Jane Wilhelm-  MDPAG Education Coordinator
Jjewelers2@gmail.com

734-475-4381

Cane Mapping - with Alice Stroppel - Saturday, September 26, 2026, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

This workshop will show you how to make small, unique canes from extruded polymer clay.

You can use these canes to make everything from buttons, beads, and pendants to cane-mapped pieces.  It’s only about the technique used in making the canes, not the finished pieces.

It’s all part of building your cane inventory so that when you are ready to begin a project, you have many canes to choose from. Alice uses lots of extruded cane in the cane mapping pieces.

If you love mosaics, color, and polymer clay, if you love the look of complex canes but simply don’t want to create a giant complex cane, if you love one-of-a-kind pieces, and if you have tons of leftover canes, this is the cane mapping workshop for you!

This is the workshop where you’ll learn the basics by cane mapping this fish portrait and the butterfly above, or designs of your choice. Alice will show you a few unexpected canes and different slices that you can incorporate into your designs.

This is an intermediate class, and having some Skinner blended canes in your stash will make your designs pop.

 At the end of the session, you will have learned how to incorporate what you have learned in your future projects.

1. Canes - both old and new - we’ll make a couple during class  

2. Skinner blend plugs and sheets 

3. Pattern - I’ll provide several but gather your own if you want to. Size to fit your substrate.  

4. Picture glass with the edges covered in clear tape. A small piece of glass from a frame from the dollar store  will do. Depends on the size of your pattern and frame.

5. Deli paper or printer paper 

Optional  

1. Double ended knitting needle - I use size 6 Boye

2. Stiff Blade 

3. New Sharp tissue blade - Important 

4. Small cutter - little round or square one 

5. Exacto knife 

6. Extruder