Budget Polymer Clay Workshop

   I have been doing some 3D sketches with clay that I have put through my extruder using the smallest rectangle plate that I have. By "3D sketch" I mean that I am practicing shaping the clay with no plans to actually bake what I make. By doing this with 1 single color, I don't waste any clay because I just smush it all back together at the end.

   You may have seen photos of a "Lego" brick cane slicer floating around on Pinterest. I decided to give it a try. I didn't already have any "Lego" bricks, so I bought some cheaper, knock-off bricks from Dollar Tree. I just bought 2 bags, plus 1 flat base plate.    I did glue (E6000) some pieces together when I wanted them in an arrangement that they didn't snap into. I also used some popsicle sticks for support.    I'm thinking about adding some popsicle sticks to the front 2 pieces (the glue ones) so that my cane slices will be even thinner. Have you tried a home-made cane slicer? How did it work for you? What materials did you use?

    Making geometric canes with polymer clay leads to endless possibilities. I like to digitally visualize them first. That way, I can try different arrangements and color options. At first, I was doing this with MS Paint, but I decided to try a quilting app.    I have recently tried the  Quilt Cat  app. I only tried their free services, without any subscription. I want to start by saying that I have experienced frequent crashes. Whenever a help tip popped up, my work was lost. Once I noticed this glitch, I purposely activated as many tips as I could, to get them over with. Afterward, crashes were much less frequent. BTW, I am using a Moto G 6.    My cane designs correspond with a single block of a quilt, not the whole quilt itself. So, I mostly used the "patterns" feature of the app.    It comes with a lot of patterns already loaded, but I am obsessed with customization, so I got right to work making my own. BTW, I have an extruder disc that makes &qu

     I admit that I did splurge on two big tools. A clay oven and a pasta machine. It is possible to bake polymer clay in a conventional oven, but the one that I have access to does not allow for low enough temperature to bake polymer clay. Weird, right? The lowest it will go is 300 degrees. So, I bought this  AMACO 12505P Polymer Clay & Craft  Oven  one from Amazon. So far, it gets the job done and is easy to use.    The other pricier item I got was  Darice Studio 71 Machine Polymer Clay Press , which also has been working well. I was a little surprised at how thin the thickest (#1) setting is, but I think that's due to my previous work with ceramic clay, which is usually worked at 1/4 inch at the thinnest.    When I do want to roll out something thicker, I already have  Activa  Clay  Roller Kit , which I think is a great option for the price of only about $17. If you are just giving polymer clay a try and you're not ready for a pasta machine, consider this or a simila