Answering Readers Questions - Leaving clay unwrapped

I received this enquiry from Mary Lou asking about leaving clay unwrapped on a work surface. I think she asks a very important question:

Hi Linda,

I have a question. I have left clay on my desk for a couples of days. What is your advice on doing such a thing. The clay is expose to air for a lenght of time and I have went back to working with it. From a professional what advice can you give. I have only started working with polymer just recently.

Thank you in advance.Mary Lou

My response:

Hello Mary Lou,

Thank you for your question. Generally clay is not harmed by leaving it exposed to air. What does harm clay and make it unfit to work with is leaving it near a heat source, such as near a heating element (radiator or heat duct or in a hot car on a summer day) or exposed to direct sunlight. It is heat that begins the curing process and if exposed to heat to long, it does dry out the clay, makes it brittle and ruins it. If you want to leave it on your work surface, I would simply wrap my clay in some plastic wrap or place it inside a zip-lock bag to protect it from dust particles and other things that are attracted to the clay.

Also, please be aware that clay can damage a worksurface such as wood. As a gentle word of caution, and yes I do speak from experience, do not let raw clay be exposed to wood, styrofoam or certain plastics as they will corrode them.

Again, thanks to Mary for asking the questions! I hope it's useful information to everyone. I think the next blog, I'll talk about worksurfaces. What do you use?

Feel free to send me your questions or comments to post.

Also....if you are planning to enter April's Spring Challenge, get your entries to me - there is still time!

Ideas for Storing Polymer Clay - Tips & Techniques

Im back at home now, just trying to get settled back in. It's funny but it's like you have to come home from a vacation to rest! We really packed ALOT in those 4 days with Gill.

So here's the plan.......After some much much needed yardwork to do today (before it storms) Im jumping back into polymer clay. First I want to cane some projects featuring inspiration from Moorcroft pottery....did you have a look? Then next, Im designing projects for the POM club, which I'll be re-intoducing. Im considering making the POM club a monthly video to download so that it will be much more like a class....but honestly...first things first.

If you are new to polymer clay.....or if you've been an addict for quite sometime, you may just wonder how I store my clay...so Im sharing a tip that I've found helpful over the years.



One of the most frequently asked questions I get is - What's the best way to store polymer clay?



I guess that depends on how much clay you have. You can store individual colors in zip lock baggies tucked away in a shoe box in a dark closet away from the heat duct.



Baggies are a great way to store many colors of clay. I knew of a lady that used a shoe caddy that was hung over the door to tuck her clay away by color rows - one row for greens, another for yellows and so on.



I prefer to have an organizer box filled with colors that I've opened and those that I use quite frequently. This generally stays on my work table - or just behind it. I also store large quantities of clay in glad disposable storage containers, stacked according to color and put away in a cabinet. This works well for me because I mix alot of "faux stone" colors at once and then have it available when I need to make a quick project or I just feel like making beads..... (the organizer box is a great way to store pieces of canes that you frequently use also)


When looking for containers to store clay, look underneath at the recycle triangle. If the number "5" is in the center of the triangle you can be confident that this type of plastic is compatible with clay. (Thank you Nuchi for this tip!)


Do not store your clay in hard plastic containers - these are generally clear, or in styrofoam cups or containers. Your clay will eat right thru and create a big ole mess - trust me on this one! Learn from my experience. Also make sure your clay is stores in a cool dry place. Heat will affect your clay - generally age won't.


I hope this little tidbit helps. If you have a tid bit to share, click on the comment link or email me.

Don't forget Aprils Clay Challenge

There's still time to enter the clay challenge for April.

The theme is Spring and it must in some way, some how have polymer clay on it.

The winner receives a free copy of POLYPENS!

So what are you waiting for??????

Last play day in England - We visit the City of Chester

Hollister, Missouri is a small town that I grew up in famous for it's Downing street and buildings that must have been inspired by the city of Chester. Chester is a rather upscale area, rich with restaurants, up-scale shopping and lots of beauty.

Below is a home situated on the picturesque river Dee...

