Uniquely Yours,                               Fine Polymer Clay Designs by Ulrike Schäfer

Featuring Intricate, Unique One-of-a-Kind Polymer Clay Jewelry, Polymer Clay Eggs, Barrettes and Pins

Millefiori is the name of the technique I use to create my fine, detailed pattern.  It is an Italian word and means “Thousand Flowers”.

Beads which must have been created using the exact same technique were found as early as 800 - 1000 AD in places as far away as Mesopotamia and Egypt. 

In the 19th century this technique was made popular in Venice, Italy, to make glass beads.  (As a matter of fact, the sailors in those days used these  glass beads as a currency to barter or to pay harbor entry fees.) If you are interested in this aspect of beads, please consider reading the excellent book “The History of Beads” by Lois Sherr Dubin. It covers about 40,000 years of bead history, from Neolithic times to the present.

And here is a brief description of the technique for use with Polymer Clay:  Basically, you start out creating your pattern on a larger scale, then reduce it by applying pressure or by pulling it.  Then you can either add to it or cut it into pieces and re-assemble those. This process can be repeated numerous times.  However, the key is to maintain the clarity of the image and to avoid too much distortion.

Detailed instructions with images can be found in any of the books recommended in the “Resources” section of this site.

   © All Designs 1994 - 2008 Copyright Ulrike Schäfer          Reproduction of any of these designs is a violation of Copyright Law!

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   Site last updated: April 28, 2008    Contact: ulrike@finepolymerclaydesigns.com