A mold is first made from your background rubber stamp
design so that
MAKING THE MOLD
1. Condition a large ball of scrap clay (coral clay above) and roll
it at the thickest pasta machine setting (1/8" thick). Fold it in
half. It needs to be larger then the rubber stamp you plan to
make the mold from.
2. Mist the clay surface and the rubber stamp design with water and
press the clay onto the stamp (brown clay). Mist the top
of the clay so your fingers do not stick. Press your fingers into
the clay like you were 'walking' them over the clay, so that it
reaches the base of the stamp. Slowly lift the clay.
3. Bake the clay mold as directed on the package and allow it to cool
completely. Your mold is now ready to receive a sheet of soft
clay for your bead project, using a spritz of water as the release.
BEAD INSTRUCTIONS
1. Create a medium ball of conditioned scrap clay, roll it to 1/8" thick,
fold it in half and wrap it around a skewer or knitting needle. Cut
the ends to your desired length. Now cut the excess clay lengthwise
so that the edges do NOT overlap but just meet and smooth the seam.
Roll the ends of the bead base so it tapers a little (see finished sample).
Apply a thin layer of liquid clay to the surface.
2. Roll a sheet of white clay to slightly thinner then 1/8" thick (second
thickest pasta machine setting). Mist one side of the clay sheet
and your baked mold with water. Press the soft sheet into the mold and
walk your fingers over the clay as before, so it reaches the
details in the mold.
*During next step, save some textured scraps for the charms!
3. Slowly lift the clay and secure to the base clay bead on the skewer.
Wrap textured clay around base clay and cut the ends to fit around
the base. Do NOT overlap the longer ends, allow the ends to just meet. Smooth
the seam carefully trying not to disturb the design. A rubber
tipped clay shaper tool works well for this.
4. Use a craft blade knife to cut out 3 separate leaves/shapes. Pierce
a headpin into the tip of the leaf (or shape), all the way through
the rounded bottom of the leaf and
beyond, until it stops.
5. Bake the focal bead suspended across a pie pan or similar baking
tray and the threaded leaves (or charm shapes) on a piece of
cardstock, for 20 minutes (275o for PREMO-check brand package for
temperature) and cool.
*Note: Keep the bead secured to the skewer and pins to
support it while you work.
6. Create a baja blue and lime alcohol ink tinted liquid clay by
(see below) squeezing a puddle out into a watercolor palette and
adding a touch of color with a toothpick or skewer and stir thoroughly.
Do this until the colors achieve the desired intensity.
A little ink goes a long way.
7. Dip a large ball stylus tool into the baja blue tinted liquid clay
and fill in the background of the design (see photo above). Work on
only one side of the bead (about 1/3), then heat with a heat tool
until the liquid has a less shiny, satin finish. The heat prevents
the liquid clay from dripping over the edges. The liquid will achieve
a glazed ceramic look when the finish has been added.
8. Using a medium sized ball stylus, fill in the leaves of one side
of the focal bead with lime tinted TLS. Heat and cool.Your can work
on the leaves while the focal bead is curing.
9. Tint the leaf charms with lime tinted TLS and heat (see photo above).
Apply liquid to the other side of the focal bead and heat.
Add baja blue TLS to the side edges of the leaves/charms and heat.
Finish any areas of focal bead and add lime TLS to the back of the
leaf charms. Heat and allow to cool.
10. Place skewer across a pie pan to suspend it while it bakes. Place
leaves on cardstock and on a baking tile.
11. Re-bake all for 10 minutes. For high gloss finish,
while the clay
pieces are still HOT, apply a coat of Future floor finish to one side of each
clay piece. Heat glaze till dry, and while still hot, apply a second
layer of glaze and let dry.
Repeat for the second
side of the bead and the charms.
PIN ASSSEMBLY
1. Thread one silver bead and 1-3 glass beads on each head pins on top
of leaves/charm shapes. Clip the headpins to 1/4" extended beyond
the beads with wire cutters or the cutting area on your needlenose
pliers, bend pin to a 90o angle with needlenose pliers, then bend
into a loop/eyepin
shape using roundnose pliers.
2. Wrap wire around the large glass bead as desired, making sure to
have a loop at the bottom and top of the bead when finished. Sand
ends smooth if needed with a metal
nail file or jewelry file.
3. Secure leaf/charm eye loops to the bottom loop on the large glass
bead bottom loop and close eyepin loops with needle nose pliers.
Open a jump ring (in the kit) with needle nose pliers, attach the
glass bead's top loop to the jump ring and close ring with pliers.
4. Wrap wire around a skewer until you form a 1/2" long spring,
although place all wraps tight against each other. Clip the ends
with the wire cutter area on needle nose pliers and sand smooth if
needed with a metal nail or jewelry file. Bend it into a curve as
shown in finished sample pin.
5. Test your bead lengths by threading on the jump ring with dangles,
one silver bead, the clay focal bead, another silver bead, the
curved wire spring and last silver bead. Make sure all beads fit
leaving plenty of straight bend-it-pin
to attach to garment.
6. Remove just the last silver bead, the spring and the next silver
bead. To secure, place a dot of super glue on the bend-it pin
right next to the open end of the focal bead. Slide a silver
bead over the glue. Hold in place till dry but
do not let glue touch your fingers!
7. Carefully bend the bend-it kilt pin wire using round nose pliers
so that the tip extends about 1/8" to 3-16" beyond the double
wire hook end, when closed. When open it should be about 1 1/2" away
from the double-hook area. Add the spring,place a drop of super glue
next to the spring and slide on the last silver bead. Hold in
place till dry to secure.
A FEW LAST WORDS
Enjoy your beautiful pin and I'd love to see any variations of today's
project that you come up with. I may even show it off on my
website if you'll let me.
Hope you will visit another class soon, and bring a friend.
Thank you for coming!
