Double Dash Cane, a Cuff Bracelet in Polymer Clay

Watch the pattern appear as I create this pretty polymer clay cane to make a cuff bracelet or anything else you want in polymer clay. I take you step by step through the whole process with tips throughout.
So, sit back, relax and watch as I show you how to make this fun project.
For the UK, the Cuff Kits can be bought from Shelley Wylie of PCUK Tools here - www.etsy.com/u...
And for elsewhere from Teresa Salgado of Tiny Pandora Boutique here - tinypandora.co... for standard and here - tinypandora.co... for extra long.
Teresa also has a KZbin channel where she has more videos on using the cuff kits - / superclaygirl
Here is the link to Conditioning Polymer Clay - • Conditioning Polymer C...
Here is the link to creating a Skinner Blend - • Basic Skinner Blend Tu...
The small crystals I use are called Chatons are here is an example of ones you can buy - www.spellboundb...
If you like my work, then please do have a look at my website, www.fionaabel-s... and follow me on Facebook / fiona.abelsmith and Instagram. / fionaabelsmith.artist
I also have a number of Polymer Clay Tutorials to buy, both in my Etsy shop, PolyOriginals - www.etsy.com/u... where I have more tutorials in a PDF format, and as a video tutorial here - polyoriginals.t...
The music from the video is English Country Garden by Aaron Kenny and is available from the KZbin Free Audio Library.
Thank you so much for watching.

[@donnadecicco]

It’s amazing how different the red one is to the others, I love it so much!,

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

thank you very much Donna :)

[@dianebowman3672]

Ohh my gosh. You are an incredible teacher even though I haven't been bee able to get the patterns. Your tutorials are keeping me going. I love how you show how much material you use. I realize that I have been using too much. Even though I can't seem to be able to get the pattern I have been able to use my mistakes and they are coming out pretty cool. Just ordered a big pack of fimo soft so I can have all the colors you use. Thank you soooooo much!!!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

I am so glad you are enjoying the tutorials, and don't worry about the patterns too much, each time you do one you'll be getting more experienced and your designs (not mistakes ;) ) are probably more gorgeous than you realise. Thank so much for a lovely comment :)

[@boa9535]

Diane, I’ve been watching her videos for a while now and I’ve learned a lot about colors and when to be really careful and I don’t need to be so careful. I’ve just learned so much from Fiona, it’s amazing and I’m not even working with polymer right now. I’m collecting back the instruments and then will progress towards buying the clay. I’ve done it before. I’m so grateful for her efforts.

[@valerieparadies4988]

Beautiful Fiona as usual. Love all your videos.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much Valerie :)

[@John-I-McLeod]

BRILLIANT! You are an AMAZING clay artist - absolutely LOVE everything you make 🙂😊

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much John :)

[@josiahhatch6645]

Such a sweet cane! So simple to put together, but looks pretty and intricate. I feel so lucky to have come across your tutorials! They are so concise - it makes making a successful cane a sure thing. Thank you for all your expertise, your beautiful color combinations and your soothing voice.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Josiah 😊

[@ltlove63]

Those are BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you for sharing

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Lynda :)

[@kimberlycushing7470]

Thank you, Fiona! This is a wonderful tutorial! I love that you start from the very beginning by showing us how you make the cane and then apply it to a bracelet, while giving lots of important and helpful tips. Your start-to-finish instruction is much appreciated!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Kimberly, I am so glad you liked it :)

[@mrsmiggins6435]

The date today is 5th SEPTEMBER 2024 and you now have 50k subscribers. Well deserved. Thank you Fiona🤗

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Yay well spotted, I hadn't seen that myself yet, so thanks so much. It takes me a while to get subscribers as my long step by step tuts are not for everyone, but it's more important to me that people can follow the videos easily than to get loads of followers - but I'm still very happy to have reached 50k 😉🙃🙂

[@mrsmiggins6435]

Yes I realise that showing and sharing with people is more important to you than subs, but it is a nice added bonus😃. Have a good weekend🤗

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

@@mrsmiggins6435 It definitley is a nice bonus, and thanks again for spotting it 😍🙂🙏🙏

[@dalewooten939]

Laying in hospital after 2 stents put in, watching you. Love all your cane videos. I’m still learning, so I’m still watching your channel 😁😁😁

[@DerekDogsforSentience]

Dale Wooten Fiona is such a great teacher and sooooo relaxing with her wonderful voice! get well soon!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Bless you, I wish you a very speedy and painless recovery, take care :)

[@RD9_Designs]

Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, Fiona, but again - so simple and yet so stunning! Thank you for teaching us how!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much Rachel :)

[@CraigsOverijse]

