Spring Workshop is just one week away!

Workshop weekend is almost here!

We're looking forward to learning how to make a variety of faux gems and imitation wonders of the natural world next week when Randee Ketzel comes to town for our Surf and Turf bracelet workshop. It's not too late to join us so send an email to berecca @ a o l . c o m if you're interested in attending.

Also next weekend, a few of our members will be manning a booth on Sunday, May 5 at the Creative Marketplace outdoor artists market in Verona, PA. This is the first weekend for the monthly event that will be happening all summer, so go check it out.

April 21 Clay Day report

We planned out a slate of demos and activities for the next few months which you can see on our web page, www.polymerclayintheburgh.org/clay_days.

Irene Hill demonstrated a faux ceramic technique. During our clay time the fire house alarms went off and the firemen and trucks went flying out the big doors. Thankfully, the alarm had nothing to do with our heat gun usage for the demo...we all thought it would be very bad form to start a fire in the fire station! No chance of that because we followed good ventilation procedures -- for the portion of the demo that required slight scorching of the clay, we took the project outside!

Our room at the fire house has plenty of space for us to spread out our tools, as you can see by this photo of  Selma in front and Judy in the distance. We didn't even mind sharing space with the fryers left out from the Lenten fish fry!

New Location for Clay Day!

Please join us Sunday, January 20, 10 am - 3 pm at our new Clay Day location in the new Swissvale Fire House. The address is:
7400 Irvine Street, Swissvale PA 15218

Directions to the Swissvale Fire House are below. Each will open a link in a DropBox account. (The link is safe. Give it permission to open if it asks you.) 

1Mb PDF:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/35064034/PPCG_Directions%20to%20Clay%20Day.pdf

4 Mb Word doc (.Docx):

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/35064034/PPCG_Directions%20to%20Clay%20Day.docx

The new location has great lighting, plenty of tables (on wheels!), kitchen, bathroom, no steps, plenty of outlets, some on-street parking and a lot across the street and down a bit that we can use. We can park in front of the entry door (NOT the fire truck garage doors!) and drop off our supplies, then park the car in the lot or on the street.
There is a sub and pizza shop nearby and an ice cream place for summer treats. You can also bring lunch if you wish.

Special Clay Day: Sunday, June 24

CHANGE IN LOCATION for June 24 Special Clay Day...see below.
We don't usually meet in June but we're making a special exception because Barb has uncovered an opportunity for a show at a Gallery in Verona in August. 
We need to get together to coordinate our plans. This is a good chance to be seen in a new part of town and who knows...we could find new customers or new members there!
We will meet on Sunday, June 24 at Barb's Four Directions Jewelry Studio at 11 am to discuss show details.
You can hang around after -- bring your clay, bring a jewelry project, try out some tools in Barb's studio, do a little shopping, or have show-and-tell with items you made using techniques learned in the Sarah Shriver workshop.
Barb hinted at an idea for more ways to use up scrap clay and slices...Barb, is there more we need to know or bring with us?

studio address:      824 Pittsburgh Street   Springdale, PA 15144       724-681-7611

January Clay Day -- Sunday, January 15

January Clay Day -- Sunday, January 15

As usual, it's the 3rd Sunday and you're invited!

10 am to 2 pm at the 

Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville,  

286 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 

We will have a demo around noon...topic yet to be decided! Bring your clay and join us!

Clay Day reminder

Our next clay day is October 16. As usual, it's the 3rd Sunday and you're invited!
10 am to 2 pm at the Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville, 286 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

• October 16 -- Surface treatments by Deanna, Irene, and Rebecca
• November 20 -- Denise demonstrates how to add some pizzazz to your blade case

Happy Fall and Welcome Back!

We just returned from our 2011 retreat. We gave a few demos, did a bracelet swap, raised a few bucks with a Chinese auction and silent bid auction. The weekend always goes too fast but we've already chosen the date for next year. It will be in October next year...watch this blog for more details.

