Introduction:
"Millefiori means "thousand flowers" and it is the name employed in
glassmaking to describe the use of colored canes of glass that have a pattern
running right through them." Millefiori cane can also be made with polymer clay,
like Fimo, Sculpey, or Sculpey Primo. Thin slices are cut off the cane and then
applied to the outside of a little ball of clay. They are smoothed together by
rolling in the palm of the hand to form an intricately designed bead. You can
also use millefiori to cover glass candleholders, make buttons, and add accents
to small figurines.
Materials:
Millefiori Cane
9x12 Plexiglas
Toothpicks or skewer
Glass jar with a flat
surface for rolling
1 solid color of Polyform
(multiple colors of Polyform clay if you want to make your own cane)
Straight edge razor blades
(older kids) or a metal rib used in pottery (younger kids)
Toaster oven or you can
also cook in a conventional oven
Directions:
Take a bean sized piece of the solid colored clay and warm it in your hands
until it is pliable and soft. Roll it in the palms of your hand into a small round
ball. Now set it aside for a moment.
Hold the Millefiori cane in your hands for a few minutes till it warms up.
Using the blade or the metal rib, slice a thin piece off the cane, making sure
that you get the whole design.
Apply the slice to the outside of the solid colored ball. Continue to slice
and apply the slices to the ball until it is nicely covered. Then roll the ball
in between your palms until all the seams from the decorative slices disappear.
Poke a hole in the bead with a toothpick or a bamboo skewer for string to
go through.
Cook the bead in a toaster oven or a conventional oven at 220 degrees for
20 minutes. Let the beads thoroughly cool. If you want, you can coat them with
a clear glaze to make them shiny. Then string them together with fishing line,
thread, or string, either by themselves or in combination with other beads.
Resources:
Heaser, Sue. Making Polymer Clay Jewelry. Sterling Publishers, New York. 1997.
