Checkered Paisley Cane | Polymer Tutorials Vol-053

Caning and extruder designs are among my faves, Cindy… can’t wait to see all the great tips you add to augment my basic skills!

Am really looking fwd to this too. I can’t fathom how you come up with all theses wonderful designs you are one very talented lady! You are so special to share your talent with us at such a little cost. Thank you form the bottom of my heart for your generosity!

Perfect paisley presents for my three pretty sisters. They all love the paisley pattern so a big thank you CINDY now I have the perfect gifts to make them for Christmas……………….cheers xx………………………….

Oh this is gonna be good
I <3 cane work

Cherie – omw those are beautiful \
I spent some time flipping thru the pics

Just fascinating – thank you for the link

Cherie, thanks for the link. The pictures are quite stunning. We have many Indian families where I live and have always admired the beautiful dress and wraps they wear. I have wanted many times to stop and talk with them about the fabrics but am always afraid they might think me rude or nosey. They are a beautiful race of people and their children are adorable. Maybe if we all learned more about other cultures there would be a lot less predjudice and mistrust in the world. Who knows, maybe Cindy started something with Polymer Clay!

So I guess we are saying it is politically incorrect to be Irish medium and wear cotton Indian clothing?

Cherie, thank you for your kind response. I struggle with this issue, as I love design and color from everywhere but wish to be respectful.

I live in cotton 24/7. I easily overheat. I am going on a cruise in March, 2013, and am concerned about the heat as it will leave out of Florida….

Going to hit that link again. Hope all is well with you and yours!

WOW! What a plethora of information you have provided for us in this series!!! I love the cane work using an extruder, it makes it so much easier! Thank you so much! I love the finished pieces too!! I was wondering about a piece that you had on your desk but didn’t show to the camera. It looked like a feather of some kind. It was lying on the table towards the top of the screen. Could you show us what it is please. Also, I don’t know if you can add something to the beginning of the videos that explains the little “mistake” so those of us who start from the first video and make the project one video at a time will know before we start. I was surprised that my cane looked so different, then you explained in the next video. Thanks again!!!

Cindy –

This is a great cane! Very inspiring. Thank you.

Absolutely gorgeous and great background to the design.

I wanted to thank you for taking care of my log in issue so quickly. I really enjoy your videos. Your explanations are clear and concise and the projects are fun and interesting. I really like the change that you made a few months ago on the videos all at the beginning of the month. It’s nice to watch them all at one time so that I can get the entire project concept and then go back over the techniques that I want to focus on.

Many thanks, Jean

Thank you Cindy, I cannot wait to make this bracelet!!

It’s TRUE! Cindy, you make mistakes so we don’t have to…but I’m glad to see you make them nevertheless. I’m always so conscious when I work the clay, even thought I work alone, of what I might be doing wrong. Like grabbing this wrong, dropping beads, having to re-string things because I miscalculated, etc.. It’s nice to see you do those on camera. (Isn’t this compliment a little backward?!) Anyway, it makes me feel a little bit better that I’m so far from the perfect little artiste I want to be. So thank you.

I got all kinds of supplies today, so here’s to the bohemian bracelet and the paisley beads and the sweet pea earrings! I finally got Gilder’s paste…ooooh! Also doing a very interesting vampire necklace for Halloween, designed by Christi Friesen, with hinged wings and Swavorski drops of blood and I don’t know what all. Going to see if I can figure out matching wings for earrings too, although I might end up flying away. Want to see the looks on the customer’s faces at the store when they see THAT.

Thank you for this tutorial because it helped me to assert my instincts when I work with the clay. I had seen a tutorial on reducing canes and it said to grab it by the middle and really squeeze it. She called the technique (I’m not kidding!) ‘choke the chicken’. Well, when I tried it it just DID NOT feel right. And I kind of ended up doing it like you did here. I’m so glad you explained it so well. I was going to buy one of you earlier tutorials on this because I was just very hesitant that I was doing it right. Now you gave me enough to go on til I get to that.

