Polymer clay swirly bead tutorial

Feel the need to bead? Do you lie awake at night, dreaming about gorgeous gemstones, smooth glass beads, earthy clay rounds, crystal rondelles? If so, you may have a bit of a bead problem.

Hello, my name's Tallulah does the Hula and I'm a beadaholic.

There comes a point where creating pieces from bought beads just isn't enough! There's something really satisfying about making your own.

A few years ago, I discovered that Fimo and Sculpey's not just for kids! Once you've mastered the basics, the world's your oyster when it comes to making beautiful art jewellery out of polymer clay.

Here's a simple tutorial to get you started on some show stopping beads! All you need is some polymer clay, a smooth work surface (I use a tile, which keeps the clay nice and cool), a pasta machine for rolling the clay, a cutter and a rolling device (I find the smooth part of a bead reamer works better than an actual roller!). Enjoy!

Swirly Bead Tutorial

1. Create a two-part Skinner blend using your pasta machine to roll and blend two different colours. Depending on your preference, you can choose either complementary or contrasting colours to go for either a subtle or vibrant effect. It's fun to experiment and try out different colour combos.

2. Once you have the desired blend of colours, trim the sheet to make it rectangular and get rid of any rough edges.

3. Next, use the pasta machine to roll a thin sheet of clay to use as an outline. In my case I used black and silver sheets but it's fun to experiment!

4. Trim the sheets so they are all the same size. Then make a jelly roll out of the sheet. In this case I've started by putting the yellow in the centre and put the green part on the outside but feel free to experiment. Variety is the spice of life!

5. Once you have your jelly roll, gently roll the cane to lengthen it. Rest your clay for a short while to allow it to cool down.

6. Next, use your cutter blade to cut thin slices. Carefully use a roller or similar (in my case, the end of a bead reamer) to thin out the slices. Use your blade to gently remove them from the work surface as rolling them out will probably make them stick to the surface!

7. Roll half a segment of clay into a ball and then squash down the ends to form a rondelle shaped bead. Use your rolling instrument to gently smooth the cane slices onto the bead, taking care not to distort the bead's shape.

8. Use a reamer, needle, cocktail stick, toothpick or some other sharp, long object to make a hole in the centre of your bead.

9. You can use bits of scrap clay to embellish your bead. In this case, I've rolled a bit of leftover yellow clay into a thin snake and then made little dots which I've carefully smoothed onto the bead to liven up gaps.

10. Bake your beads in the oven, following the clay manufacturer's instructions. Once they've cooled down, you can gloss them, depending on whether you want a matt or gloss surface.

You can make all sorts of weird and wonderful beads using this technique!

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