Filigree Polymer Clay Egg

When you see Joanna get out the eggs and a pasta machine, you think she's going to make a little linguini. Not the case, as you'll see in this segment when she cooks up a polymer clay egg.

Materials:

clay gun with 1/8" hole disk
colored and black polymer clay
extra large egg
white glue
ball point pen
corn starch
400-, 600-, 800-, and 1000-grit sandpaper
buffer (optional)

1. Let the egg sit at room temperature for about an hour. Puncture each end of the egg with a needle tool. Gently poke around the egg and stir to break the yolk. Blow out its contents. Let the egg air dry for at least 48 hours.

2. Paint egg with a layer of white glue (figure A). Let it air dry completely.

3. Condition the clay either with a pasta machine or by kneading until it's very soft and pliable. Roll out each color of clay into a 5-inch snake that is a little less than 3/4 inch in diameter. Line up each snake side by side (figure B).

4. Slice 1/4-inch pieces the entire length of the snake (figure C).

5. Take each disk-like piece and randomly stack them to make a 2-inch stack. Roll the new stack to bind them and to evenly size (figure D).

6. Slide the new stacked-snake into the clay gun. The first color into the clay gun will be the primary color throughout the long snake.

7. Repeat above steps three or four times. Make enough snakes to cover the egg.

8. Take one long snake and coil it to create a flat circle with a diameter of 1 inch, and snip off the rest of the snake. Place circle on egg (figure E).

9. Randomly wrap the clay snake around the egg or circle in various directions and add smaller circles or paisley shapes clay as you go. Continue this process until the entire egg is covered. Make sure to not leave air pockets.

10. Lightly dust your hands with corn starch. Gently press the clay to the egg to ensure the clay sticks to the egg. Let it sit for an hour or two.

11. Use a ballpoint pen end to make little "balls" in the clay egg (figure F). Dip the pen end into corn starch so the clay will not stick to it. Randomly dot the clay with the pen until you are satisfied.

12. Bake the egg according to the clay manufacturer's recommendations for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely from the oven.

13. When you push the clay through the clay gun, each of the other colors in the stack are hidden behind that first color. So now, as you sand away the primary layer, the hidden colors will come through. Begin with 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper. Let the sandpaper soak in lightly soapy warm water in a plastic container for about 10 minutes before you begin to sand. Sand the egg.

14. Rinse the egg in the sink and gently rub with an old toothbrush to clean in the crevices.

15. Repeat with the 600-, 800- and 1000-grit sandpaper.

16. Gently buff the egg to a high shine. Either buff with a soft cloth or an electronic buffing wheel. You achieve a higher shine with a buffing wheel.

17. To make the stand: Roll out three snakes, 4 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter. Roll out one snake long enough make a circle to let the fat end of the egg rest gently inside. Connect the 4-inch pieces to the circle, making the connection smooth. Roll the ends of the legs up into a small spiral for a finishing touch and to give it more to stand on.

18. Bake in an upright position. Optional: Stuff with batting to make sure it doesn't collapse. Place your egg on the stand and admire!

Website: www.jjmhandcrafted.com