Materials:

• 1/2 block (2-oz.) of the following Premo! Sculpey colors:
  • Ecru 5093
  • Beige 5092
  • Black 5042
  • White 5001
  • Gold 5303
  • Raw Sienna 5392
  • Fluorescent Red 5583
• Empty 35 mm film cannister, preferably black Wrap in a layer of aluminum foil
• Craft blade and Sculpey Super Slicer Star shaped cutter, approx. 3/8" across, Available from Kemper Tools
• Old cheese grater
• Cyanoacrylate (super glue) glue gel
• Translucent Liquid Sculpey (optional)
• Pasta machine, acrylic brayer, or smooth, heavy glass drinking glass for rolling thin layers of clay A tassel skirt and ties (more information below)
• Calibrated oven or toaster oven to 275 degrees F (130 degrees C)

Directions:

Using 1/4 block of clay, roll a 1/8" (3 mm) thick layer, roughly square of ecru beige, black, white, and gold. Decorate these bases as follows to make the "fabrics." Finely grate fluorescent red onto the gold base. Spread the shreds evenly over the base, and then press them in gently. Roll a 1/16" (1.5mm) thick layer of black. Using the craft knife, cut a little square from one strip. The square should stick to the knife, so lift it and place the square onto the gold base. Cut and place squares until the base is covered as in the photo.

Roll a thin snake of white and fluorescent red. Twist them together and roll to smooth and reduce. Twist, roll and reduce until the piece is no more than 1/16" in diameter. Break the twist as necessary. Arrange the twists in lines on the black base, and press them gently into the base. Roll more as needed to cover the base.

Roll a 1/8" (3 mm.) thick layer of black and trim to 1/2" x 2" (1.5 cm x 5 cm). Do the same with white. Place the white layer on the black layer. Taper the narrow ends by pressing with your fingers. Roll up from the narrow end, LIKE A JELLY ROLL! The resulting roll will be about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter. Reduce the diameter to about 1/4" (5 mm) by rolling, pressing, and stretching. Trim the distorted ends until you see the swirl design. Slice the roll into 1/16" (1.5 mm) pieces. Press the slices onto the ecru base.

Roll, fold, and roll a very thin layer of gold repeatedly until it has a lustrous, smooth sheen. Place the layer onto a ceramic tile and stroke it with your fingers to make it stick. Cut as many star shapes as possible in the gold layer. Peel away the excess clay. Carefully saw or move a star off the tile by sliding the tissue blade under it. Place on white base. Continue as in photo.

Roll a 1/8" (3mm) layer of fluorescent red, about 1" x 2" (2.5 cm x 5 cm). Roll a very thin layer of black, and place it on the Fluorescent red layer. Trim. Roll a 1/8" (3 mm) layer of white and place it on the black layer. Trim. Press lightly to fuse layers. With the tissue blade, cut strips about 3/16" (3 mm) wide. Then cut slices of the strips. Place the slices thickly, but in random directions onto the beige base as in photo. Press lightly.

To make a base for the patchwork finial cover the outside of the foil covered cannister with a 1/8" (3 mm) layer of leftover or scrap clay. With a circular cutter or a large straw, punch a hole out of the clay at the top center of the cannister. Bake for 10 minutes in the calibrated oven. Remove from oven and let col. Leave the cannister inside the finial base for now.

To cover the finial base, cut a triangle from one of the "fabrics" you prepared in steps 1-7. Make it no smaller than 1" (2.5 cm) on a side. Press it gently into the scrap layer of clay. If it doesn't stick, brush a thin layer of Translucent Liquid Sculpey on the back of the "fabric." Cut a triangle from another "fabric" and place it next to the previous triangle. Repeat for your remaining fabrics. Handle gently so as not to squash the surface decorations.

With the stitching or tracing wheel, make a line of stitching around each patch. Check your work to make sure you haven't missed a patch.

Bake your finial for 20 minutes and let cool. Remove the cannister and foil from inside the finial.

Roll a 3/8" diameter snake of black clay. Roll it flat, making sure the edges are smooth. Press this flattened piece around the bottom of the finial to make a border. Glue with super glue if necessary. Trim around the inside, and smooth the joint with your finger. Flatten a ball of black, punching a hole out of its center. Center it over the hole in the top of the finial. Press gently, and then rebake entire piece for 20 minutes.

Constructing the Tassel:

There are several ways to make tassel skirts. Cut-thread skirts are the easiest. You wind yarn around a book or a piece of stiff cardboard. Tightly tie the wrapped yarns together at one end. Cut the other end. The tied portion disapears when you pull the skirt onto the finial.

I used a gadget called the Tassel Master to create my bullion tassel skirt (Bond America, 71 Lawrence Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 800 862-5348 bond@netheaven.com.)

The skirt is made of a strand of smooth cream wool, a strand of cream mohair, a strand of red silk/wool blend yarn, and a gold blending filament from Kreinik, all twisted together. The strong tape included with the Tassel Master will hold these fuzzy yarns just long enough for you to crochet or back stitch the top ends together. The tassel tie is simply six twisted strands held together and then allowed to twist together on their own.

If you make a cut-thread skirt, make sure it is bulky enough to fill the inside of the finial! Thread the ends of your tie through the hold in the top of the finial (wrap the ends in making tape to make this easier). Knot the ends and glue to knot if it makes you more confident. Drape the cut-thread tassel skirt over the know. Wrap a separate thread around the skirt threads, just under the knots and tit tightly. Pull the top of the skirt into the finial.

Make a knot in the tie to rest on the top of the finial. For a bullion tassel skirt, coil the top as instructed. I like to sew or crochet the rounds together for extra strength. Know the tie and thread the tie ends into the finial. Push polyester fiberfill into the finial around the tie ends to about 1/2" from the edge of the finial. Thread the tie ends through the center of the skirt. Push the skirt into the finial, pull the tie ends tight, and tie them together with a square know. Trim away the masking tape.

If tassels are not your thing, cover a blown egg, a wooden egg, or use cutters to cut out button shapes.

NOTE: for many ideas on making tassels, including instructions for a tassel made completely out of Premo and Sculpey flex, read Terrific Tassels & Fabulous Fringes by Cari Clement (Krause Publications, ISBN 0-87341-819-0).

NOTE: Suzanne is the author of Polymer Clay for Everyone, new in 2001 from Rockport Publishers, ISBN 1-56496-637-2.