FO and Tutorial: Polymer Clay Shawl Pin
When I was designing and knitting my Nympheas scarf I decided that I wanted it to be as versatile as possible. The yarn was warm enough to keep off the chills but the pattern had enough drape and was lacy enough to make it a perfect summer knit, too. I wanted the knitting to act both as a casual scarf and an elegant stole, and decided that I needed a shawl pin.
I have never owned a shawl pin, and they are too expensive for me to want to purchase one, but this blog isn’t called Eskimimi Makes for no reason.
So, out came some scraps of polymer clay, and this shawl pin was born.
To make your own you will need small amounts (¹â„₈ to ¹â„â‚„ blocks) of polymer clay in three or four colours and a small stick with a tapered (but not sharp) end. A spare 3-4mm Bamboo or wooden DPN would be fantastic for this, or a piece of thin dowel sanded to a rounded point would suffice.
Note: I didn’t actually have a DPN or similar item available nearby, so will pick up something from the hardware store. I have made a makeshift ‘stick’ out of polymer clay, which works well enough for the purposes of taking the shawl photos, but might not be sturdy enough for everyday use.
I chose four colours for my shawl pin, to match the colours of my yarn. A beige colour, a light pistachio, pearlescent blue and gold, but choose whatever colours please you. Roll each of the colours into ‘logs’ of polymer clay. If you have larger quantities of some colours, split the polymer clay into two and roll multiple logs of those colours. The important thing is to keep them all the same length. Diameter is not important.
- Press the pieces of clay together, and begin to gently squeeze them to form one single log of colour – try to keep each of the colours visible on the outside.
- Begin to roll this log gently, so the clays begin to blend together.
- After a little while you may realise that you loose sight of some of the colours. Take a sharp craft knife and slice down the length of your clay to reveal the marbling inside. Press the rounded ‘outside’ edges of clay to each other to form a new log with the marbling in the outside, fold in half lengthways and roll into a fatter ‘sausage shape.
- Press this sausage shape into a ball of clay.
- Roll clay along the ‘grain’ of your marbling until it is 2.5mm thick.
- Draw your desired shape for your finished shawl pin onto a piece of paper and cut out. Aim for a shape that is about 6-7cm long for a shawl pin meant to hold a fingering weight shawl. You may wish to make a larger pin for heavier/bulkier shawls and scarves. I decided on a shape similar to a guitar plectrum – I didn’t plan it that way, it was just what I happened to cut, but you could go for a circle, oval, or something else all together.
- Place your paper template onto your clay and cut around it with your craft knife.
- Use a finger to run around the edges, smoothing out any knife marks and rounding the edges for a nice finish
- Cut a hole in the centre of your shawl pin. It should be between 4-5 cm long. I shaped mine into an oval, but you could choose a circle or other similar shape.
- You may also wish to make matching finials for the ‘pin’ of your shawl pin. Small pieces of your marbled clay will set the finished item off lovely. Press clay around the end of your wooden stick/DPN and shape as desired. I used a stick of clay but it is recommended that you find something a bit sturdier (see note above)
- Use a toilet roll inner tube to bake your clay on. This will give it the necessary curve whilst hardening. I wanted a slightly tighter curve than the cardboard tube allowed, so I cut a slit down the length and rolled it a little tighter using two small clothes pegs to keep it in place. I also rubbed a little pearlescent mica powder on the surface of the pin at this point, to give the finished item an extra little effect. Bake clay according to manufacturers instructions and leave to cool before wearing. Varnish if desired.
Love this! I always balk at the prices of shawl pins, but I can do this 🙂
It looks great. Both the shawl and the shawl pin.
The timing of your tutorial couldn’t be better! I *just* came home with some polymer clay intended for a shawl pin, to use with my Stripe Study Shawl 🙂
xo,
wink
This is so cool! Thanks for sharing how to make one!
Great tutorial! Could you use a knitting needle with one of the round ends for your “stick”? I have seen a couple ladies do that and the shorter ones look quite cute like that. I think they were using older vintage ones. 🙂
Definitely, if you shortened it down a bit. I don’t have any straight needles myself, but it would be a great solution if you didn’t want a decorated finial.
Wow! That’s all kinds of spectacular. The mica is the perfect touch with those colors. Well done!
Oh wow, this is great! I have a load of polymer clay and a book on how to make different stuff, but I never thought of making shawl pins (possibly because I don’t have any shawls yet).
Would it be okay if I used your tutorial as a jumping-off point to make pins to put in an Etsy shop? (The likelihood of me actually doing this is small, but I figured I’d ask to be on the safe side!)
Very clever 🙂
I’ll have to try this! Thanks for sharing.
This is something I have to try! Thanks for a great tutorial.
Awesome! Everything!!!!!!!)
I wanted a new shawl pin – now I can make my own. Off to dig thru my sculpy stash – thanks for a great tutorial!
You are so darn creative. Great tutorial
You really are amazing, Mimi!
Gorgeous!
Wonderful Tutorial!
The colours go so well with the scarf! You couldn’t buy a match like that – thanks for the tutorial.
What a gorgeous shawl! Your tutorial is fantastic too… thanks for sharing, now I’m off to give this a try 🙂
That’s brilliant!
I think I’m going to try it in both polymer clay and stoneware clay.
Oh wow, this is fantastic! Thanks for the tutorial
awesome thanks
Wow , nice tutorial! Thanks!
Thank you for this tutorial and idea. I, too, find that shawl pins are way too expensive even though it would be nice to have one. I plan on making this in the near future for my shawls. 🙂
Love it! I wonder if I could wrap the clay around a metal pin for the pin part?
Beautiful pin! Love the colors and the shape. It looks lovely on that shawl.
I had been searching for just the right shawl pin as a gift to go with a shawl I crocheted – I am sooooooo glad I came across your tutorial , your pin is Beautiful!!!! Many Thanks for sharing
Best Wishes , Barbara xx
Merci! c’est génial
That is absolutely beautiful! I have also been looking for a way to personalize a shawl pin. Thank you!
What a great idea. Thanks
Looks better than the store pins.
This may be a silly question, but did you bake the pin on the roll in the oven – i.e. the roll went in the oven too? Thanks.
For the pin you can use turkey lacers. I got 8 in a pack for about $2.00.
Use a short piece of wire inside the polymer clay for the pin, and it will stand up to use just fine.
The next time you eat at a chinese restaurant, ask for their wooden chopsticks! You can cut them to the length you want. And they`re free 😉
I have just started making some scarves for myself and wanted to get a pin but they are so pricey so this alternative is wonderful! Thanks for this great tutorial! What about using a chop stick as the base for the stick just cut some of it off and roll your clay around it? I can’t wait to get me some clay and try this out! Of and have fun buying yarn to match my pin! Any excuse to get more yarn right!!
Darlene
What do you mean by DPN?
DPN stands for Double Pointed Needle: a type of knitting needle that comes in sets of four or five needles to allow knitters to knit in the round.
That was a fantastic tutorial.
I’m super new to this but I have my own Cormo wool and alpaca fibers and I would love to make some scarf pins to have with my fiber. So, without sounding really lost, the pin part, do you wrap the polymer clay around it and then bake it too? I love the colors…of the pin and the scarf and love that it matches so well. Thank you for supplying this information. I really appreciate it.