Polymer Clay Projects: A Simple Spiral Cane

Supplies needed
- conditioned polymer clay in two colors that aren't too similar
- device for rolling sheets of clay, like a pasta machine, brayer, or dowel
- cutting device, like a tissue blade or very sharp knife
- optional: cornstarch or other release agent to make cutting easier

Procedure
1. Roll out flat sheets of each color of clay and trim so they're the same size.
2. Lay one sheet on top of the other.
3. Starting from one side (it doesn't matter which), roll the sheet up carefully, making sure you don't trap any air bubbles. When you reach the other side smooth the "seam" with your fingers so the cane doesn't unroll.

Voila! You've just made a spiral - sometimes called a "jellyroll" - cane. The outside won't look like much - just whatever sheet you put on the bottom. But when you cut off the end of the cane and look at a cross section you'll see the spiral pattern on the inside.

Variations
After you've made a few of the basic spirals, here are some options to keep you from getting bored:
- Use more than two sheets/layers. (You may have to compress the stack slightly to get it to roll up.)
- Vary the thickness of the layers. How about a thin inside layer and thick outside layer, or maybe the other way around?
- Use a Skinner blend for one or more of the layers. Two layers, both of which are Skinner blends, make some very interesting spirals.
- Use variegated instead of solid-color sheets for one or more layers. Your individual slices won't all look the same, but that might open up new possibilities for your final design.
- Use translucent or tinted translucent clay for one or more of the layers. Then when you apply the slices to an object you'll be able to see the background.
- Take your original cane and use the edge of a credit card or other flat surface to press into several points on the sides of the cane. You've now made what some clay artists call a "chrysanthemum cane." Depending on the colors you've used, the design may not look like a mum, but it should resemble a flower.
- Take your original cane and reduce its size (by squeezing carefully from the middle out toward the edges). Then cut the cane into pieces and lay them side by side to make another cane. You could also try reducing that cane, cutting it into pieces, and laying those side by side until you like the effect. (This technique will cause the original spirals to get smaller and smaller, so there is a limit to the reducing; eventually you won't be able to recognize the spirals.)
- Change your cane from circular to square, rectangular, or even triangular by pressing evenly with a ruler or flat piece of glass to create sides.

What to do with the slices
- Use single slices to make pendants, earrings, or buttons.
- Take a thicker slice and roll it either by hand or through the pasta machine. Rolling with a pasta machine may distort the image, but that might be a good thing. (That's what I did with the artist trading card in the photo.)
- Apply the slices to a base sheet of clay and use that sheet (on its own or to cover an object).
- Apply the slices to a three-dimensional object like a bead (cured or uncured) or a clay-covered pen or picture frame. You'll need to smooth the edges of the slices somewhat to get them to stay together.

The spiral cane is one of the simplest designs you can do with polymer clay. But hopefully these suggestions will demonstrate that this one cane has many creative possibilities.