Capture the summertime fun of a day at the beach with this joyful bracelet. Judy Belcher shows you how to mix bright colors of Kato Polyclay to make festive ''candy-striped'' components.
STEP 1
Cut the blocks of clay and group them in the following increments:
1/4 block of yellow, 1/16 block of magenta, and a pinch of red, for the color tango.
1/4 block of yellow, 1/8 block of green, 1/8 block of white and a pinch of black, for the color aspen.
1/4 block of white with a pinch of brown and black, for the color natural.
1/2 block of turquoise for the color Bermuda.
STEP 2
All polymer clay must be conditioned prior to use. Either knead chunks of clay in your hands or fold and roll sheets of clay through the pasta machine until clay is soft and pliable, and colors are well blended. Condition the clay in the groupings listed above, cleaning the pasta machine between each color.
STEP 3
Roll each color of clay out on a medium setting of the pasta machine.
STEP 4
Form a cylinder of clay from scrap clay approximately 1-1/2 inch tall and 1-inch in diameter. Make sure there are no air pockets in the clay.
STEP 5
Cut each of the four sheets of colored clay into 1-1/2 inch tall--varying width strips.
STEP 6
Lay the strips of color along the length of the scrap-clay cylinder, alternating in a pattern you like, working until the entire cylinder is covered in stripes of clay.
STEP 7
Using the knitting needle, drill through the center of the cylinder. Pinch the ends of the cylinder around the knitting needle.
STEP 8
Roll the cylinder against the work surface, applying light pressure and moving your hands and the clay outward to make the tube smaller and longer. Twist the clay as you roll, to create twisted stripes.
STEP 9
Continue to roll and twist the clay until the tube is the length of the knitting needle.
STEP 10
Remove the lengthened cylinder from the knitting needle and form the cylinder into a circle, the approximate shape of a loop of memory wire.
STEP 11
Place the clay on polyester batting and bake for 20 minutes at 275 degrees F.
STEP 12
Allow the piece to cool.
STEP 13
Using the polymer clay blade, cut the cylinder into six sections.
STEP 14
Using heavy-duty wire cutters, cut a 1 1/2 loop section of memory wire.
STEP 15
Grip one end of the memory wire with the round-nose pliers and turn the wire into a small loop.
STEP 16
From the other end of the memory wire, string on the beads, sterling spacers and clay tube beads in a pleasing pattern, working until the bracelet is full.
STEP 17
Repeat Step 15 to make a loop on the second end of the memory wire.
STEP 18
Add various charms to split rings.
STEP 19
Loop the split rings into the loops at each end of the memory wire bracelet for a fun finish.
The pieces featured in the Gallery of Designs are copyrighted designs and are provided for inspiration only. We
encourage you to substitute different colors, products and techniques to make the design your own.
Have a question regarding this design idea? Email Customer Service.
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