Continue rolling until it is 12–13 in. (30.5–33.0cm) long. Trim the ends slightly, and cut the log into four 3-in. (76mm) logs [c]. Group the logs, and roll them until they become one round log.

[3] Repeat the process. The more you repeat the process, the smaller the pattern will become. Your finished cane should be 1–11⁄2 in. (25.5–38mm) in diameter and 6–8 in. (15.2–20.3cm) in length. See “Cane Tips,” left.

Wrap an outer layer around the cane. Roll out another slab of the accent color using a pasta machine at your desired setting. The layer’s thickness depends on your desired look. It is better to be slightly thicker, as the edges will become thinner as you square-up and reduce the cane in the next step. Wrap the layer around the cane, and blunt-cut it so its edges do not overlap. Hand roll the cane to smooth the seam, and trim the ends slightly.

[4] Square-up and reduce the cane. Shape the cylindrical cane into a rectangle by gently rolling the top side flat with an acrylic roller. Flip the cane to another side, and roll it flat. Repeat until all the sides are squared-up.

materials■ Polymer clay: 2 2-oz. (56g) packages, yellow; 2-oz. (56g) package, navy blue;

2-oz. (56g) package, white (optional)■ Colored wire: 18 or 20 gauge (1.0–0.8mm),

round, half-hard, about 88 in. (2.2m)■ Jump rings, 10mm, 20–30■ Sterling-silver wire: 20 gauge (0.8mm),

round, half-hard (jump rings) (optional) ■ Glass seed beads, size 6 (optional)■ Silver toggle clasp

tools & supplies■ Heavy plastic or glass work surface■ Pasta machine

■ Tissue blade■ Acrylic roller■ Ruler or graph paper■ Drill, drill bits (optional)■ 2 nickel hat pins, or stainless-steel needles

or skewers: 20 gauge (0.8mm), 10-in. (25.4cm) each

■ Convection oven or toaster oven*■ Wire cutters■ Pliers: two pairs chainnose or flatnose,

one pair roundnose■ Cocktail straw or knitting needle (U.S. #4)

*Dedicated to nonfood use

Polymer clay is extremely temperature sensitive. After you’vefinished making a cane, the claywill be warm and mushy. Always let the cane cool before slicing it. If you have a need forspeed, place the cane in the freezer for 90 seconds before slicing it.

To avoid excessive waste when building canes, keep the endstrimmed throughout the process. Still, expect to trim 5–20 percent waste from the ends as you work; this is necessary because the endsdon’t display the pattern as wellas the rest of the cane does.

canetips

1 2c

2a

2b

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While you are squaring-up the cane,

reduce it so that one side of the cane remains 1–11⁄2 in. (25.5–38mm) square and the other side tapers to about 3 ⁄4 in. (19mm) square. This will enable you to make pods that are graduated in size.

[5] Slice the cane into squares. Slice the cane into squares that are 1⁄4 in. (6.5mm) thick. If the clay is too soft, put it in the freezer for 90 seconds to make slicing easier. Slice consistent thicknesses by using a ruler and lightly scratching even lines on the cane with a needle. Optionally, place the cane on graph paper and line up a tissue blade evenly with the paper lines before slicing.

[6] Form the pods. Hold one square between your thumb and index finger. Carefully coax one set of opposite corners together [a]. Simultaneously coax the other opposite corners together with your other hand, forming the pod [b]. The pod should appear short on one side and long on the other. Square up the ends with your

When it comes to baking polymer clay safely, temperature and length of time are extremely important. Most

polymer-clay manufacturers suggest baking the clayat a certain temperature and length of time per 1⁄4-in.

(6.5mm) thickness, and it is important to follow thosesafe-use instructions. Burning the clay is not only irritating

and smelly, it can release hydrochloric gas and other harmful fumes. Make sure to keep an oven thermometer inside your

oven to measure the temperature during baking. It’s more common than expected for an oven’s temperature dial to be

inaccurate — even by 25 degrees or more!

rare, medium-well,

charbroiledor

Temperature limits for popular brands:

Fimo (Eberhard Faber GmbH): Avoid temperatures over 266°F (130°C)Kato Polyclay (Van Aken International): Avoid temperatures over 275°F (135°C)Original Sculpey (PolyForm Products): Avoid temperatures over 275°F (135°C)Premo! Sculpey (PolyForm Products): Avoid temperatures over 275°F (135°C)

3 4

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fingers [c]. Place the pods aside to cool. Make holes in the pods. Skewer every pod, except the largest, lengthwise onto a 20-gauge (0.8mm) nickel hat pin or stainless-steel needle or skewer. Use another 20-gauge (0.8mm) needle to make two holes in the largest pod — one horizontally through the pinched top, above the interior space, and one vertically through the pinched bottom, below the interior space. (For more crisp holes, drill them after baking.)

Bake the pods. Bake the pods according to the polymer-clay manufacturer’s instructions. When finished baking, immediately place the pods into a bucket of ice water for 30 minutes. This enhances the color and tightens the clay into a very resilient product. Air-dry the pods.

[7] Add wire components. Cut the colored wire into 16 3-in. (76mm) pieces. Thread a piece of wire through the holes in each pod, except the largest; center the pods on the wire pieces. Using roundnose pliers, form a coil at each end [a].

For the largest pod, thread one wire piece horizontally through the top, and form a coil at each end. Thread a second piece of wire vertically through the

bottom. Form a small coil in the interior space (not visible in picture) and a larger coil at the bottom [b].

[8] Make springs for the necklace chain. Wrap a 30 –40-in. (76.2–101.6cm) piece of colored wire around a cocktail straw or size 4 knitting needle for a 4–5-in. (10.2–12.7cm) spring. Remove the spring, and snip it into sections of seven wraps per section. Make about ten to 12 sections, depending on the desired necklace length. Using flatnose or chainnose pliers, lift the end coils of each section so they become perpendicular to the spring.

[9] Attach jump rings. Lay out the pods in your desired design, with the largest

pod positioned in the center of the necklace. Open one jump ring, and slide it through the coil on one end of a pod. Pick up the next pod, and slide one of its coils onto the same jump ring, connecting the two pods. Close the jump ring. Proceed in this manner to link all the pods.

If desired, slide beads onto the jump rings before closing them. A beaded jump ring can also be attached to the bottom coil of the large pod.

Make the spring chains. Divide the springs from step 8 in half, and link each pile of springs together with jump rings to yield two spring chains. Attach one spring chain to each side of the necklace. Attach half of a toggle clasp to each end.

Pro

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6a 6b 6c

facetjewelry.com©2006 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

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Add a bit of white polymer clay to all colors to brighten them. Test a color by making a small tile of it and baking it to see the resulting color. Colors may change after baking. When the baking cycle is over, immediately plunge the polymer-clay pieces into a bucket of ice water for 30 minutes. This will make the colors really pop and will tighten and strengthen the polymer clay.

Polymer-clay canes are versatile, with endless color possibilities. For this specific “pod” design, the author’s favorite color combinations are:

■ black, white ■ orange, lime green, black

■ denim blue, black, white ■ purple, lavender, white

■ terra-cotta, black, white ■ teal green, black, white

■ blue pearl, green pearl, gold ■ turquoise, chocolate brown, white

■ yellow, navy blue

coloralternatives

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