Red Hat Pin
Design by Lynn B. Krucke

• Premo! Sculpey polymer clay
  • Cadmium red 5382
  • Red Pearl 5259
  • Fuchsia 5504
  • Purple 5513
  • Green 5323
  • White 5001
  • Cadmium yellow 5572
• Translucent Liquid Sculpey (TLS)
• Acrylic roller
• Craft knife
• Pin back
• Oven thermometer
• Strong craft glue (optional- see note at end of project instructions)

Instructions:
Condition each color of clay by kneading it in your hands or rolling it on your work surface until the clay is pliable.

Creating the hat
1. Mix equal parts cadmium red and red pearl together to create a new shade of red.
2. Roll a grape-sized piece of clay into a ball then flatten it on the work surface with the palm of your hand. This should create a circle or fat oval that is flat on the back and slightly “rounded up” in the middle.
3. Cut the clay just below the mid-line. Remove the smaller piece of clay.

4. With your fingers on either side of the straight edge, pinch the clay together slightly and create a slight crescent shape.

5. Roll a log of clay and position it along the curved edge of your “hat”. Trim the ends as needed.

6. Flatten this log against the other piece of clay to create the brim of the hat. Make sure the two pieces of clay are in good contact with each other so that the piece will be strong after baking.

Adding the Ribbon, Leaves, and Flowers
1. Mix equal parts purple and fuchsia clay together.

2. Mix 1 part of this new color with 4 parts white until the color looks streaky.

3. Roll a small snake from this clay and flatten it. Place this “ribbon” just above the brim of the hat and press to adhere. I left a small space open so I can add flowers without making the piece too bulky.

4. For the leaves- use green clay as is or mix in a tiny, tiny amount of the red you made in Step 1 above to “tone down” the green.

5. Leaves and flowers-. Roll a tiny ball of clay into a cone shape on your work surface.

6. Flatten the cone. Use a needle tool or the back edge of the craft knife to make a center vein or crease.

7. Before positioning each piece on the hat, use your fingers to adjust the shape as desired. Press petals and leaves in place to decorate your hat. Add small bits of yellow for the flower centers.

8. Bake hat at 275 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, depending on the thickness of your finished hat.

9. Roll out the remaining red clay to make a thin sheet. Cut a small rectangle from this clay slightly narrower than the pin back you will be using.

10. Spread a thin layer of Translucent Liquid Sculpey on one side of this clay piece, then position it (TLS side down) over the pin back.

11. Position the pin back as desired on the back of the hat and smooth the clay rectangle so that it is well adhered to the hat and so that the edges of the unbaked clay blend into the baked piece.

12. Bake the entire piece at 275 F for thirty minutes. Allow to cool, then wear and enjoy!

Note: if you’d prefer, skip steps 9-12 and use strong craft glue to attach the pin back. It doesn’t look quite as nice but it’s a faster way to finish the pin.