Making the Blue Trillium Vase

This next vase is only 3 1/2" tall and will be embellished with spotted blue trilliums. I began by making a blend of several blues and black.

A stack of three black circles and one blue is packed into the extruder and extruded - this extrusion will form the spots in the petal cane.

Laying the extrusions on the blend and rolling up.

After rolling up the blend, I cut it into three equal pieces and arrange them side by side - and now you have the finished petal cane.

Shaping the trillium petals. Using an upholstery needle, I score along the black lines of the cane slices. These score lines cause the petal to fold on the sides rather than the middle when pinched.

The trilliums. These have been pre-baked and are ready for the vase.

The vase is covered in a layer of dark blue pearl clay. Then I add the filigree designs - curls and dots of black extruded clay. Next I prick the surface with a large upholstery needle. And finally using a bit of liquid clay, I put the trilliums in place. And lastly I place all the tiny dots around the rim.

And here it is baked and finished.