How Do You Make Polymer Clay Canes For Beads?
Polymer clay is easy to shape, cleaner to work with than “real” clay, comes in many colors, and (best of all) can be hardened in your home oven. Polymer clay canes are long, colored “pictures,” from which you can cut individual pieces, (like refrigerator cookies.) Once you’ve made a cane, you can do lots of things with it. Make beads for necklaces or bracelets, make buttons, or press into larger designs. Sculpey III and Fimo Soft are good clays if you’re new to this. Decide on a design. For this article I’ve chosen a simple flower, using three colors: yellow, pink and blue. “Condition” your clay: Roll it between your hands until it’s smooth and soft. It shouldn’t be crumbly at all. If it’s a firm clay, like FIMO, you might want to run it through a pasta maker. Make a yellow ball, about the size of a marble. Roll it into a “snake.” (a long strand of clay–Do you remember making snakes with Play-Doh?) This will be the yellow center of the flower. Make five pink snakes, the same length as