And here's the neighbors house, quite "lovely" don't you agree??? I could definately live here...

Here is the view out your windows overlooking the river Dee.... (notice the white foot bridge you'll see that a little later...)
As with anywhere in England...bring money....lots and lots of money especially if you are American and when the dollar is week....

This is a snapshot of the menu from the Cafe we ate at. The food was divine ( I had butternut squash and goat cheese lasagne...mouthwatering) But just check out the price of a burger will ya??? That's 9 and a half pounds which translates into $19.00 for an 8oz burger folks......yikesey pikesey! But I can at least put this on my list of fancy restaurants I've gotten to eat at.

Apparently someone was not to happy with this city ordinance..........or maybe the sign liked watching the taxi cabs and cars zoom thru the streets???

This is the clock in the center of the city. When you see the Eiffel tower, you obviously think of France or when you see Big Bend you think of London...wellll....same thing here...if you see this clock (built in 1897) you think of Chester...okay maybe you didn't before this picture, but now you will..

Oh yes, and we mussnt forget dressing up for afternoon tea, with our afternoon tea hats....
And here is afternoon tea at the Blue Moon Cafe. By now, after being in the UK for over a week, the "hot" tea is starting to grow on me...but the "cold" milk...sorry Gill, just can' t do it.

In case you are a creative person needing a job in a bead shop....there's one for you. The only thing disappointing about this bead shop is that they need much more live samples for inspiration. Other than that, it's quite lovely.

Okay, so this takes the cake for Mega churches. We have several Mega Churches in Missouri and one in particular not too far from my house.

Because these buildings are so old, many of them contain stained glass or architecture of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton YHWH which many know now as the Divine Name 'Jehovah'. I am quite interested in biblical archaeology and Gill and I decided to go inside to see if the church had any reminiscence of the divine name which has been taken out of modern day languages and Bibles.

After you enter the door a gentleman directs you down a long hall way and interestingly the first thing that you come to at the end of it is what resembles a "box office" situated inside the gift shop and the cafe. Admission to the church for viewing was $10 US. Seeing this, I felt as Jesus did at John 2:16. This is the situation where Jesus was near Jerusalem around the time of the passover. When he went to the temple he found those selling sheep, cattle and other items of merchandise. This outraged Jesus and he shouted "stop making the house of my Father a house of merchandise". Seeing this with my own eyes, made that verse come to life and I could only imagine the indignation that he must have felt.

And with that thought, we did not view the church, instead we left, but unlike Jesus, we did not turn over any tables...

Tonight, it's dinner at the "chip shop", known for it's fantastic Fish and Chips. I've gotten quite a tour and quite a language lesson too as so many of the british english words have different meanings.

Tomorrow its back on the train for my journey home. It's been a fantastic time with Gill and her husband John! Loved every minute of it, but now I am ready to go home.

Stoke on Trent, England – Rich in Pottery History

Stoke-on-Trent is considered to be the home of the pottery industry in the United Kingdom and is commonly known as The Potteries.

Driving around Stoke-on-Trent and Handley you notice the bottle kilns pipes; remains from a City that was the mecca of the pottery industry. (see the picture below) Until I visited I never really thought much about English pottery. I have collected several pieces of it, but didn’t really realize the amount of workmanship involved or how it affected the livelihoods of the families who relied on this industry to make a living. I can only say that I have a new sense of appreciation of this art and the families whose lives it touched.

These pipes are now historically protected and can not be removed. At one time hundreds of bottle kilns could be seen over the countryside, now only a handfull remain.



Inside an old bottle kiln

Many of the factories are no longer in production, in fact just a handful remain. One of the most renown pottery factories is located in Handley, known as Moorcroft pottery. It is some of the most exquisite and expensive pottery that I have ever had the pleasure of feasting my eyes upon. You must visit this factory if you ever get to Stoke. You will be treated to EyeCandy Heaven.

Unfortuantely, because of the workmanship involved and the art of creating the piece, we were not allowed to take photographs thru our hour long tour of the factory. But do check out the Moorcroft website because there are short videos of each process that I describe. All in all there are 14 different processes that the pottery has to take before it is finished.