Please, please…try faces! Please…I can just imagine the sweetness that would come from your hands!

Thanks for everything and will report back!

Love to ALL!

One way to work around the problem of cane ends drawing in — and the related problem of pattern distortion if you manipulate the ends too much trying to get them back into place — is to add a thickish chunk of scrap clay to each end of the constructed cane *before* reducing it.

Once you’ve done that, reduce the scrap clay ends along with the rest of the cane. The ends will still draw in, but that will generally be confined to the scrap clay so you won’t lose much if any of your real cane.

When the cane has been reduced to the required size just cut off the scrap at the ends, and a tiny bit more if you need to.

If you use a contrasting scrap clay colour it makes it easy to see where to cut. It also helps if the scrap clay is roughly the same consistency as the cane clay (by this I mean just to avoid big consistency differences, like partnering older-formula Kato which is very firm with Premo which is comparatively soft).

Great idea, will try. Thanks Sue!

Hi Dixie Ann,

Yes, you just put a plug of scrap clay, in the same shape as the cane, at each end of the cane before you start reducing.

To do this with canes with simple shapes, I just roll a suitably-sized log of scrap clay, reshaping it if necessary to match the cane when it’s close to the required size (e.g. squaring it up, or shaping it into a triangle or hexagon or whatever). Then I cut off two chunks and put these against the ends of the cane (cutting the chunks rather than just shaping them entirely by hand ensures that they have smooth, cleanly-edged faces that will “push back” evenly against the cane).

For oddly-shaped canes, it’s probably easiest to roll the scrap clay out at your pasta machine’s thickest setting, then cut and stack several layers of this until you reach the thickness you want for your scrap clay plug, pressing firmly to ensure the layers won’t separate. Put the cane end-on on top, cut around the edge of the cane, then do the same with the other end.

If you’re not sure how thick to make the scrap clay ends, go for thicker rather than thinner, and I’d make them *at least* 2cm or 3/4in long/thick. It’s only scrap clay and it’s easily re-used, and while you will have slightly more work to do reducing the larger total amount of clay, you want enough scrap to make sure that the largest distortions happen to it rather than to your cane.

A few other thoughts on minimising cane distortion:

– If your constructed, pre-reduction cane is short you will lose more of the cane when you reduce it than if the cane was taller/longer when initially constructed. It’s a bit of a trade-off between avoiding using too much clay in the cane (particularly when experimenting!), and making the cane long/tall enough that it will reduce nicely. Also, depending on how the cane is constructed, it can be easy or hard to make a long/tall cane in the first place (e.g. canes constructed from extruded lengths can be made long quite easily, while face canes and pictorial canes built up from a large number of oddly-shaped components are quite difficult to make long/tall!). For what it’s worth, 2.5cm/1in is about the minimum length I personally use for canes that will need to be reduced, and I normally make them longer/taller. The trick of adding scrap clay ends before reducing is more helpful, proportionally, when your initial cane is short than when it’s long/tall.

– Once you’ve constructed your cane, let it sit for a while in a cool place before reducing it to make sure all the clay is at the same temperature. If you start reducing it immediately after constructing it, the outer clay will almost certainly be warmer and softer than the inner clay, so it will naturally move more and distort more. If the clay warms up too much on the outside when you’re part way through reducing it, stop and let it sit for a while for the temperature to even up again before continuing reducing it. (I also try to let my reduced canes rest for a while before cutting slices off them to minimise distortion of the overall shape when cutting, although I don’t always have the patience for this! However, using a very clean, very shape blade — e.g. a tissue blade rather than a clay blade — and firm clay helps a lot with that part.)

– It’s easier to avoid distortion with firmer clay than with softer clay.

(As a side-note on oddly-shaped canes, Idit Fischer Kats developed a technique for reducing these without having to add coloured or translucent background clay, where the cane is first wrapped in a thin layer of water-soluble clay, then packed with scrap clay to an easily-reduced simple shape, then reduced, then the packing removed with the help of the water-soluble clay. I haven’t tried that yet myself — although I have Play-Doh in my studio ready for when I get a chance — but it looks like a great technique and it might also help if it’s only the odd-shaped canes that don’t cooperate.)

