Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Square Flower Beads


I always looking for the way to use scrap clay. I don't have much because I don't make a lot of canes. Sometime my friends just gave it to me.







Now that we all know how to make flower canes, let's put them to good use. I also make some simple leave cane and tiny flower canes in different colors.



1. Cut small pieces from scrap clay pile, roll it into a log about 1 cm. in diameter and about 6" long. You can make it longer and bigger. I like to make smaller size beads. Twisted the log till you get a nice pattern.






2. Cut thin slides off the canes.








3. Put the can slides on to the log, either in random or in pattern. No need to cover the whole log. Press them down lightly. With both hands, roll the log back and forth till the slides blend into the log. Try not to stretch the log too much. You can press it inward while rolling.





4. Cut the log into 1" pieces. First pinch both ends down, then press the middle part down so it turn into a puffy square shape. Adjust the shape accordingly.




5. Poke the hole and bake.



Sometime I used a few solid color clay, roll them into fat snakes and make a log, then added the scrap clay. Add translucent clay will give some dimension to the background. Also make sure you have some flowers on both side of the beads.



I like this flat square and flat round beads because I use them to make bracelets and ankle bracelets. The flat bead will lay flat against the skin, make it more comfortable to wear than the round bead.



I am sure you have your own flower canes you can use for this project.



Happy claying :)