Happy 10th Birthday to the LPCG!

The 28th May was a very special clay day as we celebrated our 10th Birthday. It’s hard to think the group has been going for 10 years. The time has flown as the group has flourished.

As soon as everyone had arrived we started the day welcoming our 5 new members. We welcome anyone from anywhere, not just London! This Sunday we started at the ‘show and tell’ table to see everyone’s recent polymer creations. This is always an interesting and learning part of our clay days as everyone has a few minutes to explain how their piece was made.

Next, we gathered around the demo table as Ruth Winchester demoed the first part of creating a bangle. She began by making the bangle base around a circular metal form she had found at a catering store. While this was baking, we began making our own bangle bases and the steering group prepared the table for the lunch.

As soon as all the bangles were in the oven it was time to light the birthday cake candles. The candle flames were supposed to burn the colour of the candles -but didn’t! We sang ‘Happy Birthday’, cut the cake and had lunch. Following with tradition, the cake was, as always, a creative surprise! It was made by Jude, who was also celebrating her own birthday. Happy Birthday, Jude.

The 10th birthday couldn’t pass by without a group photo to mark the occasion and luckily it was a sunny day so we went outside and Liz, the venue manager, took the photo.

It was then time for Ruth to demonstrate how to create a quick and stylish decorative veneer and apply it to the baked bangle base, ready for the 2nd bake of the process. Throughout Ruth’s 2-part demo there was a lot of discussion on techniques and ways of working. We encourage discussions and sharing of methods and design ideas as we all benefit from our group’s varied skill levels.

During the day we held a brief AGM; the shortest ever! After 10 years as Chair of the Steering Group it was time for me to step down and hand over to Chris Whetstone who has been our secretary. Alison Clark is taking over as secretary from Chris, with other members of the Steering Group remaining the same.

The day was a great success and thank you Ruth for your informative demo, nearly everyone baked a bangle. All that was needed was some sanding to give them that professional look.

LPCG is hosting my Perfume Purse workshop on 15th & 16th July in Croydon where all the polymer is kindly provided by Staedtler. I hope to see you there; there are still a few places

The next clay day is on Sunday 30th July. To book your place, click here.

Here’s hoping that the London Polymer Clay Group will still be hosting clay days and birthday events in another 10 years.

Text and photos Carol Blackburn