You can still make small canes… just size and shape the components so that the cane is taller/longer rather than shorter/wider.

I rarely make large canes. The biggest reduced-and-trimmed cane sitting out on my workbench at the moment is 1.5cm in diameter and 4.5cm long. Mostly I’ll use between one quarter of a 2oz pack and a full pack 2oz of clay in total (generally on the lower end of that range, but tending towards the higher end for complex or pictorial canes). The biggest cane in my cane storage box — which is about twice the size of my next-biggest stored cane — started out with less than two 2oz packs worth of clay.

Some designs are more forgiving of distortion than others… Mine often have sharp lines or geometric patterns or specific mica tricks which don’t react to distortion well at all, but that’s less of a factor with swirly and nature-inspired canes (which sometimes even look better or more natural if there is some variation rather than being photocopy-identical throughout).

Anyway, I hope the trick with the scrap clay ends helps! :)

“A new type of cheese”… classic! LOL

I don’t think Play Doh would work as well as polymer clay for the “scrap clay on the ends” reduction trick because you want the ends to behave as much like the cane as possible (it’s definitely much, much softer than my favoured old-formula Kato!). I’m also not sure whether Play Doh would stick to the ends of the cane well enough to not be annoying. But I don’t actually know… it could be worth trying some time!

Thank you, Cindy!

I never have as much time for claying (and being a mad scientist :D) as I’d like, and this year I’ve had even less than normal due to sporting commitments. They’ve eased off slightly in the last month or two though, so I’m getting back into clay mode.

And I’m sure you’ve just had far too many other things to do, to experiment with, and to figure out, to have had time for a technique that you don’t have a particular need for!

If I only have to reduce things a little, or if my canes are already long, I don’t bother with the scrap clay ends either, but I do find them handy early on in the process, particularly when I’m using a softer-than-old-formula-Kato clay.

For staying aware of what’s going on with a cane while it’s being reduced, I’ll generally ensure there’s something that can act as a registration line on the outside of the cane to help prevent it from getting twisted. And since I rarely reduce an entire constructed cane at once, but instead cut sections off at different sizes, those cuts give me a good enough check on how the design, colour contrast, etc. looks at various stages before I stick the scrap back on to keep reducing. Other than that, I just go for it ;) By now I have a reasonable idea of how they will turn out.

And I too find too many uses for scrap clay to have much of it lying around. In my case, some of my favourite bead-making techniques manipulate scrap clay for the decorative layer… and I end up using “good” clay on the inside! LOL

Karate, mostly.
(Firm clay is not a problem! ;D)

Hi All

didn’t get to go to Michaels after dr appt Wen. BUT it’s ok because I’m thinking I
just got a better deal on ebay

typed in Wilton leaf cutter in ebays main search square

the seller is pricebully

got a 9 pc lot of Wilton Metal Cookie cutters – 3 leaves (like the one Cindy used) 3stars and 3 flowers for $6.99 and Free S/H YAY :)

the site said more than 10 still available — hope this info is helpful

Speaking of helpful – Sue, you rock !!! thank you very much for the reduction reminder using scrap plugs !!

I’ve always wanted to do a paisley but didn’t know where to start… problem solved – thanks to you Cindy :)

Hi Jocelyn

when Cindy showed us the page protector method for storing blends – I came across some of my blends that were really old and cracked – they warmed up beautifully and look like I just made them

so I guess my thought would be – no need to re-warm your blends till your ready to use them

is that what you meant?

I feel for you Jocelyn. It must be so difficult to have MS, but you just keep going.

If you plan on working with your clay over a period of days, then I wouldn’t worry about ‘re-conditioning’ it before using it again. I would just ‘wake it up’ by running through the pasta machine once or twice.

