Use Fimo clay to create a variety of colorful flowers.
Fimo clay is a strong polymer clay that stands up well to handling. Use it to make miniature flowers in your choice of colors, sizes and shapes. When used in jewelry and home decor projects, these miniature clay flowers are delicate, yet sturdy. Create a bouquet or use individual flowers to add to miniature vases for a natural and lifelike addition to any dollhouse, room box or diorama. With a little practice working with clay, you will create beautiful miniature flowers for a variety of uses.
Instructions
1. Cut a block of clay in half and flatten it with your hand to fit into the pasta machine. Wrap the other half in plastic wrap or store in a plastic bag to keep it from drying out.
2. Roll the clay through the widest setting on your pasta machine a few times, then reduce the width setting and continue rolling until the clay is soft and pliable, folding the clay in half and inserting the fold into the machine with each pass. As an alternative to using a pasta machine, roll and knead the clay for several minutes in your hands until it is soft.
3. Create a ball of clay with a diameter half the size of your finished flower.
4. Make individual petals with the clay by rolling small balls of the conditioned clay. Look at images of the flower you want to make and determine the number of petals. As an example, a rose will require seven petals.
5. Roll each petal piece of clay flat with your hands, then form the petal shape. Create rounded or pointed petal tops, depending on the flower, and pointed bottoms where the petals will attach to each other. For a delicate flower appearance, make the top of the petals slightly thinner than the bottoms, which should be thicker for support and attaching.
6. Curve the flattened petal to create the inner petal of the flower. Again, look at your images or real flowers to see how each petal overlaps at the base of the flower.
7. Wrap each additional petal around the previous petal to create the dimensional flower. Overlap the base of the petals, curving the top of each petal slightly outward to create the shape of the flower. When you press the petals together, the clay will stick to itself.
8. Bend the tops of the petals outward or inward, according to the image you are replicating.
9. Squeeze the bottom of the flower where the petals overlap to attach the clay pieces to each other.
10. Cut the base to create a flat bottom on the flower, using a clay blade.
11. Bake according to the manufacturer's directions for the thickness of the clay. Allow to cool.
