Polymer Clay Jewellery

[lee]

Anyone tried using Polymer clay for jewellery? Just begun making beads!

[LadyKatkin]

We use polymer clay with lots of success. My middley makes fantastic foody earrings (the streaky bacon was my favourite but she's done burgers and chips...all sorts). Personally I find it a bit diffy to make holes in them without squishing them, but I'm probably heavy handed.
My main recommendation is that you get yourself a toaster oven and dedicate that to craft baking. The smell of the polymer clay is really nasty, and I know they say you can bake it in your oven, but if you're making a lot them I think the build up of fumes needs to be considered. We got ours from Wilkinson, it cost about £15. My dd says if you pop them straight from the oven into some cold water they go harder. You can cook other things in your toaster oven - utee and shrink plastic come immediately to mind. Oh yes, and cover your baking tray with foil because molten plastic doesn't come off!
My dd says she makes nice marble-y beads by rolling two or three different colours into sausages the same length, puts them together (twist or not) and roll them some more so they mix a bit, and then you can cut even lengths to roll into even sized beads.
Kate x

[craftycat]

I'm planning to use polymer clay for a lot of my dolls' house items. Wonderful for crockery of course but also all the little food items, bits and bobs of ornaments etc etc.

When it comes to jewellry with polymer, I love the effect you get from rolling out thin strands of different colours, shaping them into a larger piece, then cutting slices. Lovely flower shapes at the most basic. waffle waffle!

[suban]

Often wondered about that. May be YET ANOTHER load of things for the wish list!

[lee]

Starting at the polymer clay group tommorrow so excited!

[LadyKatkin]

Saw a mag in Smith's today called Polymer Cafe or somesuch. Didn't buy it cos it was a bit grown up for Fizz (she's 15) and it was £4.50, but nice to know they're out there lol
Have fun tomorrow and don't forget to show us how you got on
Kate x

[sam]

My daughter got a lovely pair of doughnuts for her ears!!!

[dizzyjoan]

I am banned from using polymer clay.I put it in a worktop small size oven- forgot to read the instructions properly.Well there was noxious black smoke, the oven was on fire smoke alarms going off, and all this after just having the kitchen re painted. I was up till 4am cleaning the black greasy stuff off everything, so that was my first and only try with polymer clay...........ho hum

[Penny]

There is another magazine that has recently started publication, called From Polymer to Art: http://www.frompolymertoart.com/
Oh, and if you ever over cook the clay immediately open windows and leave the room until the fumes dissipate. Other than that the clay can't hurt you. Mind you not a good idea to use it to make vessels for eating - not that the clay is bad, but it is porous and food could stay in it which is not very healthy.
Lee - I see you are in London. You may be interested in the London Polymer Clay group: http://www.lpcg.co.uk/

[Susan W]

I used to make a lot of these:
http://www.georgeweil.com/fact_file/...ower_cane.aspx
There used to be a great site called the polymer clay pit which I think has now been amalgamated into the above site..
I loved making clay beads, can't do it anymore due to arthritis in my hands.
Have lots of fun at your group. x