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Showing posts with the label handmade buttons
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 It's time for experimenting and sharing!  This week I played with silk screening metallic powder and am pretty excited about the results! Starting with Helen Breil's silkscreen 'Pills and coffee' www.helenbreil.com/silkscreens , the tiny holes in the silk screen really make beautiful designs.  I used Ranger 'Perfect Pearls' powder  that come in a set of 4 metallic colors.(copper, bronze, silver and gold)  Little sponge applicators (in the package)  make rubbing the powder into the screen so easy.  If you brush the powder be sure to use a separate brush for each color.  Otherwise the colors mix together too easily. I used black polymer as the base and screened on the copper shown in this picture.  It was also easy to screen the pattern on the rounded shapes.   Really a nice look.  The powder adhered nicely after curing. Silk Screen I used Metallic powders I used Copper Metallic Silkscreen on Black Polym...

A Word About Buttons

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  I grew up looking through my mother's and grandmother's button jars.  In fact, I still have one of those jars.  There is something about seeing and feeling those round, oval and square shapes that fascinate.  Some have pictures, some are in relief and some are just colorful and all are pieces of history. When the owner of a fabric shop asked me is I could make polymer buttons, I said "Sure"!  Having worked in polymer clay I was positive this would be easy.  After a lot of learning and practicing it is an intriguing enterprise that takes patience and is fun! My latest button inspiration came from a friend who looked at the buttons in my display and said 'Red and Black'  You need red and black and maybe burgundy for the season!'   These new buttons will be in showing up my display case and in my etsy shop though out this month.  My process begins with conditioning the polymer clay and then make polymer canes in dif...

FOCUS

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Saturday August 24, I’ll be giving a 3 hour workshop on making polymer clay buttons at The Sedona Knit Wits (928-282-3389) just in case you want to call and make a reservation!).    I’m planning on showing how to condition the clay and using three different techniques for buttons as well as finishing.   The class should be lots of fun! In preparation, my supply list is made, the tools we will be using are collected or the coupons from Jo-ann’s and Michel’s are being collected and the knit shop is advertising. Using 2013 colors, I selected two color schemes with 3 colors each.   Each student will have a choice of 3-2oz squares in cool colors or 3-2oz squares in warm colors.   Next I wanted to find out how many buttons I could make out of 6 oz of clay.   I chose the cool colors of clay, my tools nicely arranged and my class goals typed beside me.   I was ready.   You all can probably guess what happened.   I got side tracked right ...