the beads of a thousand flowers

Millefiori is a technique that was formally used with glass to make flower designs on beads. This technique has been very successfully adapted to be used with polymer clay.

The basic idea is that you put together long strips of clay in a certain order to form the design, so that it runs all the way through. Then you compact the design and roll it down to make a long thin ‘cane’. If you think about Blackpool Rock you’ll get the idea... This cane can be cut and the slices used for various craft projects.

Personally, I use them to make beads. Over the past few years I've made hundreds of them ;) You can cut a slice off and pierce a hole through to make a disc bead, or you can cut thin slices and stick them onto a ball of clay to make round beads.

The technique is so versatile, and almost any design you can think of can be recreated this way. Some people have come up with some amazing designs! Check out this page for some great free projects you might like to try: Polymer Clay Central cane projects.