Camino Crafts - pin badges

Firstly this is the first post I'm going to have written from my 'phone so if this doesn't go quite right then please bear with me!

Hopefully you've already seen my embroidered badges and read me complain about how difficult they are to do. Pin badges are easier (and I love collecting them almost as much as I do sellos)! I decided to do badges on the 'STOP' signs that people paint to say 'Don't stop walking!'

The badges I bought from my local bead shop for about 20p each
 I already had red polymer clay. Then I used some letter stamps, an old knife and white paint (acryl paint for model maling) and finally some vernish (furniture varnish because I have that in).

Firstly I softened the clay by working it in my hands.

My gathered materials.

Next I worked the clay into a square from which I cut off the cormers to form a hexagon

I used my fingers to soften the edges of the hexagon and then attached the pin part of the badge to the rear of the hexagon - I pished Iit intp the clay and then smoothed some exra clay into the area. Later I'll also use some glue to secure it in place


Then I stamped the word 'STOP' into the front of the hexagon.

Next was putting the badges in the oven - this clay says 130degrees C for 30mins but check your own instructions.  Then I waited for them to cool before painting

Once they were out of the oven I paIinted over the 'STOP' and then around the edges and free-hand wrote 'dont' and 'walking'. I put them on a cardboard tube while they dried and then varnished them (as these are meant to go on bags and it always rains on Camino!).

Make sure you varnish the front and the back and do your varnishing Somewhere well ventilated.

 

Once the front was dry I then wrote on the back of each 'Camino Portuguese- Porto to Santiago - 2014'. Then I varnished the back and, once this was dry gave the front an extra coat of varnish.

The finished badge!

I hope that this gives you some ideas for making some badges of your own - I'd love to hear about any you make!

I thought that that would be the of these badges but when I gave Becky hers she suggestedt that I make some for our Camino friends Iin Canada and some to give out on our Camino this time. I used ordinary badge backs this time as you do not need your clay to be so thick - they cost 12p each. I also made some with holes Iin so that jump rings could be attached and the sihns could later be made into necklaces or keyrings.

I made the hole with a pencil - push the lead through and widen the hole i

 ifif necessary.

I made 25 signs and could have made another 4-6 from the 57g block of clay. Here they are just out of the oven. I painted and varnished them as above and then glued the badge back on.

If you don't want to make a hole in your Stop sign you can use one of these - it costs about 70p (I just can't remember what they're called!).