How to Make a Blended Checks Polymer Clay Cane | Tutorial

I love this checkerboard polymer clay cane so much! This cane came about two years ago when I saw people making checkerboard canes and slabs. I wanted to jump in as well but give the checks my own little twist. So, rather than using solid colors of clay to make my checks, I made a single skinner blend, rolled it into two different directions, and passed the tubes of clay through my extruder. The result was just as good as I’d hoped it would be! 

Skinner blends with a strong contrast between the two colors work best for a more traditional looking checkerboard. Subtle color transitions work great too. Especially if you use another color in between the squares, giving it more of a grouted tile feel. Whichever look you’re going for, this is an easy cane to make and a good project to put your extruder to use.

Tools & Materials

• Non-porous work surface (I work on either glazed tile or glass)
• Two shades of polymer clay—one light, one dark. The more contrast between the colors the stronger the checkerboard effect, or use similar tones for a more subtle effect. See notes for the colors I used
• 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.)
• Polymer clay extruder with a square die
• Sharp polymer clay blade  
• Craft knife 

Directions

• Start with conditioning the clay thoroughly through your pasta machine and finish it on a medium thick setting (no.2 on my Atlas 180)

• Make a skinner blend with the two colors. I’m using Fimo Professional clay for this project and find the white is not as pigmented as other brands so rather than a straight diagonal line between the two colors I opted for a curved line, which leaves more white in the blend. If you’re not familiar with skinner blends check out this post
• Move your pasta machine dial to the thickest setting (no.0) and feed the clay through the machine fold first
• Fold the clay in half again and feed it through on the next thinnest setting. Repeat. You should now be on the medium thick setting
• Continue to pass the clay through the machine at this setting, folding in half each time. Flip the folded sheet of clay around each time you put it through the machine so each edge takes a turn getting butted up against the side of the machine. This will help keep the edges straight
• When you’ve reached a smooth blend cut your sheet in half, as shown

• Fold each half lengthwise, as shown, and feed through the pasta machine, narrow end first, creating a longer ribbon of clay
• Pass the ribbon of clay through the machine again on progressively thinner settings. Depending on how warm it is, I can go to no.7 or 8 on my machine. By the thinnest setting (no.9) my clay begins to tear, so only go as thinly as you can on your machine
• Starting at the dark end of the ribbon, roll the clay into a tight cylinder, being mindful not to trap any air and pressing out any trapped bubbles as you see them 
• Repeat with the second ribbon of clay, this time starting with the light end

• Wrap each cylinder with a medium-thin (no.6) sheet of clay in the same color as what is already on the outside
• Gently squeeze your cylinders to lengthen them and then roll out to a diameter suitable to fit in your clay extruder
• Place a square die in the cap, screw in place, and extrude your clay. Repeat with the second log of clay

• Trim off the yucky ends of your square snakes and cut them into 8 equal lengths
• Assemble the clay pieces into a cane as shown
• Starting from the middle on each side, gently press down the clay, working towards the ends of the cane. This helps squeeze out any trapped air between the clay pieces and helps stick them all together. If you’d like your checks a little smaller, slowly work your way around the cane, pressing in on the sides from the middle to the ends. Be sure to keep an eye on the corners and keep them as square as possible
• Trim off the distorted ends and create something awesome with your new cane!

Notes

• I used Fimo Professional clay in White and a 50/50 mix of True Magenta and True Red
• If your clay blend is a little more subtle due to similar shades this can be a great time to introduce a contrasting color. Wrap a medium thin sheet of clay in a contrasting color around both cylinders. Now when you build your cane you’ll have a contrasting “grout” line between the squares

Will you give it a try? I hope so! If you do, I’d love for you to tag me on Instagram @bysandracallander and share your creations. And if you have any comments or questions I’m always happy to hear from you.