Flexible Flag Door Hanger - Sculpey Clay Projects

July - Flexible Flag Door Hanger
by Amy Koranek

Some Basic Information:

Sculpey III, Bake & Bend, and Amazing Eraser Clay should be conditioned before using. To condition, roll and squeeze each color in your hands until the clay becomes soft and pliable and an even consistency.

It's important to bake projects for the right amount of time and at the right temperature. Once your project is complete, follow these baking instructions for each type of clay:

Sculpey III bakes in your home oven for 15 minutes at 275 Degrees F (130 Degrees C).
Bake & Bend bakes in your home oven for 20 minutes at 285 Degrees F (130 Degrees C).
Amazing Eraser Clay bakes in your home oven for 10 minutes at 250 Degrees F (130 Degrees C).

Line your baking sheets with aluminum foil or index cards when using them to cure (bake) polymer clay projects.

Always assist children during the baking process and never touch a clay project until it is completely cool. You should use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven temperature is accurate. Overheating polymer clay can cause it to become discolored. In the case of Amazing Eraser Clay, the eraser may not erase well if it's over baked.

Good working surfaces include a large piece of glass, wax paper, marble, or an old baking sheet. It is important that you not place unbaked polymer clay on any good furniture surface. Do not use everyday cooking utensils with clay if you are going to continue using them for preparing food.

Shapes:

All of the projects in this series can be made from the following shapes:

Ball - Take a lump of clay and roll it in your palms until it's smooth.

Teardrop - Start with a ball of clay and then taper it on one end with your fingers.

Coil - Roll a lump of clay until it¹s long and skinny.

What you'll need:

1 oz. each of Bake & Bend Red, White, and Blue
Rruler
Thin black string or elastic
Scrap paper
Sculpey rolling tool or a heavy glass or empty jar to roll with Sculpey
Clay tool or dull knife and toothpick

Instructions:

1. Shape 4 coils of Red that are 5" long. Shape 4 coils of White that are 5" long. Alternate the Red and White coils side by side on top of a piece of scrap paper.

2. Roll over the top of the coils with a rolling tool. Roll and roll until the stripes are at least 6" long. As you roll make sure the coils are staying together and not coming apart between the stripes. You may want to lift the flag from the paper between rolling to release it from the paper - that way it will keep getting longer.

3. When the flag is as long as you want it, trim it as both ends.

4. Shape a lump of Blue into a very thin flat square. Press it into place on the flag. Decorate the blue area with White dots. [You can use some White from the scraps that were cut off the ends].

5. With the point of the clay tool or a toothpick, poke 2 little holes in one end of the flag to attach the string.

6. Bake the flag in your home oven at 285 Degrees F (130 Degrees C) for 20 minutes. When it's cool, attach a string to the holes so you can hang it around a door knob.