Think back to art class during your elementary school years. For many of us, the first time we were introduced to working with clay it was by way of making a pinch pot. It wasn’t the most perfect looking home accessory, but the pinch-and-turn approach to making something with clay is what tends to get most young craft-lovers hooked on the medium! If your child hasn’t tried their hand at a pinch pot yet, here’s an activity that will do just the thing. By making a mini pinched Easter basket, they’ll be ready for a certain well-known bunny’s arrival, too.
Materials
- Premo! Sculpey oven-bake clay
- Plastic butter knife
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Wax paper
- Painter’s tape
- Chopstick
- Pipe cleaner
- Decorations (your choice)
Instructions
Start out by preparing a clean work surface for your child. Modeling clay can sometimes pick up the finest pieces of dust and dirt, so taping a piece of wax paper down to a table is a great way to ensure a clean place to work.
To start working on the basket, cut off about a 2-inch piece of the Premo clay. There are a LOT of fun colors to choose from when making your basket. We picked black so that it was easy to see.
Condition the clay so that it can be ready to use. To do this, roll the clay back and forth, either between your hands on the table. Do this until you feel the clay becoming softer and easier to work with. Once it feels conditioned enough, roll it into a ball.
It’s time to start pinching! Start in the center with two thumbs to create a well in the middle of the ball. Work your way around that well, pinching and shaping as you go to start create a pot-like shape.
As you continue to pinch around the pot, press the sides into a rectangle shape to create a shallow basket. Create corners by pinching two bowl sides together.
Once the desired shape and style of your basket has been achieved, add a hole on opposite sides so that a handle can be added after the piece is baked. Use a chopstick or stylus to carefully create a hole big enough to thread the pipe cleaner through.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the basket on it. Follow Sculpey’s baking instructions to “fire” your basket. Let it cool completely once it’s done baking.
Get ready to decorate your mini basket! Mini pom-poms look great glued to the outside of the basket. You could also add glitter paint to create polka dots, too. One pipe cleaner is all you need to create a basket handle. Simple thread one end through the side hole and twist together. Repeat on the other side. Add Easter basket grass or crinkled paper to create filler. Top it off with a small treat or toy, like the two vintage bunnies we put in ours.
