October 2001
Volume 2, Issue 10 		American Flag Cane
by Deirdre F Woodward

print version
Editor's Letter | Letters to the Editor | Beginners' Corner | Clayamies | National Polymer Clay Guild Publications | Cane Theory | Using Silk Lazertran | American Flag Pin | Patriotic TLS | American Flag Cane | Halloween Picture Frame | Issues in the Crafting World | Link of the Month | Email Us! | Home Supplies needed for this project:

  • red, white and blue clay
  • pasta machine
  • blade
I just want to start this project by putting in a plug for getting a food processor. This is my little food processor, and I use it to chop up Fimo. The Fimo comes out in little beads, and I just roll them together, then send them through the pasta machine.

I would recommend Fimo for this project, since it involves caning. I did use Sculpey III the first time I made flags, and while the cane came out well enough -- it looks like a flag -- the Sculpey III didn't hold even lines when I reduced the cane.
Here are the basic supplies.

Roll the white into a log, and roll out some blue into a sheet.
Make a basic bull's eye cane.

I used more white than I am happy with. Next time, I will start with a thinner log and have more blue border.
Reduce the bull's-eye cane until it is about 1/4 inch in diameter.

Cut the cane into inch long segments. I ended up with 26. When the entire cane gets reduced, no one is going to notice there are less than 50 stars.

Lay down a piece of blue clay at least two inches long and one inch wide.

Lay down seven bull's-eye canes, then cover them with another sheet of blue clay.

Lay down one solid blue log, then six bull's-eye canes, then one solid blue log. Cover this layer with a sheet of blue clay.

Repeat two more times, for four rows of seven and six stars.
Compress the stack so air bubbles are removed.

Reduce the stack down until it is one inch wide. Cut off a one inch by one inch segment.
Roll out a sheet of white clay, and cut from it six white blocks two inches by one inch.

Do the same with the red, except cut out seven blocks.

Stack red, white, red, white, red, white and red (seven layers of alternating colors).

Make a second stack of white, red, white, red, white, and red (six layers of alternating colors).

Put all three pieces -- the blue star cane, the seven-layer stand, and the six-layer stack -- together to make sure the blue and white stars are the same height as the seven layer stack.
Once you are sure all the segments are the right size, cut the seven layer stack in half, so it is one inch by one inch.

Place the square blue stars cane on the left side of the six-layer stack, and the square seven-layer stack on the right side of the six-layer stack.
Reduce your cane, and start cutting off American flags.

Stay safe, everyone.