You make this look so simple and it’s lovely but it’s very complex I’m sure and a lot of skill here

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks Craig, but if you take it slowly, and follow what I do step by step then it's not so bad ;) Give it a go? :)

[@phylliswhitt2124]

You are such a great teacher. I love the fact that you give lots of measurement in both the amount of clay used and size of the cane. 😻

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Phyllis :)

[@SandyHuntress]

Yup, there are things I only catch when editing the video or beauty shots. Like big, glaring things.... but somehow we don't see them otherwise. Lovely cuff bracelets and such a sweet cane. :-) Tfs

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Glad it's not just me :) thanks Sandy :)

[@marionmathews9852]

You always manage to come up with brilliant ideas and well thought out tutorials. Your colour combinations are superb as usual and I really appreciate the time you put into your tutorials. This one is definitely going on my ‘to do’ list of things to try.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

This is a fun one to do Marion, when you get a chance. Thanks so much :)

[@leonanelson2444]

Fiona these are beautiful, thank you again for sharing your wonderful work

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

You are very welcome, thanks Leona :)

[@Cindylee29]

Ohhh, i am in Love with this cane and color combinations!! Stunning, Fiona! 💜💜 Beautiful pattern!!😍❤️

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much Cindylee :)

[@elaineturpin1064]

Lovely project Fiona

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Great, thanks Elaine :)

[@genineallan2496]

What a lovely cane. Thanks so much Fiona.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you Genine :)

[@shellybeals2806]

So beautiful, your tutorials are so clear and always gorgeous, thank you sweet lady for sharing your amazing talent 👏🏻💗👏🏻💗👏🏻💗

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much Shelly :)

[@frankcosta6592]

Lovely bracelets, Fiona. And you always make it look so easy! Thanks you. 💜💜💜

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Frank :)

[@ruddocre]

Stunning. You are such a great teacher.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Ruddocre :)

[@donnaleelittle9664]

Wow that is a GREAT tutorial! Thank you Fiona for sharing! I love doing cuffs. ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👌👌👌👍👍👍🥰🥰🥰

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Wonderful, thanks so much Donna :)

[@jasminehealey9405]

Hey Fiona- So I watched this video the day you put it out but wasn't home at the time to try it. Once home, I ended up getting very involved in a mixed media project & so I haven't worked w/ clay in about a week. And just before I had such a strong desire to make something w/ clay but became disheartened when I couldn't think of what to do. Then.. this video popped into my head & I got really excited. I watched it again & plan on trying it out right away. This cane is so striking & beautiful, i absolutely love it! I'm only a little nervous to try because for some reason I tend to get pretty confused when it comes to manipulating the cane shape. You are truly an excellent teacher, I think the very best, but if I'm not shown very explicitly exactly how to transform the cane & exactly where to press it & then shown very clearly exactly how it looks right after changing the shape, I am lost. There are several of your past canes which I messed up on during that process because my annoying brain just doesn't want to cooperate properly & it gets me all confused. I have tried 1 of your earlier flower tutorials many many times by now & there's 1 part in which it gets manipulated that I somehow still can not grasp & always mess it up. But anyway, you teach so wonderfully that after watching this again you have actually convinced me that I may be able to do it as you showed, because I really wish to get the exact same look as your's, I love it. And thank you so much for also showing us other color options & combinations. You may think this is ridiculous since you're such an extremely creative person, but some of us have a real lot of difficulty in even just choosing which colors to use & coming up w/ color combinations that work well together. I really really struggle w/ that so seeing your variations is SO helpful. And that pink & yellow version you did is so gorgeous, that's the 1 I will attempt to recreate. I don't understand how you can possibly come up w/ 1 amazing cane, let alone the many you have shared w/ us. You continue to blow my mind w/ each new video release. I'm sorry to talk your ear off again, I always seem to do that in the comments so I hope you don't mind too much. Thank you so so very much for once again sharing your knowledge, talent & creativity w/ us, not to mention your extreme kindness, generosity & wonderful, patient teaching style. Thank you!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Jasmine, I hope this one works out for you, and you enjoy having a go with it, But please don't put yourself under any pressure for it to come out exactly the same as mine, every time it comes out slightly differently, and that's one of the things I love about cane work, the first time you cut down through and see what you have got. :) Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to Sonya's comment too :) I was waiting to see if it was these she had tried and failed with, but your response was so complete I didn't need to add anything - thank you :)

[@jasminehealey9405]

