Mica Shift Buttons and Snaps in Blue Raspberry Sorbet

We just finished making a large batch of our Sorbet Flower Buttons as a custom order for Heather's Fabric Shelf.  They will be used in a special kit that she is putting together for her store.  They were made using Dan Cormier's mica shift technique using his peeler which is such a helpful tool.

We had some patterned slices left over and were wondering how the mica shift would look as "snaps" for our jewelry so did a bit of experimenting.  We added some Swarovski crystals which gives a bit more depth and were quite happy with the results.

The cool thing with the interchangeable snaps is that any technique can be used for them which makes them so versatile.

We are slowly adding more snap findings to our online store and if you would like to know about any new items added, sales or events, you can sign up for our news letter here.

If an invite does not pop up when visiting our site you will find the form on the front page here.

Color Wheel Buttons

I have been experimenting with various forms of the mica shift technique which is also referred to as "ghost imaging".  When you impress or stamp polymer clay that contains a large amount of metallic (or pearl) particles, it leaves that image behind.  After baking, the piece is then sanded smooth to bring out the image even more.

Here are the new "Color Wheel" buttons we have created using a mica shift based on a stacked clay technique by Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes called "Holes and Lines".  Their special peeler works beautifully and is fun to use. Now with their new wider  peeler, we are able to make even larger (2 inch) buttons which are a popular item at the quilt and yarn shops that sell our work.

We make the buttons in several sizes (1-3/8", 1-5/8" and 2") in a round concave shape as well as a smaller "football" shape.

Kato clay has several metallic colors that can be used for this technique which are the pearl, gold, silver and copper.  I have been experimenting with some new recipes to create a range of brighter mica shift colors. As some of these brighter colors are difficult to mix up with using only Kato clay, I've had to combine it with other products (other clay / inks, etc.) in order to get the shades I wanted as in the buttons shown here:

And zipper charms in some of the matching colors as well:

Quilt Block Inspired Jewelry

For quite some time I had been studying traditional style quilt block patterns and experimenting with various methods for mixing the clay in which to give a more textile look to our pieces.  Here are a few  brooch-pendants and earrings we have created using a combination of several techniques.

This is a little peek into how our pieces are created:

1.  Our clay colors are mixed and then formed into various shapes.

2.  The shapes are then arranged to create a pattern in what is called a "cane".  A special Y peeler (from Dan Cormier) is used to create nice even slices from the cane.

3.  The cane slice is then formed into a jewelry piece such as a pendant, bead or earring pieces.  They are all then hand "stitched" with a needle tool.

4.  The findings are attached by embedding them in clay for added strength.  Our signature logo is stamped for authenticity.

The pieces are then baked at a precise temperature and then go through a process of sanding and buffing.

We are happy to announce that the quilt patterned jewelry pieces shown here with an assortment of other styles are now available and for sale at Katja's Quilt Shoppe in Kamloops.