Creative PaperClay Ugly Christmas Sweater
By Linda Hess
Do you want to make an easy, peasy lemon squeezy ornament or package tie? Then this is the project for you!
Materials:
Creative PaperClay
acrylic roller
some kind of texture (shown: rubber stamp) Other options: scrubbie sponge, dotting tool, fabric, sandpaper...use your imagination
Ugly Sweater cutter (I found mine at Walmart)
Funwire
ornament top with hanger (repurposed from a broken ornament)
paper towel
water
plastic wrap or Ziploc baggie
Optional: cooling rack, school glue or tacky glue
Step 1: Open the package of Creative PaperClay and pull off a bit. Wrap the rest of the package tightly in plastic wrap or in a Ziploc baggie. Make sure to press all of the air out or you will be sorry! Use the acrylic roller to flatten the clay on your work surface to about 1/8" thick. Impress the entire surface with the texture.
Step 2: Turn the clay sheet over and cut out one sweater. Remove the excess clay and squeeze into a ball. Dampen the paper towel with water, squeezing out excess. Pull a bit off the ball of clay and wrap the remained in the damp paper towel to keep it moist.
Step 3: Roll a long snake on your work surface. If the clay develops cracks, dip your fingers into some water before rolling.
Step 4: Fold the snake in half. Then twist.
Repeat, rolling the snake and then twisting. If you want to create the knitted sweater design be sure to roll the folded snake in opposite directions (twist away from you, twist towards you). Alternating the twist will create the illusion that you knitted the clay (Shhh, keep it a secret).
Please note: if the clay cracks as you twist, dip your finger into water and rub on the cracked area. This should "mend" the crack.
Step 5: Begin lining up twists on the cutout sweater. I recommend dipping your finger into water and rubbing it on the cutout sweater before adding each twist.
See the loop at the top? That is from the repurposed ornament hanger. Place it on the sweater cutout and then place the twists on top of it. Notice the neck of the sweater? After a twist is placed, slightly flatten the clay to help attach the layers.
Continue adding twists until the sweater cutout is covered.
Step 6: Use the cutter to recut the sweater. Pull away excess clay and place it into the damp paper towel.
Almost done! Now for a few fine-tuning details. What is an Ugly Sweater without its decorations? Remember the top of the broken ornament? Flatten the metal part to create a shimmery snowflake. It can be attached with tacky glue or a small wire poked through the center holes.
Add a couple of wires or some other trim to the neck of the sweater.
Finally, roll a few thin snakes from the leftover clay (remember the damp paper towel?) and place them around the neck, along the sleeve cuffs, and along the bottom of the sweater. Just as before, a little water with act as glue to help the adhesion.
Do you want to see the back??
That's it, all done! I place my ornaments on a cooling rack to dry since this allows the air to circulate the piece and assure even drying. Leave it along for 24-48 hours. If any of the pieces are loose or come off, a bit of school glue or tacky glue will be the perfect fix.
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