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals Thank you for your advice Fiona, it means a lot that you took the time to read my comment and to respond. So I made this cane & tried doing it in the same colors you used for the pink one. I was actually really surprised when I 1st cut into it because I thought it looked pretty good! But.. I somehow still can't seem to reduce a square cane as a nice even square. No matter what I try it always has at least 1 side caving inwards or its leaning more to one side, it's frustrating. So when I put the cane slices together it didn't look very, well, even. But I soldiered through & still made a bracelet & I actually really like how it turned out! It's kind of messy & not symmetric at all but I still like it a lot. Thank you again so so much💗

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

@@jasminehealey9405 I am so glad you liked your results, and I am sure you are being overly hard on yourself too, you should have seen some of my early 'square' canes ;) You can get a couple of hard edged tools, two rulers, two polymer clay blades etc, and press them into the sides to help retain sharp upright sides if that helps? Other then that, just keep doing what you are doing, you'll either end up getting them straighter, or pioneer your own style of 'off square' canes, either way sounds like a winner to me. That's why I love polymer clay, there is no such thing as 'wrong' just a different outcome :)

[@Kaycyd]

Beautiful bracelets! I think I have come up with another idea for me to implement using canes! I will let you know when I am that far with my projects! Thank you so much for your patient tutorials!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks Kaycy :)

[@joyceparkes2678]

Fabulous Fiona😻😻 thank you as always x

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank so much Joyce :)

[@rosess12]

I love your tutorials You explain so well, I am a beginner and you are wonderful.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much :)

[@magsoneill1429]

I really enjoyed to this tutorial cannot wait to try them out .thank you

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you Mags :)

[@pateisele4513]

Beautiful! I love your color combinations!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you Pat :)

[@cindypage8673]

Beautiful, thank you xxx

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you Cindy :)

[@ninarogers9123]

Очень красивый и необычный дизайн. Большое спасибо за мастер класс.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Огромное спасибо :)

[@rosiehutchinson9333]

Lovely design Fiona :) and you matched up the pattern so precisely :)

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you so much Rosie :)

[@ItWorksBodyWraps64]

So very pretty 😍❤️❤️ I love the colors!!

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you Lee Ann :)

[@wendyjulianaarroyocanahui5233]

Me gusta el brazalet gracias

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Muchas gracias :)

[@c.c.9539]

Love this. Thank you.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Wonderful, thanks so much :)

[@TheCrystalWitch1111]

Hi Fiona, I really love your videos and your voice is so suttle and relaxing 😊 I love all your creations. I am a new into polymer clay canes and I woudl appreciate if you could tell me which clay the best to use for this purpose. I am using Fimo soft and I struggle with bleeding in between colours, maybe I am using the wrong type. Thanks in advance, Maria xx

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Hi Maria, I am so glad you are enjoying the videos :) What do you mean by bleeding in between colours? This is not somehting I think I have experienced, and I use FIMO Soft all the time. Can you explain a bit more, and I will see if I can help :)

[@loreyao1515]

Definitely a wonderful tutorial! My question is I used a cuff blank and made it smaller but my finished cuff is still too big as I found out after I cured it in the oven. I put a transparent liquid clay on top and with my heat gun cured it to add a shiny texture. Do you have a recommendation? Should I try to drill holes and put a safety chain or should I rebake it and when it’s still warm try to make it smaller? I’d like to practice by making another cuff so any advice you have would be most helpful.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

You could of course drill holes and add a chain, although you could also add an inner layer of clay, the same colour as you underneath colour, or even an extra patterened layer on the inside to make the whole things a snugger fit. I hope that helps :)

[@debbiegaines1362]

How do you keep your clay from sticking to itself when you run it through the pasta machine on the thinner setting? Thank you

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Do you mean when it concertinas on the base of the pasta machine when I am doing the long thin piece? If so, then it's because although the clay is well conditioned, I have not 'over' handled it, so it is not too soft or sticky. If you are having problems, then only put a little through at a time, then pull it clear at the bottom, and repeat until you have the whole long piece clear of the machine and not stuck to itself at all. I hope that makes sense and helps? :)

[@debbiegaines1362]

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals thank you it does help.

[@susanhiggins8973]

I love your work. I like the way you close seams. Can you tell me what size knitting needle you use?

[@ginnyschild9390]

Mine is so far off from what it is supposed to look like. I lose it somewhere on the last reduction going from a triangle to a square. I don't know what I am doing. Oh to be able to do this. LOL

[@sonyatoolooze6580]

So beautiful. My bracelets broke so I am no good at these.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you Sonya, :) . I am so sorry your bracelets/bangles broke, were they the same type that I am making in this video ?

