Polymer Clay Bowls with Hexagon Designs 

Thanks so much Susan, yes I had just been told that they are still selling them in Ikea, which is great - so I have added a link in the video description above, and will pin this comment too, so that people can find them if they need them :)

Happy to help! Like you I feel much better keeping it out of the water system :)

Thank you so much Paula :)

Thank you so much Janet :)

Ditto! 💖

@@susanjerrell9220 thank you very much Susan :)

Thank you so much Lee, I am so glad you liked it :)

You are very welcome, thank you Wendy :)

Thank you so much, that is very kind of you to say :)

Thanks so much Jill, I am glad you enjoyed it. I added sanding techniques in the Etsy Bowl tutorial, so as people have paid for the information by buying a tutorial, it is not somehting I would be able to do as a free one - I am sure you understand. Thank you 🙂

Thank you so much Ellen :)

Thank you so much :)

Thanks so much Elaine :)

Thank you very much Joyce :)

Awww, thank you so much Susan, and yes, having just got up I can see your order and have sent you a thank you message, but here again, thank you so much, I hope you enjoy the tutorial and make lots of wonderful bowls :)

I agree! Fiona, you must publish a book and/or a companion video of your most popular tutorials! You’re a truly gifted teacher ... and I love your soothing voice, it definitely contributes to your ability to get insecure students, like me! to take a chance.

@@safehavensanctuary-hollyg.8814 Thank you so much Holly, that is good to know. Not sure if I have time to write a book though ;)

Thank you so much Kate :)

Thank you very much Melinda :)

Just seen that you have that too, thank you again so much Ann Marie, I really appreciate it, and hope you enjoy both tutorials :)

Thank you very much :)

Thank you so much :)

Thanks so much Brenda :)

Thank you so much Elaina :)

Thanks so much Tracy, so glad you love the tuts and my phone has literally just pinnged me about your veneer - thank you so much 😍 As for the staggered stencil shapes, nowhere else sells them as far as I know, but the shop owner has said she will let me know as soon as she is able to reopen the shop, and she will make those sets a priority to relist, as she knows I have people interested in them. Right off to Etsy to sort out a purchase 😉🙂🙏

That sounds lovely :)

Thank you so much :)

Thank you so much :)

Thank you so much :)

I am so glad, thank you very much :)

Thank you so mich Maria :)

Thank you so much! :)

Thank you so much :)

Thank you very much :)

Thank you so much :)

Thanks so much :)

Thank you so much Deborah 🙂

Thank you very much Linda :)

Thank you so much, and yes, that was my hope, that people can try these little ones first, and then if they like them the bigger more complex one is ready and waiting :)

Thank you so much :)

Thank you so much Cindy :)

Thank you so much :)

That's fantastic, lucky you, is it bad that I have true diamond shape envy now 😂🤣Thanks so much for subscribing, I do apprecaite that, and greetings back from the UK 🙂

Oh yes, quilting shapes would be perfect :) Thanks Angela :)

Thank you so miuch Stephanie :)

Thank you so much :)

Thanks so much Jackie :)

Thank you so much Beverley, and thanks again for getting the tutorial, I hope you have great fun with both tutorials and make some wonderful bowls :)

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals I had to figure out how to download the files from the email, having never done that before. They're great. I bought four of them; the big bowls, the mini bowls, the daisy beads, and the deep texture beads. I've got plenty to play with for a while. Thank you.

@@beverleybee1309 yes you have, that should keep you busy for a while ;) As I say, any questions at all, do feel free to ask, and many thanks again :)

Thank you very much :)

Thank you very much :)

Merci beaucoup Francoise :)

Thank you very much :)

Thank you very much :)

Thank you Mary, I made a signature cane years ago, and I still have lots of it left, so I add a small slice onto my pieces :)

Awww, I am sure yours are better than you think, but yes, fingers crossed that this helps with making them even better than they probably already are ;) Thank you :)

Thanks so much Joan. baked clay is an inert substance, but it is also essentially a 'plastic' so personally I wouldn't use them for food, in case I scored the surface with a sharp instrument, no one wants to eat anything remotely plastic ! But to be honest I also wouldn't use them for food in order to protect the patterned clay, again any scratches would mar the surface, and the clay could also be discoloured with any strong dyes/colours from food - or pot pourri as another example. People will often add clay to the underside of clear glass bowls, then of course, the pattern shows through, but you can absolutley use those for food as the food only touches the glass. I hope that helps 🙂

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals thank you

Hi Holly, thank you :) 1. Ginger Davis Allman of the Blue Bottle Tree explains it best in this article :) It is not the clay itself that is the problem, but the likelihood that there are gaps and crevices where the patterns are joined, where food may get stuck, and constant washing with detergent can damage the clay over time - I hope that helps :) here is a link for Ginger's article - thebluebottletree.com/polymer-clay-safe/ . 2. When you say the risers, do you mean the bits at the back of a step that holds carpet in place? If so, I am not sure if the clay would be strong enough? There is a fair amount of movement and flexibility in well cured polymer clay, so I am not sure if it would be a good substitute for the normal metal strips? If you mean to make large tiles of it and put them as the backing on the stairs, then yes, I cannot see why that wouldn't work. It would look amazing but would be a lot of hard work. The clay could of course get marked or damaged by tips of shoes, or sharp objects, but as long as the stairs were inflexible (you wouldn't want to add large flat sheets of clay onto an area that moves, or the clay may crack) in theory I don't see why it wouldn't work. That's a big project though, and a lot of clay. Do let me know if you have a go, and I would love to see pictures :)

Thanks for replying Fiona, (1.) I wonder if sealing with resin would take care of the problem of the cracks and crevices? I will reference Ginger’s article. (2.) yes the “risers” are the back of the steps. I think it would be beautiful but likely will take me years, lol. One idea is to do the center part in a polymer clay tile and then do a mosaic of ceramic tiles around it. That might speed up the process. I might make panels and then attach them to the risers - easier on my back and easier to remove if someone in the future isn’t a fan. Thanks for your advise. I will definitely share photos if-when I complete them.

