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Polymer Clay Canes

Polymer Clay canes are created using a technique called Millefiori, meaning a thousand flowers. This technique was originally developed for creating intricate designs in glass, but can also be used to create the same result using polymer clay.

Rods of colored glass, (or polymer clay) are layered together to create and image, usually a flower, because that is the easiest to create, although any simple picture or design can be rendered using this technique and a little patience. Read more about this here.

The layered rods are rolled into a long cane that is then sliced to create many tiny, identical images. These slices can be used to decorate beads, vases, or decorative containers.

How to make millefiori canes using polymer clay

First, choose a few colors for your flower. They should be fairly high-contrast, light and dark, or from opposing sides of the color wheel.

Soften your clay to by rolling it in your hands or through a pasta roller.

Next, select the color(s) you will be using for the petals. i have 2 shades of pink to add a touch of depth to the flower.

Next, combine the colors you are using for the petals, and roll the clay out into a long rod.

Decide what color you will be using for the background and flatten it out into a long narrow sheet.

Wrap the background color around the flower petal, leave a little gap on one side. This will be the section that connects to the center of the flower.

Roll the combined clay colors out to form an even longer noodle. it should be about 12 inches long.

Choose a color for the center of your flower and roll in into a small rod about 2 inches long. You can use more than one color if you like.

Now cut the petal roll up into about 6 sections the same length as the center roll. This will be the number of petals your flower has. If you get 5 or 7, that’s just fine.

now arrange the flower petals all around the center, making sure the petal edge is in the center, and the background color is on the outside.

gently roll the finished cane until it is smooth and all of the parts are combined. Don’t make it too skinny. Let the finished cane sit for a few minutes and cool down from the heat of your hands.

Now comes the really exciting part.

Slice the cane up and see what you’ve got!