[@jasminehealey9405]

Obviously we have no idea why your bracelets broke but I am obsessed w/ making cuffs & have learned 2 main things about it since I began. Maybe 1 of them will help you? So the 1st is that you HAVE to bake your bracelet for AT LEAST one FULL hour at the CORRECT temp you clay brand specifies. Make sure you get an oven thermometer that goes inside & test it- set your oven dial to the temp your clay requires, give it plenty of time to warm up, then check the thermometer that's inside. It should say the exact # you set your dial to, but since many ovens are slightly off, it probably won't. And in that case you must adjust the oven temp dial to coincide w/ how much the thermometer shows you that it's off. For instance- I typically use Premo clay which specifies to bake at 275°F. After having many issues w/ my clay either breaking or becoming scorched I bought an over thermometer. I realized that the temp was off so now when I put my clay in there I set the dial to 250°F because that will actually make the temperature 275°, which is what I need. And even when you figure out exactly what to set dial to to ensure it heats up to the correct temp for your clay, don't become reliant on using that.. don't ever trust it. Make sure you check your oven thermometer temp every single time before putting clay in to bake. Somehow my oven has changed at least 3 times since getting the thermometer so that I have to continually adjust the dial # to come up w/ the right temp I need. I hope that all made sense. And the 2nd main thing I've learned about making polymer clay cuff bracelets is that you have to kind of play around to find the perfect thickness that your bracelets should be. If it is too thin it could snap & it will obviously be too large for most wrists (and don't forget- the warmth from our bodies while wearing the cuff can cause the clay to slightly soften & in turn expand a bit, making it even larger). However, if it is too thick it'll not only possibly be difficult to put on but it will definitely increase the likelihood of it snapping right in half. I learned that the hard way. When I make my cuffs I find the need to make the outside of it, the main part of the bracelet. Then I cure that in the oven for an hour, then I remove the aluminum bracelet blank & add another sheet of clay to the inside & bake for another hour. I just feel that they are sturdier w/ the double layers of clay (and I've found that they tend to fit much better than when using just 1 layer. They don't twist & turn as often). But- if either or both of those layers cause the bracelet to be too thick, it will snap very quickly & easily. There is a happy medium, a sweet spot, in which the thickness of the cuff is absolutely perfect. And after making dozens & dozens of them I still occasionally have trouble when it comes to figuring it out, since every bracelet tends to be a little different. I may have just written all of this for nothing but I'm hoping that something I said might help someone. Just to quickly summarize the main points- always bake your clay for at least a full hour, do not listen to the nonsense amount of time the clay packet states. It becomes much stronger the longer it is baked for (but it must be at the correct temperature for your clay. If not, nothing you make will ever be fully stable). And-if your finished cuff is too thin OR too thick, it will most likely break & snap right in half. It's devastating after working so hard on something so it's well worth taking a few extra precautions. Ok, I'm finally done now, good luck!

[@sonyatoolooze6580]

@@jasminehealey9405 thank you so much. I did not bake them for an hr. I went by what the package had said. That could definitely be the issue

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

@@sonyatoolooze6580 Well, I was going to see if I could give some helpful advice, but Jasmine has really covered it all, thank you so much Jasmine :) I hope you have better luck with any new ones you make Sonya :)

[@sonyatoolooze6580]

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals thank u very much

[@smallbeginning2]

Once you’ve conditioned your clay, how long does it last before you need to condition it again?

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Certainly a few hours, even into the next day, but longer than that, and personally, I would give it a little recondition again, just to make sure that all the clay I am working with is conditioned to the same flexibility, I hope that helps :)

[@smallbeginning2]

@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals it does thank you for taking the time to reply ☺️

[@1019buster]

Can you use a.regular.toaster oven to bake clay?

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Have a look at this article from Ginger Davis Allman, of The Blue Bottle Tree, her articles will tell you everything you need to know on the technical side of polymer clay, I hope that helps :) thebluebottletree.com/bake-polymer-clay-oven/

[@lesabarnum9318]

Ok fairly new and have copied a few of your canes question here.. what was the colors you used for the red/burgundy colored cane.. yellow,white skinner but what was the other skinner.??? please and thank you..

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

At the end of the video (32 minutes) I take you through the colours I use for the other canes ;) That one was a Ruby Red and White blend, and a Sunflower Yellow and White blend, with the Royal Violet as the 'dash' outline colour. :)

[@janedoe6181]

Do you know have a Patreon account? I couldn’t find one for you and don’t see anything about one in the description. I would really like to support your amazing work and give a little something back to you for all you give to your viewers.

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thanks so much Jane, no, I don't have a Patreon account as yet, but it is something I have been thinking about. Maybe later in the year when I have more time to sort things out, but thanks so much for the offer of support :)

[@sherylstock8687]

[@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals]

Thank you :)