DIY Scrap Polymer Clay Bargello Soap Dish | Scraps Series
In this post, I demonstrate how to create a scrap polymer clay bargello veneer and turn it into a soap dish made entirely of polymer clay.
It’s been a while since I wrote a new post for the polymer clay scraps series, and it just so happens that I currently have a lot of cane ends on hand. I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on a new collection, which means a fresh pile of scraps—perfect for the scrap polymer clay bargello technique.
I’ve been using the scrap polymer clay bargello technique since my early days with polymer clay. In fact, a reel I posted on Instagram showcasing this technique was one of my most popular—at the time—bringing in a bunch of new followers. I felt like I’d finally made it! (I hadn’t, but it was fun nonetheless.) You can check out that reel in the way-back files on my grid!
Soap dishes are a fun and easy project, and they add a splash of color next to your sink. Plus, making soap dishes takes me back to my soap-making days. In another lifetime, I was a soap maker for thirteen years! I don’t make soap anymore, but I still love a yummy-smelling bar of handmade soap.
When I first started making soap dishes from polymer clay, several people asked if I sealed the clay with anything. Unless you’re using a surface treatment, there’s no need to seal polymer clay—it’s plastic, after all. I’m still using soap dishes I made three years ago, and they look just fine.
Gather your supplies, and let’s jump in!
Tools & Materials
- Non-porous work surface — I work on either glazed tile or glass
- Pasta machine dedicated to polymer clay use — I use an Atlas 180 and will refer to the settings I use on my machine. If you don’t have a pasta machine an acrylic roller and some playing cards will do in a pinch, it’ll just take a little more work.
- Scrap polymer clay
- Sharp polymer clay blade
- Acrylic rod
- Parchment paper
- Burnishing tool — I’m using a stainless steel soap
- Paper template — I made a 4” x 5” oval template on Canva and printed it. Learn how I use Canva here
- Craft knife
- Round micro cutter
- Wet/Dry sandpaper (optional)
Directions for Scrap Polymer Clay Bargello Technique
Step 1 | Make the Bargello Sheet
Gather some polymer clay scraps in coordinating colors if using solid scraps. If using cane ends try keep the scraps from the same project. Too many different colors may end up getting a bit muddy looking.
Roughly chop up the scrap clay. Don’t go crazy, you don’t want the chopped bits too small.
Gather up the scraps and squeeze them into a log. Twist the log until the chopped clay bits turn into stripes. Push the ends of the log in occasionally to keep it from getting too long. It only needs to be a little wider than your finished soap dish.
Be careful not to get carried away with twisting the log and blending the colors too much. You want nice distinctive stripes.
Use your roller to flatten out the log.
Keep rolling the log out until it’s about twice the thickness of the thickest layer on your pasta machine—no.0 on my Atlas. As you’re rolling try keep the clay in a rectangular shape.
Once you’ve reached the right thickness pass the sheet of clay through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Make sure you feed the clay into the machine so you’ll be making the stripes longer, not wider.
I didn’t roll the clay out any thinner than the thickest setting for the soap dish. If you’ll be using the scrap polymer clay bargello for another project go ahead and sheet it to your preferred thickness.
Trim the sides and one end of the sheet of clay and lay it on your work surface a few inches higher than where you’d normally work. Working on a grid is helpful for this technique but not necessary.
Using a sharp blade cut thin strips off the sheet of clay and lay them down again just in front of you. Stagger each row as you lay the strips down and make sure they are well butted up against each other. After 5 or 6 strips are down begin reversing the direction of the stagger.
I’m working with very narrow strips of clay (about 1/8”) but you can go wider. Experiment and see which look you prefer.
When your scrap polymer clay bargello sheet is the right size for your soap dish (or when you’ve run out of the striped sheet) cover with a sheet of parchment and burnish.
Trim the jagged ends off your bargello sheet. Slide a blade under it to release the sheet from your work surface and lay it back down again.
You can use your template to cut out your soap dish now or add an optional solid color accent as I did.
Step 2 | Add Accent Colors (optional)
For the accent I roughly trimmed the excess clay and chose accent colors that were already in the scrap mix.
Condition the solid colors and sheet on the same thickness as the bargello sheet—the thickest setting in this case.
Cut a piece off the bargello sheet and trim a straight edge on one of the solid color pieces. Butt the two straight lines together.
Trim away the excess clay and add the next sheet of solid color.
Burnish the seams and roughly trim the clay again.
Flip the clay over onto a sheet of parchment.
Step 3 | Add Backing Clay & Trim
Sheet a piece of solid color clay on a medium thin setting (no.5). Lay the sheet over the backside of the bargello, taking care not to trap any air. Gently burnish the two sheets of clay together. If you notice any air bubbles poke them with a needle, press out the air, and burnish to seal up the needle hole again.
Flip the clay back over, again onto a sheet of parchment. Lay the paper template in place and cut out the shape with a craft knife. Turn the clay with parchment as you trim.
Sheet some clay in the same color as you used for the backing clay on a medium setting (no.4). Cut a thin strip from the clay, making sure it’s long enough to cover the circumference of the oval. Trim the edge of the soap dish with the strip of clay. Run a finger around the edge to make sure the strip is well adhered.
Holding a sharp blade parallel to your work surface, trim away the excess clay using the top of the soap dish as a guide.
Run a finger tip over the seam of the strip to smooth it out. Smooth out the join between the strip of clay on both the front and the back of the soap dish as well.
Use a round micro cutter to cut out 2 or 3 drainage holes in the center of the soap dish.
Step 4 | Baking and Finishing
Place the soap dish in the bottom of an oven safe bowl. Take care that it’s centered and that there is no air trapped between the clay and the bowl.
Bake for 60 minutes at the recommended temperature for your brand of clay.
When the clay has cooled remove the soap dish from the bowl.
Sanding with wet/dry sandpaper is optional. If you know me at all, you’ll know I did. Sanding may be a bit tedious but I love the feel of sanded polymer clay and think it’s worth the extra bit of work. I used 400, 600, 800, and 1200 grit sandpaper.
If you’ve enjoyed learning how to make this scrap polymer clay bargello soap dish and give this tutorial a try please tag @bysandracallander on Instagram!
As always, if you have any questions or comments, I’m happy to hear from you.
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