Thanks Debbie, really enjoyed the video. It is our Clay meeting on Tuesday and I recommended everyone should have a look. Love the ideas at the end, I maybe buying a couple of videos! Ax
Thank you Debbie for this tutorial! I’ve been following you for a few years but didn’t see videos very often. Glad to see you back and look forward to them. Love the pods….
Hi JC, thanks for following. I haven't posted RU-vid videos for so long because I felt it was all a bit saturated. I decided my RU-vid channel would be about "extending" and encouraging people to explore and experiment or try things they wouldn't otherwise think of. Definitely not project driven. Thanks again x
Oh Deb this is awesome. I love pod beads. I’ve made one necklace for my daughter’s birthday and she loved them. I have trouble getting them in a proper portions. My middles/belly of the bead gets to big for the rest of the pod bead. I made about 15 different beads before I got 3 that I was happy with. Watching this I think I’m maybe starting with to much clay. I’m excited to see what else you have about pod beads. 🌟🌟🌟❤️❤️❤️☃️☃️☃️
Hey Deb, so good to hear from you. Yes I think getting the right amount of clay in the first place is crucial or knowing how much to cut off if you do have too much. Hope this one helps a little. I'm so happy to hear about your daughters necklace - I'm sure she loved it - so kind of you. Lots of love x
I loved this video!!!! Thank you so much. I’ve never made pod beads before but I’m so excited to try this technique. Thanks for sharing your techniques. How did you get the brown lines around the yellow pod? That looks beautiful.
Huge thanks, I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. Pod beads are such a versatile shape to create and there are so many things you can do with them. The yellow beads with brown lines are a process which is covered in a paid tutorial on my website. Unfortunately I can't share the process here due to this reason. Thanks for taking the time to comment though - I really appreciate it. ♥
Thanks heaps Holly, so kind of you honey. I do put a hole in these and I should have mentioned that. I might do another video showing the different ways you can do that. There are a few options. If I want a thread hole to run from side to side (the width of the bead) I'll use a wooden skewer or needle tool but if I want it to run the length of the bead that's a whole other tutorial as you have to create the hole in the beginning if that makes sense. Thanks heaps for asking. xx
hey Ann, so good to hear from you. I cure at Kato temps actually. I should have mentioned that in the video. Some Premo colours have a tendency to alter at a higher temp but that doesn't bother me with some of the components I make, especially these pods. I wouldn't do it for something I absolutely had to keep the colours pure on if you know what I mean
I normally use a skewer/needle tool to pop a hole in after it's been shaped. This is only relevant if I want the thread hole to run the width of the bead. If I want it to run the length of the bead it's a completely different process from the beginning - great idea for another video. Thanks heaps
Thanks for the pod beads tutorial, good idea! And you bake your Kato/Premo mix at Kato temp? Premo temp? Or an average of the two? Any problems with baking the mix?
Hey Janet, thanks heaps. Yes, I should have mentioned curing the mix - I normally cure at Kato curing temps. It's important to remember some premo colours may experience a colour change. It doesn't bother me too much when I'm making individual components but if you were working with something you needed to keep the colours pure I wouldn't do it. Thanks again. x
Hello! I am new to polymer and my question is when making beads and other things that are the same size is weighing the clay first to be sure that each piece will turn out equal or when mixing two types of clays?
Hi there, thanks for getting in touch. You know the best way to create pieces the same size is to run your clay through the pasta machine...any setting will do and cut the same shape out over and over again. You can use these shapes to create pieces the same size. If you want more clay just add more shapes but what you do to one you must do to the others. Hope that makes sense to you x
yes great question Maria and something I should have mentioned in the video. I cure my premo/kato mix at kato temps. Premo can withstand a higher temp the only thing to keep in mind is you might get a slight colour change so be prepared for that. More often than not they are fine but some premo colours don't like a higher temp
Hi Debbie, thank you for your very inspirational tutorial 🙂 Myself I'm going to ask something different. If we are to create a necklace with the pod beads, and this might feel heavy in weight, would you recommend to use alufoil as a pod bead shape, and cover it with clay? Another thing, by the end of your tutorial, there are some finished pod beads. The colorful ones are they created by a solid scrap and then covered by the pattern of your choice? Off the records, when we condition the clay, by folding and passing it through pasta machine, by the end of this process there shouldn't be any cracks at the fold point. However if we don't use it right away, later when we fold the clay sheet, we will see some cracks. Does this require further conditioning? Thanks a lot for your help. Always appreciated. 🤗
Hi Annita, thanks for your comments - really glad you liked the tutorial. You know it's a question of personal choice regarding the weight of a piece. You could use alfoil for sure but it's not my preference. You could try creating hollow pods but again, not my preference. It I was going to create a necklace I would consider how many pods I was going to use, the size of them and the additional of extra beads and their weight. It really is all a personal preference. I actually have a few paid tutorials that show how to create the coloured pods so I'm reluctant to give away all the secrets. I would suggest you play around to see what you can come up with yourself - that's the best way to work out what works and what doesn't. I have a certain way of conditioning where I run the clay through the thickest setting on the pasta machine, I reduce the setting on the machine and pass this same sheet of clay through without folding. I continue to do this until I get an ultra thin sheet. I find I can condition quicker with less air bubbles. When it rests I leave it at a fairly thin setting and run through the pasta machine a few times before I'm ready to use again. Perhaps I could just ask what brand of clay you're using?
Hi Debbie, thank you for your response. It really helps a lot. I use Premo. When you repass the clay (after being resting) from Pasta machine, at the same (thin) setting? I will definitely look for your tutorial of colored pods. I thought the photos I saw, are of a tutorial to follow. I certainly agree with you. ☺️
@@annitagalvan9049 I'm glad the response helped - that's great news. I don't think it really matters what setting the Premo is passed through the machine at - I simply prefer to run my clay through a thinner setting during any type of conditioning so it really is up to you. Premo should be pretty soft to start off with so you won't have to condition much at all. The coloured pods are actually in a wall art tutorial right here: www.debbiecrothers.com/product/beach-boho-wall-art-featuring-crackle-polymer-clay-pods The cover photo for the tutorial is not that good actually so I'll go and change it - thanks for brining it to my attention. There are lots of different ways to decorate/embelish/revamp your pods and I won't be showing any of those processes during the pod range of videos. As I mentioned, because I have covered quite a bit in paid tutorials it's not the right thing to do. Thanks for understanding. ♥
Goodmorning Debbie, thank you once again for your response. Not being able to say much over here, logically speaking Premo shouldn't need much to be conditioned, when it's a fresh block!! If not, then the process requires additional conditioning 😂 I will later visit your site to get the pods beads tutorial 🤗
Hi Katie, I normally mix until I have either the right colour or the right consistency. If I'm mixing a peachy/orange colour I would start with maybe half premo cad yellow, half kato yellow and then add small amounts of Premo Fuschia until I'm happy with the final colour. Sorry I can't give you a more definite ratio - I normally do it by feel.
Hey Michelle, I use the pods beads in all sorts of different ways. I've actually shared a few inspirational images at the end of the video and will be doing so for the upcoming videos as well. You are really only limited by your own imagination.
