Reasons to Love Polymer Clay

Where to start? There really are so many things to love about playing with polymer clay (there's also a lot of bad points - like that persistent nub of polymer clay that develops a unwavering attachment to the sole of your shoe).

For example, I spent last week doing polymer clay experiments, not thinking about whether they would turn out 'right', but just playing, and it was fantastic!

First I tried sewing little silver crimp beads onto a sheet of raw clay, and then placing the clay onto a bead to make a pretty little border. I know polymer clay can be sewn, because Donna Kato has a photo of a sewn polymer clay bag in one of her books. Granted, that piece was cured first, but that was the point of my experiment; to try something different.

Didn't work of course, but I doubt anyone's surprised *G* Trying to keep the needle from ripping through the clay at an angle was a struggle for one thing, and for another, the beads wouldn't lie properly. Maybe I'll come back to the idea with different beads and more patience.

Then I made these little beads:



They're flat-backed nugget-type polyclay beads with in-set silver-plated wire. I can say with almost 100% certainty that I'm not the only person to do this, but I haven't seen this particular effect. So don't burst my bubble *G* I'm kidding, I'd like to see what other people have done.

Eventually I'd like to use sterling silver wire, because any tool marks can be filed away without taking the plating with it, but actually, these beads are tool-mark free. I think. Again, don't burst my bubble *G*