1. Put the cat out. Polymer clay attracts dust and fluffy bits more effectively than any vacuum cleaner. Cat hairs can appear from nowhere and embed themselves deep into the clay – even when you haven’t actually got a cat – so it is important to keep your working area and tools scrupulously clean. Nail varnish remover is excellent for this.
2. Cutters are wonderful for cutting out shapes but you need to take care when using them since it is all too easy for the middle of the shape to bulge out when pressing down on the cutter. Once the cake is cooked, you may need to slice the top very carefully to provide a flat surface.
3. If you want graduated squares (or oblongs) for a tiered cake and don’t have the appropriate cutters, try using an omnigrid. This is a special plastic “overgrown ruler” type tool used by quilters for the accurate cutting of material and templates. I have found it works very well for polymer clay – especially when using it with a tissue blade. (See picture).
4. If possible, once you have cut out your shapes, do not lift them from the tile, but bake them first in situ.
5. Don’t be tempted to varnish any of the finished surfaces unless you specifically want something to shine. I have personally found that un-varnished clay makes for very realistic icing.
6. Once you have your basic shapes cooked and assembled, you can decorate your cake to your heart’s content. If using ribbon, you will find the silk variety much more pliable on such small shapes than polyester and they therefore appear to sit more naturally.
7. Remember with polymer clay that so long as you do not over-heat the oven and burn the clay, you can re-bake as many times as you like if you want to keep adding to your cake.
8. Let the cat back in.
