The Crafted Sparrow

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Polymer Clay Feather Necklace

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Polymer-Clay-Feather-Necklace
Happy Monday!  It has been raining like crazy all weekend and I’ve been busy painting cabinets.  I can not wait to be done with that project.  While sitting last night watching Downton Abbey I thought “hey…I should throw something together for a post tomorrow since I’m seriously slacking”.  So I did.  I love making my own necklaces since it’s hard for me to find the length I like.  I made this Polymer Clay Feather Necklace last night in 30 minutes, and today I’m sharing it with you.

This is an easy project and a great way to get a custom piece for your wardrobe.  

 
Supplies:

–  Polymer Clay
–  Accent Beads
–  Length of Jewelry Chain
–  Jump Rings to match Chain {I prefer thicker ones so it holds up well}
–  Head Pins
–  Pliers
–  Clasp
–  Xacto Knife
–  Paper Clip or Toothpick
–  Rolling Pin

Polymer-Clay-Feather-Necklace
Start by rolling a big chunk of your polymer clay out to a thickness of about 1/8″ thick.

Next cut your feather (or leaf) shape.  Remove excess clay.

Using either your toothpick or straightened paperclip create your center vein line on the feather from top to bottom.  Then begin making all your feathering lines.  Do that until you get the look you want.

Lastly make a hole with your toothpick or paperclip at the top of the feather for your jump rings.  Bake for 10-15 minutes at 275 degrees on parchment paper.  Watch closely that they don’t burn.

{Note:  My peach clay turned bright orange when baked, so I decided to use a white feather instead.  And unfortunately my toaster oven that I was using is acting up and burned my tips a tiny bit, not too noticeable though.}
 
Polymer-Clay-Feather-Necklace
Once my feathers were cooled I gave them a quick coat of clear nail polish just to give them a nice sheen.  That step is optional, but I think it looks better.

Now you will need to cut a length of chain for your necklace, unless you bought one that is already the length you want.  I cut mine to 36″ since I have big boobs a bigger bust.  Typically it’s about 30″ in length for a nice long necklace.

I then attached my lobster claw clasp to one end of the chain and the large matching jump ring for the clasp to latch on to on the other end of the chain.  I then attached a large jump ring to each feather and closed the jump ring using my pliers.

Polymer-Clay-Feather-Necklace
I then grabbed some coral colored stone beads, I strung them on a head pin with a small seed bead on each end.

I closed the top of the head pin to create the loop for my jump ring, you can see how to do that here.  I also made a small head pin with some natural pearlized stones.

I attached all my charms to a left over toggle clasp piece.  Then I attached the toggle clasp piece to my chain with another jump ring and I was done.

Very easy late night project.  This would be a fun project to make for a girls craft night.

Polymer-Clay-Feather-Necklace
 

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Comments

  1. Just spotted this necklace on Pinterest and I love it. Can’t wait to give it a try. And you used my new favorite color combo, coral and light green. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  9. Just read that the above comment found this through our Pinterest, makes me feel good (: (: (:

    HEY! LOVE this, Rebecca! SO cute!!! You should totally whip 2 more necklaces for your fav twins manana (; Heehee!

    You’re talented, girl! Adore!

    Reply

  20. This is gorgeous! Wonderful shapes and colors, well-done! One note: sometimes clear nail polish can react badly with the plastic in the clay – if your feathers ever get sticky, that’s probably what happened.

    Reply

    • It’s true. I used nail polish when I first discovered poly clay. It made everything sticky.

      Reply

  22. I love this necklace! Can you tell me how big are your jump rings (both large & small)? I can try to make a guess, but I thought it would be easier to ask! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Lucy. The big jump ring on the feather charm is about 8mm but you could probably use a 10mm for best results. The small jump rings I use are usually around 5mm. The large round piece the charms are hanging on is actually part of a toggle clasp. I just use the female ends to hang my charms on necklaces. 🙂 Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Reply

  24. Oh my goodness I LOVE this! I would wear it so many times! I am a pretty amateur crafter and don’t do any jewelry making at all so the chances of me ever making one for myself are less than 0 haha. Any chance you would make and sell one just like this? 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Hannah. I currently don’t sell them, but if for some reason that changes you will be the first person I tell. I’m so glad you like it so much. I promise it really is easy to make. It would be a fun girls night craft. 🙂

      Reply

  25. Hi, i love this necklace and even started to make my own from some left over clay i had, but the feathers seem really big. could you tell me what size are the feathers you made in the picture, so i have some proportion? Thank you!! 🙂

    Reply

  26. Hi, i love this necklace and started making it with some leftover clay i had but the feathers seem to have come out really big. Could you tell me what size yours are so i have some proportion? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Kay. I usually make my larger feathers about 2 – 2.5″ long and about 1 – 1.25″ wide. 🙂 But honestly I’ve made tiny feathers too and I love all the sizes.

      Reply

  27. im working on these for a girls craft day and my feather keep breaking at the hole when I’m trying to get the jump ring through. I’m wondering if that means my jump rings are too small because I’m having suh a difficulty with it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply

    • Hi Lynee. I’m sorry you’re having trouble, let’s see if I can help. I like to use jump rings that are at least 8mm or 10mm for feathers that are about 2″ in length or larger. For small feathers, you can stick with 6mm to 8mm jump rings. How thick is your feather? I like to make mine around 1/8″ thick, this ensures that they will be nice and firm after baking. Let me know if you are still running into problems and we can go from there. 🙂

      Reply

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