Polymer Clay Button Covers

Materials

Kato Polyclay: white, black, and 1-2 other colors
metal button cover blanks
pasta machine
tissue blade
2-part epoxy
buttons, optional
card, optional
Kato clear medium liquid clay, optional

Shaded Jelly Roll Cane

1. Using a 3" x 3" square of one light color and the same size square of one darker color (figure A), make a skinner blend (figure B).

2. When the sheet is blended, and you are ready to turn it a quarter turn to make it longer and thinner, roll it on a #4 setting on an Atlas pasta machine.

3. Prepare a contrasting color sheet of clay rolled out on a #5 setting.

4. Make the jelly roll with the solid contrasting color on the outside (figure C). You can roll it starting with either the light end or the darker shaded end (figure D).

5. Reduce to various sizes according to project needs (figure E).

Wrapped Bullseye Canes: Plain and Striped

Note: Colors 'A' and 'B' can be whatever colors you choose. They simply differentiate one color from another. There can be more than two colors in your cane.

1. Make a skinner blend using a 3" x 3" square of color 'A' clay and a 3" x 3" square of color 'B' clay.

2. When the blend is done, turn the clay a quarter turn and thin it gradually by running it through the pasta machine on successively smaller settings (to at least a #5 setting).

3. Roll the blend up with the lightest color inside (figure F).

4. Reduce so the log is about 4 inches long. Cut it in half, and set one half aside (figure G).

5. For the plain cane, wrap the first half with a #5 sheet of color 'A', then a #5 sheet of color 'B', then the 'A' again, then 'B' again.

6. Reduce this cane to several sizes (figure H).

7. For the wrap with stripes, use the half you set aside of the plain skinner blend. Wrap it with a #5 thickness of color 'A' clay.

8. Roll your clay for the stripes to a #3 setting. Put two #3 thicknesses of color 'A' together and two #3 thicknesses of color 'B' together, and stack those two together.

9. Cut the stack in half. You will now have a four-layer stack. Cut 1/8-inch strips of the stack (figure I) and apply them to the wrapped skinner blend (figure J).

10. Make sure that you don't end with two of the same colors together.

11. Reduce to several smaller sizes according to project needs (figure K).

To make the button covers:

1. Construct the shaded jelly roll cane.

2. Reduce the shaded jelly roll until it is 5/8 inch in diameter.

3. Cut a third off the jelly roll and reduce that to half the diameter.

4. Cut that piece in half and reduce it to about 1/4 inch in diameter.

5. Construct the wrapped bullseye canes.

6. Reduce the bullseye cane with stripes to 5/8 inch diameter.

7. Reduce part of the plain bullseye cane to about 1/4 inch in diameter.

8. Make three 1/8-inch thick slices of the 5/8-inch diameter shaded jelly roll cane and three 1/8-inch thick slices of the 5/8-inch diameter wrapped skinner blend with stripes cane (figure L).

10. Cut thin slices of the tiny canes and press them into the clay that covers the metal.

11. If you want a satin shine on your covers, put one drop of Kato clear medium on each button cover and brush it out to a thin coating.

12. Bake at 275 F degrees for 45 minutes.

13. Pop the clay off the metal button covers. Permanently affix the clay to the metal with a two-part epoxy.

14. Stitch purchased buttons to a card, and attach button covers for gift giving (figure M).