DIY Network

Sushi Pin From "Jewelry Making" episode DJMK-203

Guest artist Christine Brashers uses polymer clay to fashion a pin with the look of sushi.

Materials:

2 oz pkgs of polymer clay in the following colors: champagne; translucent (2 pkg.); Bordeaux red; terra cotta; magenta; golden yellow, leaf green and white
1-inch pin back
Super-strength cyanoacrylic glue
Pasta machine
Clay blade
Ruler
Toothpick
Oven
Oven thermometer

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	To create the clay colors shown at the bottom of the above photo, mix pea-sized amounts of colored clay with translucent clay in the ratio shown.
	"Tuna" and "Salmon" sushi canes.
	This lace cane will also serve as a "rice" cane for this project.
	The three stages of creating the "lemon" slice cane.
	Green clay is wrapped to create the look of "nori" and is wrapped around the faux rice ball and tuna.
	The thinnest sheet of clay is ruffled, then cut, to create the look of fresh ginger.

1. Condition 1/4 package of champagne-colored clay by kneading it in your hands until soft.

2. Finish it by putting it through a pasta machine on the thickest setting about 15 times. Cut a 1-1/8" x 1-1/2" piece to be the tray. Also cut 2 chopsticks about 1" long and 1/8" at one end and 1/16" at the other. Set aside.

3. Condition 1/2 package translucent using same technique as in step 1-2. Add pea-sized pieces of Bordeaux and terracotta to half the translucent clay and run through the pasta machine until a consistent color is achieved.

4. Take a pea -sized piece of this color and add it to the other half a block of translucent. Mix to make a lighter shade of the first color. Roll this second color out on the 4th setting of your pasta machine. Your pieces of clay should be about 1-1/2" wide, while the thinner one will be longer.

5. Place the 2 sheets on top of each other & trim away the extra lighter color. Set aside for later. Run through the thickest setting of the pasta machine, cut in half, stack so the colors alternate and run through the pasta machine again. Repeat the previous step.

6. Next, cut into 6 equal parts. Stack 2 sets of 3 so the colors alternate, then put the 2 stacks together so the light color is in the center. Gently squeeze this block until the striped end is about 1/2" X 7/8", with the stripes being long and thin, and about 2-1/2" long. This is your "tuna" cane.

7. Make a "salmon" cane the same way, using 2 pea sized quantities of magenta, 1 pea of golden yellow and 1/4 cube translucent. For the lighter color use 1/4 package un-tinted translucent. Layer as above, but cut and stack the cane one extra time. When squeezing the cane, make the stripes run across, not up and down.

8. Condition 1/4 package of white and 1/4 package of translucent. Roll the translucent into a 2" cylinder. Run white through pasta machine on the 5th setting. Wrap a piece of white around the translucent so it meets, but does not overlap. Trim so the white is just covering the translucent, creating a bulls-eye cane. Carefully roll and stretch the cane to 14". Cut into 7 2" pieces. Arrange the pieces with one in the center & the remaining 6 around the center piece. Roll & stretch again to 14" and repeat. Keeping the cane at 2" gently squeeze it into a rectangle about the same size as the "tuna" and "salmon". This is the "rice" cane.

9. Mix a pea sized amount of golden yellow with 1/4 package translucent. Shape into a 2" cylinder and wrap with white as above. Gently pull the cane to 6", but this time, using your fingertips, shape it into a triangle. Cut into 6 pieces and fit together like a pie. Wrap with a sheet of golden yellow at the thickest setting. Roll and stretch to 7". This will make your "lemon" cane the right size for the sushi.

10. Cut a thin slice of the "rice" cane and wrap it around a piece of white clay. Roll it in your hands to smooth it & shape it into a flattened oval about 3/4" x 1/2". Cut a slice of "tuna" & place on the rice ball. Using a small amount of conditioned leaf green, cut a strip of "nori" and wrap it around the tuna sushi.

11. Make another rice ball, cut a thin slice of salmon, lay it on the rice ball, then decorate with a half slice of lemon.

12. Put the 2 pieces of sushi on the tray you made in step one. Using left over light tuna color, cut a strip about 1" X 1/8" and run it through the pasta machine on the thinnest setting. Gather it into a clump so it looks like ginger and put it on the tray. Mix a small amount of leaf green with translucent to make a "wasabi" color. Texture it with a toothpick, so it's a little uneven. Put it on the tray too. If the chopsticks fit without going too far over the edge of the tray, you can put them on too. Otherwise, bake them separately to prevent them from sagging. Then glue them on with a spot of cyanoacrylic glue.

13. Place the pin on a cookie sheet and bake according to manufacturer's instructions. Use an oven thermometer and check the temperature. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Adhere pin back with glue to complete.

GUESTS :
Christine Brashers
Phone: 909-989-2453
Email: chrissfri@aol.com
Website: www.jewelrytomakeyousmile.com