Originally the pottery was hand thrown on a wheel, but because of it’s popularity, it is now slip cast.

Moorcroft employs three designers which are responsible for the design not only of the pottery itself but for the decoration. Each design is carefully laid out to fit the piece which it will decorate perfectly. A water color painting is also made of the design for reference to the painters.

If a designer has a new idea for a piece, a sketch of the design is drawn and given to the mold maker. The mold maker will then make a profile of the design and cast it into a hard plaster type material. Eventually thru 6 different processes a mold is made. From that original mold, the casting mold is made which will make up to 30 pieces.

Next he mold is given to the “turner”. The Turner pours the slip into the mold, where the slip begins to dry from the outside in. When the desired thickness has been obtained, the extra slip is poured out, the pottery is removed from the mold and allowed to dry further. Then it is put on a lathe and the fine detailed shape of the pot is turned out using very simple metal tools, made by the turner himself. This process was fascinating to me – he made it look so easy! Obviously it is quite a skill because it requires a 7 year apprentice to work in this area.

When the piece has been refined, it is then sponged down to remove any marks left in turning. This person is also responsible for the stamping of the piece with the Stoke –On-Trent stamp as well as the year of production. The piece is then allowed to dry and then given to the “slip liners”.

As you examine each piece of Moorcroft pottery, it appears to be enameled with raised designs. This raised design is created in the slip lining process.

A design is traced onto a piece of plastic sheeting with old time ink and pen. Markings are put onto the design to ensure proper placement. Once the design has been traced onto the plastic, it is then aligned on the pottery and rubbed on, similar to what you would do when using a scrapbooking rub on. It is very important that the artists who are working with the pottery at this stage are very careful since they are still working on raw clay that has not been fired to bisque. The intricate designs in this pottery will literally make your eyes cross!

Using a small bag with a very fine point tip, the slip liners draw the design. It can take as little as a few hours or several days to complete one piece! Each designer signs his/her work. It takes around 18 months to learn this job.

After this process, it is handed over to the painters who use metallic based paints to paint the colors into the design. They mix the paint with a lot of water and as you can imagine, they drop the water inside the raised designs. Since the pottery is very porous, it soaks up the water quite quickly. As many as ten layers of color may be applied to any design. This process is also quite tedious. When finished the painters also paint their mark on the bottom. An 18 month apprentice is required here as well.

It is now ready to be fired, which is done overnight in electric kilns. After the piece has been cooled, it is then dipped into the glaze, allowed to dry and then is checked for any pinholes which are filled before the final firing. This is the firing that applies the enamel like glass finish.

When you see just how labor intensive each piece is, how many artisans have worked long hours to bring just one piece to life, you realize why this pottery is so incredibly expensive. It’s also quite a big deal to own a piece of this artwork. (I do not – yet) A small vase (that’s…vaaaaahz) around 2” tall – very ornately decorated will cost around 180 pounds – which translates to around $360 dollars. I saw lamps and other vases that were over 6,000 pounds (double that for dollars)

I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it – ever. I found this pottery incredibly inspiring for my polymer clay work. It really makes me want to go home and cane. Great inspiration for focal beads don’t you agree?

Also located nearby is Denby Pottery, while not as detailed in design, this pottery serves a more functional purpose. You can purchase this pottery directly from the factory and you can save a little "poundage" too if you don't mind purchasing slightly imperfect seconds.

Below is a picture of some more pottery that I found inspiring. I love the black and white design of this pottery. I can imagine simulating this effect by carving polymer clay beads that have a white core and a black case.

I particulary love the folk art designs of this pottery.

That concludes our virtual tour for the day, hope you enjoyed. You can always take your own virtual tour by "googling" key words such as Stoke On Trent, The Potteries, MooreCroft and Denby. Isn't the internet great? Travel the world from your "Settie" or as American's say " Couch". Hope you have a lovely journey.


Next on the tour, a day in the City of Chester. Don't miss this, there's some beautiful scenery!