Off-Set Patchwork

This patchwork reminded me of a Facebook post of Melanie West, polymer clay artist. I was wondering about the July patchwork design and thanks to her published picture (the following one) I recollected my recent project, which is also based on the patchwork pattern. Frankly, it´s not that colourful and sophisticated as the Melanie´s one but the principle is identical. It reminds me also of doodling and creating various geometric shapes.

You need the following for creation of the patchwork:

polymer clay: black and white Premo Soufflé, or 6 various colours
template with geometric shapes – squares, rectangles or pentagons are ideal; I am using squares by Melanie Muir / Cool Tools
craft knife / scalpel
deli paper
bracelet blank / tile
sandpaper 400 – 1000 grit
and basic polymer clay tools (pasta machine and others)

Procedure:
1. Condition white and black clay on middle setting of your pasta machine (#4 with Imperia) and get sheets.

2. Now, take the template and place the smallest square on one colour sheet (I have the black one). Cut out the square pressing the knife towards the template.

3. Take out the cut-out square. Now, cut out another square of the same size from the other sheet (the white one) and insert it into the cut-out square of the black sheet. If the hole is small, extend it a bit outwards with your fingers and then insert the white square inside. Smooth out the joints over deli to make them invisible.

TIP: If your sheets are black and white, you can swap the squares and the holes and create a reverse variant, i.e. the black square inside the white sheet.

4. Take the template again and place its square which is one size larger than the previous one on the ready clay square. Move the template clockwise so that the corners of the new square are slightly turned. Cut out a larger square.

5. Take the white sheet again and cut out the second smallest square as described above. Put the black and white square inside and smooth it out. When placing the template on the ready sheet, turn it slightly clockwise again.

6. Repeat the procedure of cutting out and inserting the squares until you get three black and three white squares inside each other. Finally, smooth them out. The black clay may soil the surface of the white clay. Don´t worry about that, you grind it off after baking.

TIP: Cut out the last two squares in order to make a frame, i.e. the corners of the two squares are parallel (see the picture).

7. Lay the ready shape on the tile or on the barcelet blank as well as I am showing. If you are making earrings, repeat the whole procedure to make the second piece. When baking, follow the manufacturer´s baking instructions.

8. Prepare a bottom part of the baked shape in the constrasting colour or just sand it with sandpaper of 400, 800 and 1000 grit and attach a fastening.

I wish you excellent moments of creation and enjoy the summer!

Petra Nemravka