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 Please visit the National Polymer Clay Guild website. |
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Folkart Design By Jeannie Havel with material reprinted with permission from Folkart.com |
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 Hex signs
are neither hocus-pocus nor sacrilegious when viewed as examples of
American folkart. Although the name implies placing a "hex" or spell on
someone, there is really no difference, artistically, than using
various symbols from other cultures. The legend is that certain words
evoke the power of the hex sign if recited when creating the sign. I
don't know what the specific words are, so I believe we are safe in
creating and honoring this portion of our American folkart history. The
colorful designs of hex signs adorn the barns of many Pennsylvania
Dutch families and their non-Pennsylvania Dutch neighbors. You can make
your own hex sign canes from polymer clay with the help of cookie and
canapé cutters. You will probably first want to read about the
significance of shapes and colors used in hex signs reprinted below
with permission from the Folk Art
& Craft Exchange website, courtesy of Latitude International.To make hex sign canes from polymer clay, use the "cookie cutter" method -- condition and roll out clay to a thickness of no more than the depth of your cutters. You can cut and stack  pieces
to obtain a thickness of about one inch. Cut carefully so you can use
the "negative" piece of clay for a cane with reversed colors.I like to use two pieces of acrylic for reducing my canes of this type. Place one piece of acrylic on the top and bottom of the cane. Press just enough to adhere the clay to the acrylic (you don't want to squish it any flatter at this point -- the idea is to make it taller). You will have to decide for yourself as to the final size of your reduced cane. I usually wait until I'm satisfied with the size and then wrap a layer of clay (a #1 or #3 setting on the pasta machine) around the cane, finished with a butt joint. |
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