With the checkered part of the paisley cane you probably wouldn’t even have to do that since the sheets will be used flat and not bent in any way, so it wouldn’t matter too much if they were a little stiff and ‘sleepy’.

Whatever works to keep the clay from cracking when working with it should be fine. Unless it sits for an extremely long time or gets leached out in some way, it wouldn’t be a matter of the plasticizers in the clay needing to be redistributed again.or anything.

(You know I am not convinced that the plasticizers settle to the bottom of the clay like people have been suggesting over the years. Otherwise, wouldn’t we have to be cognizant of which side was up during storage and make sure we cut piece off the block that included both the top section and the bottom in order to have clay with the proper amount of plasticizers? Or to be really scientific about it, wouldn’t the whole block need to be remixed before removing any amount of clay, in order for the clay to have the proper amount of ‘ingredients’? Just something to think about. And possibly test some time.)

Hope this helps in addition to the awesome help that Sherry has given you.

What you guys are doing and how your tutorials, website, and videos have evolved is absolutely terrific. I recently watched some of the first videos and the difference in your skills, Cindy (and therefore mine, from what my friends and family tell me) is amazing, as is the difference in Doug’s skills with videotaping and the website. I love how it “feels” as though we’re right there with you – sitting next to you in your studio. You all make it something to look forward to, not just to learn new techniques, but also because you’re not afraid to let us see a mistake you may have made, and you let us laugh along with you and share family stories.

I may not post here on the blog often, or even have the time to keep up with all the postings, but rest assured checking in on a Friday (or Saturday morning with my first cup of coffee) is usually the highlight of my week!

I’d like to request a tutorial. My son was deployed yesterday and will be serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. I would like to figure out how to make camouflage canes, especially the pixilated type that he wears, and make dog tags – maybe by taking two slices, cutting out the center of one and layering that one on top of the other, and after baking insert a picture and then seal it with resin. But I know you can come up with a technique that’ll be so much easier than I ever could. He’ll be there for Christmas and I’d love to make a bunch of these with pics of his son (who’s 1 1/2 years old now), wife, and the rest of the family. I know you film ahead so you wouldn’t be able to do this before then (if at all). If I figure out his to do it I’ll let you know.

Thanks so much for all that you guys do for us.

Thank you so much for your kind words Tanya! It is wonderful to have you back around in our clay family. We missed you around here! My thoughts go out to you and your son for a safe return from Afghanistan. I can only imagine how you must all worry while he is gone. As far as being able to get a Camouflage tutorial out in time for you to make Christmas gifts, I am afraid I won’t be able to get that done for you. But I will keep it in mind for future tutorials.

Hopefully the information that Sue and Jocelyn have forwarded you will help you get what you are looking for.

I don’t know how this would work, but maybe you could extrude some square logs of clay in the colors you need and try and copy the pixelated pattern of your son’s uniform? I typed in ‘pixelated camo’ into Google and lots of images came up that you could imitate. It may take you some time to piece together, but it should be quite do-able, if you just add one log at a time in a grid.

Good luck! Let us know if you’re able to come up with something that works.

Just always remember Brenda, you and your family have a special place in my heart, and will always be prayed for and thought about. Thank him over and over from us for his service and duty to our country.

aka bluesuede shoe on Facebook, lol.

Thanks so much you guys! Jocelyn, I love Brenda’s puffy hearts.. I would have loved a tute when she first posted them, just because of the hillbilly redneck aspect of my husband’s side of the family, LOL! And that was way before we knew Dan would be deployed. (That’s Daniel Crockett, and our other son’s name is David Boone. Can you get any more redneck than that??)

Sue, I do like the technique used on the link you gave. I could start out with that at least and it wouldn’t matter if there was more than one pattern. It could be a work in progress for the entire time he’s there, and that would be something he’d look forward to. His son is 18 months old so one of the tags could include a recent pic of him taken each month Dan’s gone. You guys are awesome! You got the creative juices flowing!

