The Next Phase…

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I was intimidated by millefiori canes. They tapped into all my hang-ups about my skills or lack thereof. Millefiori is a technique used in glasswork to produce beautiful decorative patterns in glass. Canes, or rods are put together to create patterns so that when the combined cane is sliced at the end, the cross-section reveals intricate patterns. Polymer clay artists use this technique to create canes which have similar designs running through them. Slice them anywhere and reveal the beauty inside.

Imagine my delight when I found ready-made canes with designs available in craft stores. It felt a bit like cheating but I told everyone who saw the pieces that I had used ready-made canes!  I learned to reduce and slice canes by practicing with these ready-made canes. A friend, who is a doctor, gave me tissue cutting blades for my clay work and I sliced away to create my beads.

Starting out…

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I started out with cookie cutters and clay around 1994. Yikes, that was a long time ago! It was fun to create different interesting shapes, glue a pin on the back and give them as gifts or even sell them for a couple of bucks around holiday time. My students had orthopedic impairments and very limited use of their hands. They loved being able to press cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes and sell the items to their parents and other school staff. They were great holiday gifts and the kids loved collecting the money at our craft bazaars. Of course, I baked sheets and sheets of their work at home. We were a happy crew! I suppose with some glaze applied these pieces could be rejuvenated, huh? 🙂