Wire
Mounted Millefiore Flowers for Party and Table Favors
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 Materials:
- Premo! Sculpey in the following colors:
Fluorescent Red 5583, White 5001, Green 5323, or other colors of
choice
- Colored wire
in a medium gauge (18-24 gauges will work fine)
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Small metal buckets or terra cotta pots
- Colored raffia
Directions:
 Make
a Skinner shade using fluorescent red and white or colors of choice.
Cut two triangles of equal size and arrange them to form a rectangle.
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 Fold
bottom of rectangle up to top. Insert the fold into pasta machine
and roll through. Repeat this motion, always from the same direction
20-25 times.
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 This
is what your blended gradient looks like after the 20-25 passes.
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Run blended strip through
the pasta machine vertically on a much thinner setting (#5 to 7 depending
on the machine). Carefully support it to it doesn't stretch too thin
or tear.
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Trim off the end slightly, then roll up the trimmed off piece, place
it on the trimmed end. Begin rolling the sheet of clay from light
to dark.
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 This
shows the strip 1/2 way rolled up.
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Here
is the completely rolled cylinder
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Cut cylinder in half through the length. Don't cut completely through
-- you are going to make flower lines.
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Place a thin sheet (#5 setting) iof black clay in cut and trim excess
away.
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Make a second cut out from the center of the first cut. Slant this
cut to the outside of the cylinder. Add another thin sheet of black
and trim away excess.
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Make a third cut on the opposite and put in a third thin black sheet
and trim away.
Cover the whole cylinder with thin sheet of black clay (#5 setting)
and trim away.
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 Reduce
the cylinder to half its size by squeezing and "choking" in your fist
before you begin to roll it.
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Reduce and roll the cane down to about 11 inches in length.
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Next, cut into five 2 inch long pieces.
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Next, pinch all pieces into tear drop shapes by pressing with side
of thumb along the length of the piece. The lines you inserted should
meet where the teardrop shape comes to a point. |
Roll a small coil of solid red for the flower center. Put points of
teardrops together against the coil of solid color.
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 Place
all of the teardrop shapes together. Pack them tightly, and reduce
a little more, keeping the scalloped shape. DO NOT ROLL as
you did the single cane pieces. Instead, gently twist the cane back
and forth and pull gently with fingers. You want to maintain the fluted
shape of the petals. |
Let flower cane rest for 30 minutes or more. Then, with a Sculpey
Super Slicer, slice off pieces of the flower and place on short lengths
of wire.
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The technique is the same. Make a green shaded cane. However,
you will make different cuts to make the leaf veins.
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Make three diagonal cuts ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CANE, AND INSERT
BLACK SHEETS OF CLAY.
- - Cut the cane
the other direction completely in half. Insert a black sheet of
clay and trim.
- - Flip half
of the cane around so that the veins meet in a "V" shape.
- - Pinch the
cane into a tapered leaf shape, and cut with Sculpey Super Slicer
after it has "rested" for 30 minutes or more.
- - Like with
the flowers, insert wires into the leaves and bake at 275 degrees
F (130 degrees C) for 30 minutes per 1/4 inch of thickness.
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| After all flowers
and leaves are made, insert some scrap clay into bottom of clay pot
or bucket. Insert wire stems and "arrange" flowers and leaves.
Use
straw raffia to add depth to the pot/bucket. Add a birdhouse and a
garden glove on a skewer if desired (made from "Grow a Garden" E-Z
Release Pushmold)
NOTE: Large heart has been made from a Skinner blend also. Do not reduce
your original large cane. Use thumb to press flat on one edge. Place
two together and finger sculpt into heart shape. After baking, use a
permanent fine point marker to write names. |
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