Hi Cindy, I am really enjoying your website… I made the paisley cane the other day (one of my first canes), and it looked GREAT :) Thanks!

Lovely cane. Paisley is very popular in my native U.K. but here in Finland, I don’t see it so much. I am so glad you mentioned your small fauxpas as I was beginning to think I was going dotty! :D I am of the opinion that errors never are…they are always lessons in themselves and often lead to wonderful surprises!

Btw….You asked for comments about how we are enjoying the videos. Well, I am stuck between seriously missing my weekly pmc videos in the old format – to also seeing the ‘main event’ that comes – I think – monthly. (Am I correct?)

I am enjoying seeing the mini vids though. However, I very nearly totally missed this series……as I had got used to seeing the mini vids only…….that after I watched it, I was about to click out of the email and suddenly noticed another link further down the email itself. OMG – Main event tutorial was lurking quietly!!! I really nearly missed it!

Sooo…….my point is, can the main event perhaps come on its own in future……and the mini vids just for inbetweenies? Or perhaps as the first link?

I am now going to go back to my emails and check the video links to make sure that I have not missed anything else in between. Hopefully not…

Great tutorials as usual…….thanks!

I purchased membership in October, but I didn’t really know what I got into. Tonight I finally figured out how to get around on your site and watched lessons 53 & 54. I was so impressed that I just had to buy the the whole series, right back to Vol 1. Thank you. There is a lot of knowledge in your video lessons and I now appreciate this.

Hi,

im new to clay-working, and since i live in norway where no clay-tools are being sold (almost at least), im now wondering if there is any way i can work around the “gun”-thing, and still make this cane?

Thanks!

I jused the bead-roller instead, and even though it was my first cane it worked out perfectly! Thanks – its so much fun!

Hi Linda Jo, your project sounds lovely! I have not tried that technique myself. You may want to test it first using a small test sample, but it should work. Let us know if you try it and how it goes!

So glad to hear that you enjoyed the Checkered Paisley Cane Tutorial, Joy. Thanks for letting me know :-)

The “Like” buttons are over at YouTube on on Facebook where I post the intro videos… and here is where all of the back issue videos are listed… at these three links…

Polymer Clay Back Issues Page 3 (newest releases)
Polymer Clay Back Issues Page 2
Polymer Clay Back Issues Page 1 (older releases)

Hi Priyanka, I am pleased that you are enjoying the tutorial. As far as there being another video with only the brown bead in it, I am sorry but there isn’t one. Try making the cane roll it onto the beads like I show in the video. Once you have done the process a few times you will get the hang of it and make simple changes if you wish. I believe on the brown bead I had added a couple more rows that I decided would not be simple enough for the tutorial. Once you have done a few batches you can try adding some rows of your own. You can also experiment with the color of the base bead (like layering it on a white base rather than a colored one) and you may find that the effect looks quite different. Have fun!

Hi Sam, sorry for the slow delay. I don’t use that pasta machine anymore so I had to dig around my studio to see if I could find it. The size sheet that you need is 2-3 cards thick (which I actually did mention in the video but just said 2 to 3 and failed to mention cards. My Bad.) As long as the black sheet is significantly thinner than the white, it wouldn’t matter that much the exact thickness, so if your machine only does a 2 or a 3 or something in between, then that would be fine. Sorry for the confusion on that one. I will try and be more careful in my future tutorials. :)

You’re welcome Sam! I don’t have a dream machine but I do have a couple of Lucy Clay Machines, an Atlas Wellness 150 and a Modified Atlas done by Ed Street, I call the Street Machine. I have done reviews on them (one of the reasons I have so many) if you want to do a search here on the blog or on our YouTube Channel you will learn more about them.

If you’re in the market for a good machine in the $80-100 range I would get the Atlas Wellness. In the $200 range I would get the Street Machine. And if you want the best and have a $500+ budget, I would get a Lucy Clay Machine. These machines are excellent and beat the hell out of the old AMACO Machine I used in this tutorial! :)