Monday 7 September 2015

Hanging in There: DIY Hanging Clay Planters

DIY hanging planters before attempted, and my choice in stuff was not for everyone while I was quite pleased with all the results last time. SO, I am giving it another chance, this time with air dry clay rather. Need to make your own?

It is SUPER easy. You will only need to harken back to all those elementary school clay making for the coil technique we used to finish these small men. Or simply follow along below for the detailed directions.

Stuff

- air dry clay (which you'll be able to find on Amazon)
- toothpicks or wooden skewer
- powerful cord, thin rope, or cording
- water
- knife or clay cutting tool (elective)
- rolling pin (optional)

Directions

 1. Begin by rolling with a ball of air dry clay and roll it out or pat it down with your hand until it is level and around 1/3 of an inch thick. Then cut a circle from the slab that's about 2 inches in diameter. We used a wooden skewer to cut the contour, in case you would like, but you may also make use of a knife or clay cutting tool.

2. Type the stays left over clay back into a ball. Afterward, roll it out with your control to make an extended coil that's a consistent depth.
3. Now, put one end of the coil in addition to the circle slab you created in step 1 and start winding the coil around and about to form the shape of your container/pot. 4. Once thats whole, start crimping together the coils to develop a solid bond and get the surface wet with a little water to smooth in and outside.
5. Once that's finished, you can control the shape a bit to make a more organic shape, with wavy borders ( in case you like that look). Or make use of a wooden skewer or toothpick to make a design that is textured on the surface.

6. Make use of a wooden skewer to poke four holes, equally spaced, toward the very top of the container. Let it air dry for 24 hours and subsequently, set aside. * You might have to flip over the container after the first 24 hours to let the bottom completely dry for another 10-12 hours.

7. Lastly, when the container is completely dry, cord away thin rope through the holes and ties. Then it is prepared to hang.



FYI - This process is a little more simplified than the standard coil system. Rather than winding the coils separately as you go, and attaching them with a crunch, we added water as well as the crimping technique in the ending and attached everything at once. Our condensed version works just as well, but creates a somewhat more rustic appearance. In case you are interested.