How to Make a Polymer Clay Wall Hanging

A polymer clay wall hanging is a set of flat clay shapes linked into strands and hung from a dowel. It looks intricate on the wall, but every part of it is a beginner skill: roll a slab, cut shapes, pierce holes, cure, and join the pieces with rings.

What decides whether the piece hangs well is planning. Holes that sit off-center make shapes tilt, and strands of very different weight pull the dowel crooked.

The version described here uses three strands of four or five shapes each on a dowel about 8 inches (20 cm) long. To resize it, change the number of strands or shapes, not the clay thickness or hole size.

What you need

• Polymer clay in three or four colors, about two standard small blocks in total
• Acrylic roller and two depth guides of equal thickness, such as craft sticks or strips of thick card
• A ceramic tile to work and cure on
• Cutters in simple shapes (circle, arch, leaf), or a tissue blade and paper templates
• Needle tool for piercing holes
• Jump rings, about 8 to 10 mm across, and two pairs of flat-nose pliers
• A wooden dowel about 8 inches (20 cm) long, plus cord or twine
• Paper and a pencil for the layout

Choose shapes that suit their place in the strand

Stick to flat, simple outlines. Each piece needs a hole at the top and, unless it is the last piece, another at the bottom directly below it, so a shape with nowhere sensible for a bottom hole belongs at the end of a strand.

Shape	Best position	Where the holes go
Circle	Anywhere	Top and bottom, on the same vertical line
Half-moon	Top or middle	Center of the straight edge and the lowest point of the curve
Arch	End of a strand	One hole at the top of the curve; the open legs have no center point below
Leaf or teardrop	End of a strand	One hole at the wide or rounded end, so the point hangs down

For color, repeat each color at least once in every strand, in a different position each time.

Roll the slab and cut the shapes

1. Condition the clay. Work each color until it is soft and bends without cracking; the guide toconditioning polymer clay shows what ready clay looks like.
2. Roll an even slab. Place the clay on the tile between the two depth guides and roll until the roller rides on the guides. Aim for a slab about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Thinner pieces can snap at the holes, and thicker ones add weight that every ring above has to carry.
3. Cut on the tile. Press each cutter straight down, lift it, and peel the scrap away from around the shape instead of lifting the shape itself. Moving a soft shape stretches it.
4. Tidy the edges. Run a fingertip lightly around each edge to soften the sharp corner the cutter leaves. The article on using clay cutters for clean shapes covers stuck clay and ragged edges in more detail.

Cut one or two spare shapes in each color in case a piece is damaged later. Any clay left over can go toward a small project such as a cone ring holder with a dish.

Plan the layout and the hole positions

Before piercing anything, decide where every piece goes. Draw three vertical lines on paper, spaced as the strands will hang on the dowel, and sketch the shapes onto them or arrange paper templates; pieces firm enough to slide with the blade can be lined up in three columns.

Check three things at this stage. The strands should be similar in total weight, so do not put all the large shapes in one column. Neighboring strands should not have their widest shapes at the same height, or they will knock together. And each hole must sit on the center line of its shape, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) in from the edge. Closer than that, the clay around the hole is weak; much farther in, the jump ring will not reach around the edge.

Pierce each hole with the needle tool, twisting as you push, then widen it slightly with a small circular motion. The hole needs to be clearly wider than the wire of your jump rings, since a ring that binds in its hole stops the shape from hanging straight. Lay the open rings between the pieces as a final check that you have enough.

Cure the pieces

Cure (bake) the shapes flat on the tile they were cut on. Curing requirements differ between manufacturers and product lines, so follow the exact instructions supplied with your own clay. A separate oven thermometer is worth using because oven dials can be inaccurate, and a loose foil tent shields thin pieces from direct heat. The full setup is explained in how to cure polymer clay.

Leave the pieces on the tile until they are completely cool, since warm slabs can set with a bend if moved early.

Assemble the strands

1. Open the rings sideways. Hold a jump ring with both pliers and twist one end toward you and the other away. Pulling the ends apart distorts the circle and it will not close neatly. The guide to jump rings and other findings shows the motion.
2. Link from the bottom up. Join the last piece of a strand to the one above it, close the ring until the ends meet with no gap, and keep going.
3. Attach to the dowel. Tie a short loop of cord through the top hole of each strand and knot it around the dowel, or slide larger rings over the dowel if they fit. Space the strands to match your paper layout.
4. Add the hanging cord. Tie a length of cord to both ends of the dowel. A wrap or two of cord on either side of each strand stops it from sliding along the dowel.

Hang it and fix what looks off

Hang the piece from a small nail or hook and look at it from across the room. A dowel that tilts usually means one strand is heavier than the others; swap a large shape for a smaller spare or slide the strands along until it levels. A shape that twists to face sideways generally has a ring that is too small or a hole that is too tight.