Patchwork bracelet tutorial

Canes 3 and 4, and trim for patchwork bracelet

Here are the tutorials for the next two canes as well as for the trim between patches. Remember these are supposed to look like quilt fabric:

Cane no. 3

Clay colors: Premo ultramarine blue, black and white.

Mix the ultramarine blue with black in a 2:1 proportion - calculate with the clay ran through the thickest setting, using the 1 1/2" cutter to cut the parts

 This is to obtain a blue that is more subdued and is a color commonly found in quilt fabrics. It should look like this:

 Make a plug out of the blue you got

Wrap it in white ran through on the thickest setting:

It should look like this:

Reduce it to about 1/4" (6 mm)

You should have a total of about 13".
 

Cut a 9" piece and put the remaining piece aside

Of the " piece, cut 1" and put to the side

Using your roller, slightly flatten the remaining 8" piece

It should look like this:

Cut the 8" piece in 1" segments

The first 1" that you have cut, that is still round, wrap it in blue on the thinnest setting

It should look like this:

Run the blue through the thinnest setting, then cut strips 1" long 1/4" wide

Start stacking the flattened pieces alternating with the blue strips

It should look like this:

This is how the stack should look like. Advice: stack them laying flat on your tile/work surface, It's easier than trying to stack them upwards

Wrap around the rounded wrapped 1" piece

It should look like this. Don't worry if it's not perfect looking

Wrap the flower thus obtained in a sheet of blue on the thinnest setting

Make another plug of the blue

Reduce it to the length of the flower cane

Cut it in quarters, lengthwise

work the quarters into triangles

 Arrange the triangles in four corners of the flower cane, so they'd "squarify" the cane

Using your fingers, flatten the cane even more into a square shape

Reduce the second piece of the blue wrapped in white that you have put aside in the beginning, so as to obtain 8 x times the length of the flower cane

Flatten the string

Cut the string in 8 segments the length of the flower cane. If you rung out of string, just make some more

Place pieces of the string where the triangles at the corners end, so as to cover whatever indentation might still remain there

Gather all your remaining scraps and mix them. When thoroughly mixed, run through the pasta machine on the thinnest setting

Wrap the cane in it

It should look like this

Now reduce it to 4"

Cut in 4 x 1" segments

stack the segments together. Then reduce again. Make sure you press from the center to the edges, to eliminate any air bubbles

Reduce again to 4". Cut in 4 x 1" segments and stack again

This is the final cane. Tiny delicate flowers like in a quilt fabric

CANE 4

Get all the remnants from the previous cane, some green and some black. If the green is bright (like I have it here) add a bit more black, if it's darker, add less. We are aiming for a subdued green a tad darker than the Premo Jungle Green

Condition white clay to be the same as your green mix

Cut about 1/3 of each the green and the white and set aside

Of the 2/3 of each color, run through the machine on the thickest setting and get 2 squares cut using the 1 1/2" cutter
Cut once, then run again through the machine until you can cut a second square of each color

Like this

You need two squares of each color. The rest put aside on top of the 1/3 of each color you already have there

Stack the squares you have cut alternating the white and the green, taking great care to align the edges properly

Using your roller start flattening, going both directions, and turning over the clay from time to time so no side would get more flattened than the other

Flatten until you get a square slightly larger than a 2" per side. Trim it to 2"

Cut it in 4 equal pieces

Stack the pieces, paying attention to the alternating colors

Cut the stack in two equal pieces, crosswise on the stripes

Very carefully, cut each piece in two, on a diagonal

Now turn around one triangle of each pair, and stick it on the other side of the other triangle, with care to align the stripes properly, to form a lozenge

 Now stack the lozenges together making sure you got the alternating color at the junction, not green on green or white on white

Cut the edge triangles so you will be left with a rectangle. Then cut the rectangle in two, crosswise on the stripes. Now you have two shorter rectangles

Put the rectangles together making sure that you align the stripes properly

Cut that rectangle in two, to obtain two smaller rectangles

Reduce those rectangles with care to obtain 2 cubes with the side of 1/2"

Now with the green and the white, stack clay until you get 2 cubes of one color each, also 1/2" in dimension

Arrange the 4 cubes like this

Reduce until you get a 4" long cane
Cut in 4 x 1" segments

Stack the segments so they form the tartan pattern. It's ok if it's not perfect

Now reduce again to 4"

Cut again in 4 x 1" segments and stack. This is the final cane.

Trim between the patches:

Get the remnants from the hearts cane and mix well. Then run a sheet of thickest setting

Cover with various color foil flakes. If you don't have more than one color, it's ok to use only one. If you have no gold or silver or copper foil at all, then use a metallic acrylic paint to cover the surface entirely. Wait until the paint is thoroughly dry

Cover with a sheet of translucent clay on the thinnest setting

Run through the pasta machine on succesively thinner settings, starting with the thickest, in the same direction, until you get to the thinnest.

And this is it. On to the tutorial~