We all managed to look very photogenic in our group shot. Check out this fine gang!

Our next clay day is October 16. As usual, it's the 3rd Sunday. You're invited!
10 am to 2 pm at the Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville, 286 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

• October 16 -- Surface treatments by Deanna, Irene, and Rebecca
• November 20 -- Denise demonstrates how to add some pizzazz to your blade case

Last Clay Day before Summer Break is June 12

(This post originally said, incorrectly, that the June Clay Day was June 13.)

You're invited! Join us for a "Clay Day" before we take our summer break...

10 am to 2 pm at the Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville, 286 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

• June 12 -- Marcy demonstrates how to make a flower cane
• July/August -- No Clay Day
• September 23-25 -- Annual Retreat (no Clay Day)
• October 16 -- Surface treatments by Deanna, Irene, and Rebecca
• November 20 -- Denise demonstrates how to add some pizzazz to your blade case

Our usual meeting day is the third Sunday of the month, but sometimes we switch if a holiday gets in the way. This month is one of those times. (You should spend next Sunday with your favorite Dad!)

April Clay Day Demo: Beads

For our April demo, Rebecca demonstrated how to make simple beads:

1. Make a sheet of clay
2. Roll it up into a tube to create the center core
3. Cover the outside of the core with a single decorated sheet
4. Cut the core into equal pieces
5. Roll each piece into a ball
6. Pierce and place on a rack to go into the oven

Now, that's a pretty short list of steps, but within each step are multiple variations you can make to put your own creativity into the set. You might want to create mix-and-match shapes in different sizes, or flatten or stretch the ball to create oblongs or lentils. You can pinch the ends of your cut pieces to hide the clay in the core, or you can use a cane, a jellyroll, or a layered tube for your center core and let it remain visible. Instead of a decorated sheet you can cover the core with individual pieces of clay. There are a million possibilities!

For the demo on this day, Rebecca had purple and gold scraps so they became the source materials for the decorated sheet shown below. The scraps, along with some translucent clay, were rolled into a sheet until a pretty blend, sort of like an abstract watercolor painting, was achieved.

Below is the decorated sheet that was created with purple and gold scrap clay rolled flat, then sliced into strips, and laid on the base sheet with a tiny space in between the strips. The sheet of strips was run through the pasta machine several times to let the base clay (black in the sample below) squeeze up through the strips and create a third stripe in the pattern.

Then that sheet was applied lengthwise around the core, and then the core was cut into several pieces and shaped.

Here is what they became...

...and this.

Clay Day 2011 Schedule

If you've never worked with polymer clay before, don't let that stop you from coming by on Clay Day! There are always at least one or two members who can provide a "Polymer for the Beginner" lesson during every Clay Day. 

And whether you've worked with polymer just a short time, or you're an old pro, our monthly demonstrations will show you a new tricks that you can add to your repertoire.

Demonstration Schedule

April 17 – Fast and Easy Beads (Rebecca)

May 15 – Show and share how we've applied the techniques learned at the Ronna Sarvas Weltman workshop to our own work 

June 19 – Flower Canes (Marcy)  

July/August – No meeting

September 23-25  – Annual Retreat (no Clay Day meeting)

October 16  – Surface Treatments (Deanna and Irene)

November 20 – Make and decorate a case for your polymer blades (Denise)

Demonstrations will start around noon, and they are completely voluntary. You can watch the demonstration or continue working on your own projects.

Clay Day is always on the third Sunday of the month (except July, August, September, and December) from 10 am to 2 pm at the Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville.

Pittsburgh Polymer Clay Guild Welcomes YOU!

You're invited! Join us for a "Clay Day" before we take our summer break...

Monthly Clay Days are held September through June, 10 am to 2 pm at the Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville, 286 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

• April 17, 2011 
• May 15, 2011 
• June 13, 2011

Our usual meeting day is the third Sunday of the month.
Watch this blog for details on demonstrations planned for each clay day.