A Paperclay Tutorial for You!

Come and join the Halloween Link-up Party with Creative Paperclay! 

I am going to be showing you a tutorial for making an ornament/wall hanging using Paperclay, fabric and a few other embellishments.

You will need the following supplies:

1 - 8oz package of Creative Paperclay

A scrap of fabric approximately 3"x4", for the front

A scrap of fabric 1"x10"

A small piece of lace

Ribbon or lace for hanger, about 8"

A scrap of batting that is slightly smaller than the top fabric

A backing fabric, same size as top fabric

Acrylic paints in colors you want to work with

Antiquing medium

Mod Podge

A sewing machine with a matching/coordinating thread

Paintbrushes

A rag

The first step is to find some fabrics in colorways that you would like to work with and cut (or tear like I did) one fabric piece to approximately a 3 inch by 4 inch piece.  When I got that piece to the size I wanted, I painted it with a thin layer of Mod Podge.

Now comes the fun part....working with the clay!  I tore off a piece of Paperclay about the size of a pingpong ball.  I like to keep my clay moist (not wet) so I work with damp hands.  Work the clay into a ball and then start pulling a point down to form the bottom of the heart.

I then make a space at the top to form the two top mounds of the heart. When I get a basic heart shape I press it onto the fabric while the Mod Podge is still wet.

Then using my finger, or sometimes a clay tool, and working with a little water, I start to work the edges of the heart into the fabric.

Use a little water to get everything smooth, and smooth out any cracks you can see.  While the Paperclay is still fresh and wet, find your favorite stamp or texture tool and make an impression of texture on one side of the heart.

I also took the end of a paint brush and pushed in shallow dots on the other side of the heart, because everything is better with polka dots!! RIght?

Now comes the difficult task of waiting....waiting for this piece to dry.  It usually needs over night to be properly dry.

When it is dry paint it with your favorite colors that compliment or coordinate with the background fabric.

I like to use aquas and greens because if you put an antiquing medium over this it looks almost patina'd.  So since I mentioned it....let's antique this heart.  Wait until the paint is dry and then apply a thin coat of antiquing medium over it, then take a rag and wipe it off until you get a look you like, making sure to leave some in the grooves of the textured design.  Set this aside to dry.

Now we need to gather a few more items, like the above photo on the right shows.  You will need a scrap a batting that is slightly smaller than the heart piece, a backing fabric, a few torn strips, and perhaps another scrap of embellishment.

Make a sandwich out of the fabric-heart piece, the batting, and the backing fabric....in that order.

Trim (or tear) piece to desired, finished size.  I personally like the look of the torn fabric and loose threads.

Take your little quilt and Paperclay sandwich to the sewing machine and do some stitching around the perimeter of the piece, probably about a quarter of an inch from the edge.

After I got the perimeter stitched all around a few times I took a few torn fabric strips that were about an inch wide and accordion folded them and stitched them down to the bottom of the piece.  Basically I fold the fabric and hold it in place while I stitch it down.  Fold as you go method!

I also added a small piece of vintage doily and a short piece of fabric, on top of the folded fringe, just on the left side.

I then, free-motion stitched the word *Goodwill* to the right hand side of the quilting piece.  If you are not comfortable stitching like this you can stamp on a word or write it on with fabric markers.

This is a good point to stitch on a ribbon or fabric hanger to the top corners of the piece.  I used a long piece that was cut off the vintage doily to match the doily on the bottom fringe.

The final step.......

To give everything a good seal and make it stronger I give it one last coat of Mod Podge over the Paperclay heart and a little bit of the surrounding fabric.  Any clear sealer will work well for this.

Here is the finished piece.......

Also thought I would show you another piece I did, alongside the piece in this tutorial.  The piece on the right has a wire hanger and a bit more fabric fringe on the top.

There are endless possibilities with these ornaments!  When I was photographing these I was envisioning some with pumpkins.....I think I am going back into the studio to play with some more Paperclay!

Have fun creating with Paperclay and be sure to check out all the other blog posts via the link at the top!