Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

I bought my Dad a chip carving book for his birthday. Of course the minute it arrived in the mail, I realized it was a great inspiration for canes. An image search of chip carving will show you many gorgeous patterns. I realized that many of the patterns are simply a combination of the three-triangle design. The cane pictured at the right can be stretched, changed and multiplied to make these designs as well as countless others.

Cane Builder February 2017 Chip Carving Canes

by Meg Newberg of Polymer Clay Workshop

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

For almost al canes, there is a trade off to be made. If you build it big and short, you have more control over the shapes, but more work to do in reducing the cane. If you start with smaller, longer sections, it can be harder to control the shapes, but much easier to reduce. I’ve shown both techniques bellow. The printable triangle is the exact size I used for the first approach.

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

To change the design a little, Pinch one corner of the triangle the whole length of the cane so that there is one very small angle. Be sure to stop and think about which colors you want together. I like to put the darkest and lightest side by side. You will notice a very different patter if you switch everything up.

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

For this cane, add a section of solid color. Stretch and curve two sections of the triangle cane.Assemble these sections into a curved cane. The sections in the first picture are upside-down. Flip them over to make the section of cane in the second picture.

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

This is the same cane with different colors.

For this cane, two sections of the cane must be re-shaped separately. Notice that one side has the dark triangle stretched out long and the the other side has the light triangle stretched out.

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop

I made this cane with premo white, white-translucent and and a mixed-color of 1 part white to 8 parts white-translucent. Pure translucent my have worked better. Also, other brands will be different. Test your mixes and thicknesses before you commit!

Glass Christmas ornaments make wonderful lanterns. Remove the wire hanger and use it to secure the ornament onto a little light.

Meg Newberg * Polymer Clay Workshop