Coiled Clay Holiday Pendant

While browsing through Pinterest admiring all the amazing polymer clay projects people share, I noticed many pieces that seemed to have been made of softly varied shades of clay, rolled with strands with rough edges, for a great textured effet.   I loved the effect and wanted to see if I could create something similar with Makin’s Clay®.  The soft nature of the clay made achieving the “rough” edge a bit more of a challenge, but I found a way to make it work to create a similar effect.  This project is simple enough for all ages to acheive good results and would be a fun option for children to make to give someone special.  

Materials:

Makin’s Clay® - Multi-Color 4.2 Oz 

Makin’s® 

Clay Roller

Round Cutter Set 

Makin’s Professional® 

Ultimate Clay Extruder® - Single Hole Disc #3

Ultimate Clay Machine®

Cutting Mat 

Clay blade 

Beacon™ Mixed-Media Glue

Red Satin Cording 

Instructions:

Open white, red, and green clay.  Place remaining clay in zipper bag with damp paper towel for later use. 

Use craft knife to cut all of the white and half of the red & green clay into slices about 1/8” thick +/-. 

Stack slices - 2 white, one red, one green, two white, repeat until all the slices are used.  

Gently compress the silces together and begin to carefully form a log to fit inside the Ultimate Clay Extruder barrel.  Add Disc #3, single hole, and extrude all clay.  

 

Set aside and let dry for about 30 minutes.  Roll the extruded clay through Ultimate Clay Machine on setting #1.  Roll again on setting #2, then progressively ending on setting #7.  Allowing the clay to begin to dry before compressing the strand will make the edges “rough” for a textured effect. 

Begin rolling the compressed clay strand into a tight coil.  Continuing rolling until all the strands are used.  Add a touch of Mixed-Media glue to hold the end in place. 

Gather scrap clay and roll to about 1/8” thick and use circle cutter to cut a base for the pendant. 

Add glue to the circle, and place the coiled clay on top.  

Cut a piece of red satin cording about 3 1/2 feet long.  Add a little of the glue around the outer edge of the base.  Fold cording in half, wrap around pendant, then wrap each end round the pendant two more times.  Then tie knot in two strands at top of pendant   Make adjustable knot closure or add closure of choice. 

The random, blended and marbled shades of clay, combined with the slightly rough edges, result in an interesting pendant in the perfect shades to complement your holiday outfits. Change the colors and create a pendant for any season.