@@safehavensanctuary-hollyg.8814 Can't wait to see the photos :)

Thanks Cassandra, as of this morning, they now ship worldwide, so you should be able to get some :)

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals Yay!!! £25 (~$35) shipping is a little crazy, but they have lots of cool products 😁 I'll definitely be saving up for one big purchase lol.

@@cassandragutierrez2545 yes I know, it is such a shame that shipping is so expensive from the UK to the USA, but it's the same in the other direction too - very frustrating for everyone :( Thank you :)

Thank you very much :)

It literally is just practice yes, but of course having even thickness of slices, and the sides of the cane slices being straight also helps a lot. If you have any scrap clay, practice on that, putting it into the same size and shape of the cane you want, and then take slices and put it together. Keep going, and remember we are all our own worst critics, so they are probably much better than you are giving yourself credit for 🙂

thanks so much :)

No, sorry they are the only place that sold them as far as I know, and like you, I do not know when they will be back from their break - you can always message them and ask? In the meantime, you can download images for free from the internet of decreasing hexagons, print them on card and cut them out - not quite the same, but they do work. I hope that helps a bit, thanks for asking 🙂

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals thank you. I'm working on the trellis cane bowl that I purchased from you. Oh my goodness, this is a labor of love!! I always knew you were very precise, & I am trying to be. I don't think you're charging enough for your finished bowls!⁸

@@debbiegaines1362 Aww, thank you, I am glad you are - hopefully 😉- enjoying the tutorial, yes they are time consuming if you want to get that precision, but they are worth it when they are done. Just have fun and enjoy making them 🙂

Hi Patricia, yes the link is in the details below the video above, click on the SHOW MORE, but before you go there and buy some, look at page 14 Part 1 of the Etsy Bowl tutorial you have just purchased and there is currenlty a 10% discount code in the notes, for anyone wanting to buy the shape sets :)

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals I found the source. Unfortunately they don't ship to my location (United States). I have some here that will probably work just as well, though.

@@omegastitcher ohhh I hadn't realised that, that's a shame :( . Do you have a link at all for some that are available in the States, or are you using something similar that you already had? I know that the printable carboard templates that I give you as part of the Etsy one do work well for the techniques, but the thicker stencils just obvioulsy work better and are useful for lots of other polymer ideas too. Thanks for letting me know :)

Update Patricia, PCUK Tools are trying to work out a way to resolve the shipping to the USA Issue. As soon as I know more I will let you know :)

I also went to order and no shipping to US. Please do update when that changes. Great tutorial.

Yes and No. Once baked, the polymer clay is an inert substance and basically safe, although obvioulsly don't eat it!! However it is also very easy to carve into and gouge polymer clay after it is baked, even though it seems quite tough. So no, please do not use it for food preparation or as a usable food bowl, any partciles that may be scratched off could get into food and be injested which is not safe! It could in theory go in the dishwasher, but I wouldn't recommend it, due to the possibility of it getting scratched, and absolutley DO NOT put it in the microwave - that will effectively 're bake' the polymer clay and it could loose it's form as it heats up. Also burning polymer clay emits toxic fumes, so don't put it near open flames either. Oooh that all sounds a bit bad doesn't it, but please don't be scared of it, just know its limitations and at all times please stay safe. I hope that helps? 🙂

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals this DOES help very much, so thank you my friend! 😁

@@ForeverNERVOUSZan I am so glad, thank you 🙂

@@ForeverNERVOUSZan I am so glad, thank you 🙂

私はそれがビデオの中でどれほど厚いかを通過する - 字幕をオンにしてみてください、そしてあなたは私が言うことを見るでしょう:)厚さは約1/2センチメートルです。いいえ、一度焼くと、割れないように十分な強さです。watashi wa sore ga video no naka de dorehodo atsui ka wo tsuka suru - jimaku wo on ni shi te mi te kudasai 、 soshite anata wa watashi ga iu koto wo miru desho yo : )atsu sa wa yaku 2bunyuki1 senchmatle desu .iie 、 ichido yaku to 、 ware nai you ni jubun na tsuyo sa desu . :)

As I mention in the video, and it says on the screen at the bottom when I run thorugh how much clay I am using, I used FIMO Soft for these, but all well known brands of clay will work well for this technique :)

I am so glad you enjoyed the bowls. It is so difficult for me to be able to comment on whether you could do them or not as of course everyone's ability with numbers differs so widely. I use the templates which makes it much easier, and of course although I try and make mine very neat and precise, they also look good having a more abstract look. Rather than trying to concentrate on what may cause a problem for you, perhaps focus on your strengths and come at it from a different view. My suggestion would be, give it a go in some form or other, do not try to be precise or think of it as numbers and embrace where the clay takes you. There are some truly beautiful pieces of abstract polymer clay that are stunning. :)

Thank you very much :)

Sorry Joni, didn't get that? :)

Thanks so much Cindy :)