Sculpey Soufflé™ Citron Mokume Gane Triangle Earrings

Step 1

Getting Started:

Please make sure your work area is covered and you are not working on an unprotected surface. We recommend working on the Sculpey® Oven-Safe Work Mat, wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Uncured clay may damage unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Be sure to cover your crafting area appropriately.

Start with clean hands, unwrap and knead clay until soft and smooth, or condition by running clay though a Pasta Machine. We recommend using a designated machine for clay purposes only. When working with multiple colors, clean hands with soap and water or baby wipes (we have found that baby wipes work best) before switching colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces firmly together. Wash hands after use.

Baking:

Begin by preheating oven to 275 °F (130 °C). After you are done creating; for best results bake clay on an oven-proof surface such metal, aluminum foil, an index card or the Sculpey® Clay Mat at 275°F (130 °C) for 30 minutes per 1/4" (6 mm) thickness according to package directions. Oven safe glass or ceramic surfaces are also acceptable for baking; however please note that the baking times may take longer as the glass or ceramic surfaces take longer to heat up. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME.

Step 2

Condition the Soufflé Citron on the #3 (or middle) setting on the clay machine. Use the largest cutter (2 inches) to cut a square. Set aside for a moment.

Repeat with the other 3 colors.

Step 3

Stack the colors one on top of each other in the order shown in this photo. Citron, Slate Gray, Igloo and Twinkle Twinkle. Press the layers together lightly with your hand.

Step 4

Run the stack of colors through the clay machine on the same #3 setting. Place the long sheet of clay on a sheet of paper and cut down the middle of the stack as shown.

Step 5

Restack the colors in the SAME order. Twinkle Twinkle should be a bottom layer and Citron should be a top layer.

Step 6

Run the restacked clays through the clay machine again and trim the stack in the middle again and restack in same order.

Step 7

Now the fun begins! Place your stack on a small smooth tile. Use the medium size Dual Ended tool to press randomly across the surface with a “gentle-firm” pressure. You don’t want to hit the table, but you want to push through most of the layers. NOTE: I hold my tool straight up and down while I do this, but I lean it in order to take the photo.

Step 8

Repeat with the small ball tool.

Step 9

Gently bend your blade using your thumbs on top of the blade. Slice just along the top surface of the clay as shown. It will take several slices to complete.

Step 10

Here is the first slice from my stack. I carefully move my sliced clay to another sheet of paper for later use.

Step 11

Continue slicing off the surface of your stack and placing the pieces on your sheet of paper. I prefer to randomly do lighter/deeper slices to get more colors showing. IF you cut to deeply, do NOT remove the slice – just gently press into place and turn the sheet and slice from the other side.

Step 12

Slide your blade underneath the sheet and pull it down to remove the clay sheet from the tile and move the sheet of clay to your working paper again.

Use the acrylic roller to thin the sheet slightly and to decrease the texture in the surface slightly.

Step 13

Use the 1.75-inch cutter to cut out two squares of clay. Set the remnants aside.

Step 14

Here are my 2 cut pieces ready for the next step.

Step 15

I have moved my squares to my graphing paper and carefully aligned the top and bottom points along one of the lines. Now I’m going to use the 1-inch cutter to trim the clay as shown. Set aside the squares that you cut to make the next pair of earrings (shown at the end of the tutorial).

Repeat for both pieces.

Step 16

Sheet your Igloo clay on the #3 setting or the setting closest to the thickness of your two mokume gane pieces. Use the 1.75-inch cutter to cut two squares.

Sheet the Igloo clay on #4 (thinner setting) and cut 2 more same size squares.

Step 17

Gently align one of the squares of matching thickness with your Mokume Gane piece. Use the 1-inch square cutter to trim to the same width as your Mokume Gane.

Repeat for the other earring.

Step 18

stack both pieces of the thinner Igloo squares and align the pieces. Do NOT press together because we are going to gently remove the top Igloo piece to install the metal ring.

Step 19

Lay one of the rings on the exposed Igloo backing piece and replace the top Igloo piece. Flip the earring over and gently press to seal all the pieces together.

Trim any edges that need to be trimmed up and set aside to do the second earring.

Step 20

Once both earrings are complete, bake according to the directions in Step 1 above and allow to cool.

Step 21

Once the clay has cooled, just add your ball post using small coordinating jump rings as shown and your earrings are ready to wear!

But don’t go away….

Step 22

Remember when I said to save the 1 inch squares of Mokume Gane in Step 15? Well just make coordinating squares of the Twinkle Twinkle. Bake all the squares separately and glue together as shown after the clay has cooled!

Step 23

And remember those slices of mokume gane we made off the top layer in Steps 10 and 11? You can put those slices on a new sheet of clay and even remake the textures with your tools to create a new sheet to work with! No Waste!