Wednesday, August 01, 2007

How I Made the Polymer Clay Buttons for Kauni

Many people asked for instructions to make the polymer clay buttons I made for my Kauni, so here goes. Just so you know, I am also a newbie at polymer clay so if I can do it, so can you!

I used Fimo Soft and Sculpy brand in the colors red, blue, transparent yellow, white, black, and olive. (I used what I had.)
I cut out a cardboard template with two holes poked through to check for size, putting it through every sweater buttonhole I had made, just to be sure. After I did that, I started the color blending process. Since I did not have the exact colors I needed I started out making purple by blending small amounts of red and blue and adding more until I had a purple I liked. Then I started on the green, with yellow, olive, and a VERY small amount of black. I do not have recipes for the color blending. When the colors were blended to my satisfaction, I took most of the purple, and formed it into a square log by rolling each side with a small rolling pin. I compared the log to the cardboard template to ensure that the log was smaller. Then I rolled out all the green and cut it to fit around the square purple log, being careful to seal the seam. Again, I used the rolling pin to square up. Finally the remaining purple clay was rolled out thinly and wrapped around the entire log. After it was squared up, I chilled it for a bit so it would cut cleanly without deforming. After cutting the slices, I gently pushed in the corners of the button, so it wouldn't be so sharp, and then I poked holes into the button, using the template I had previously made. Then they were baked according to the directions on the package of clay. (Mine were baked at 235 F for 30 minutes.) The green clay turned quite a lot darker after baking in my buttons. After cooling, I had to poke the holes again and then I rubbed them briskly on an old washcloth to make them softly glow.

2 comments:

Tamara said...

Awesome!!! You did a great job!

Annie said...

What a great match! You could sell those!