Vol-046-1 Red Clover Flower Beads PcT Tutorial (Intro)
Video #245: “I am in the middle of a very important project and am stumped as to how to go about making clover flowers.” ~Karon-C
More...
** This post is an introduction to one of our paid tutorials.
Recently, a request came in from a fairly new member, desperately needing some design advice for a very special project. She has been commissioned to come up with an authentic looking, polymer clay version of the Red Clover, Vermont’s beautiful little State Flower.
“Cindy, I am in the middle of a very important project… well for me anyway, and am stumped as to how to go about this. I need to figure out how to make a clover flower… you know the pretty little round flowers???? Cannot figure this out and can think of no way around making this. Any ideas would surely be appreciated… not sure why I am undertaking this – must have been out of my mind when I said, “I think I can do that.” So of course I thought of you and our group here to try to get this little flower done. For such a pretty little flower to cause so much consternation in my life! Oh yes, another minor detail… it must be a sculpted flower, round not flat. Thanks so much.” ~Karonkay-C
Now I can’t always jump to every request, but I happen to just LOVE clovers… all wild flowers actually… as you probably have already gathered from my many color recipes based on wild flowers… and from the different flower beads I have teaching lately.
Ever since I was a child, I used to pull the tiny petals from the clover blossom, and suck on them to taste the sweet nectar inside. I really was a bit of a flower child.
Any way, when Karon asked for a clover, my brain couldn’t help but start buzzing. What a cool challenge! All those tiny lily-like petals. The translucency of the blossoms and the colored tips. I knew this could be done, with a little thought and ingenuity.
Karon’s Clover request also got Monique to put on her thinking cap. She even started trying out some different clover flower ideas on her own, which was incredibly supportive of her. That is what I love about this community, thank you, Monique!
“Karonkay, I zoomed in on a high resolution pic at the USDA website and was amazed at how intricate this “humble” little flower really is. The numerous (hundreds?) of individual petals all radiating out from the center, each petal looking like a miniature lily (like Cindy showed in Vid-016-1 Calla Lily Beads). I was wondering if you had tried using the extruder cane with the skinny “spaghetti” end. What about a felting needle? It has all those little needles, maybe you could use it to brush out your strands. You made me curious yesterday so I made a couple of attempts. I found the Premo too soft (or I don’t have a light enough touch) but I found the Kato clay more suited to something that delicate. Really found mine looked more like a Chrysanthemum with denser blossoms. I don’t have the felting needle so I put a couple of twin needles together and poked all over a small ball of clay then turned the center inside out and put it on the end of a pen to reshape it. Anyway, you may have tried all these things already. In any case, thanks for making me take a closer look at one of nature’s tiny works of art. They grow wild everywhere here in Eastern Canada and are considered weeds! Hope you will let us see how your project turns out.” ~Monique-U
“
Hi Cindy, I was a stone-cold beginner and didn't consider myself very crafty, but after first watching your beginner video course, I gathered my courage together and made your red clover flower design. It turned out spectacularly! Thank you.
Heather P
“
Wow, Cindy! You never cease to amaze! It seems you only have to see a shape, or hear of something and your brain gets into gear and - hey presto! You are so talented, I count myself extremely fortunate to be your student! Thank you so much to both you and Doug, what you produce together is truly priceless.
Marion R
“
Unbelievable! If you set these in a field of clover, one would be hard pressed to identify which are nature's and which are polymer clay. I so appreciated being able to watch you build the whole flower and the catchy tune was a bonus. Thank you!! Hugs.
Elizabeth S
Transcript coming soon...
Transcript coming soon...
Our goal is to translate these videos into as many languages as possible. If you are interested in helping with this initiative, then please do contact us and we will figure out a way to make it worth your while :)
Shareable Images
Want to chat about today’s post? That’s what the comment section below is for. Scroll Down… We’d love to hear from you!
Or... if you would like to request a topic for a future post, here is the link to do that… PcT Suggestion Box
Hi Cindy,
I just subscribed to PCT last week. I bought the beginner lessons, 3 of the back issues and the monthly service.
I was a stone-cold beginner and don’t consider myself very crafty, but after watching the beginning videos, I gathered my courage together and made your red clover flower design… and it turned out spectacularly!
It was so beautiful that a friend asked if I could make a much larger version for her garden. But I’m not sure that the Premo would be a good choice for a larger, outdoor garden art piece. (Premo is almost impossible to find locally. I’ve had to order it from Amazon.)
Can you make a suggestion as to a type of clay that would be suitable?
Thanks so much,
Heather Pier
Hi Heather, I am very happy to hear of your success! I think that Premo would be just fine for putting outside, but I think it may be possible that the ink will fade with long term exposure to bright sunlight. If that is ok with you, then try it. You could spray it with PYMII (use the search box to learn more about that) to protect it from UV rays, but it could fade anyway. Another option would be to use tinted glaze and paint on the color, but that would have to be experimented on. Since she is your fried, maybe she would like you experiment in her garden? I haven’t done pieces that have spent much time outdoors, but others have with success. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
I would love to make Chinese lantern earrings and necklace. Do you have a technique for this?
Hi Nancy, although I don’t have a tutorial for making Chinese Lantern Flowers yet, I would love to take on the challenge! I’ll put it on the list of ideas to figure out. Thanks for the inspiration!