Sour Pickle Necklace from Polymer Clay * Moms and Crafters

Craft this adorable little sour pickle necklace – a sweet little polymer clay pendant tutorial inspired by my daughter’s request! When you’re done, you can learn how to make clay rose earrings too! This post contains affiliate links.

“Mommy, I really want a pickle necklace. A sour pickle necklace! Sour pickles are yummy. They’re not really sour. They’re yum.” is an unconventional request coming from a four-and-a-half year old, but…. challenge accepted!

My kids rarely ask me to make anything – besides for Cricut shirts, that they ask for all the time – and so if my child will present me with the ultimate challenge, how can I say no?

The cool thing about making a polymer clay pickle necklace is that it’s incredibly simple, and you don’t really need to have much experience working with clay to get it to look really good.

I did debate making this from air dry clay – but I wanted to have it done in one session (no drying time.) I will, though, share a basic air dry clay adaptation. If you’re more of an air dry clay person, check out my list of things to make with air drying clay.

One of the coolest things about this beginner polymer clay craft is that it really doesn’t require specialty equipment! It requires just polymer clay and basic hand tools for clay (which can really be improvised with things around the house of the correct shape.) Any clay tool that I recommend in the supplies list can be replaced if you really don’t want to invest in it.

Two ways to make a sour pickle necklace

My original idea was to make a cartoonish pickle necklace, with a “sour face”. And while it did come out quite cute, it’s not perfect (my technique isn’t 100% with working with tiny parts yet) and so I decided to try it again, but in simple. It also feels like not the thing I want my sweet little daughter to wear – and the simple pickle is just so much cuter.

I did include instructions for making both, though. You also have the choice of whether to add the “tail” or not. Again, I REALLY prefer the simple one.

It also lends itself to adding more realistic touches if you’d like, with finishes like chalk pastels. It can be mixed with classier jewelry for a quirky little touch without being overly tacky.

Tips for beginners making this pickle necklace

One of my things I always like to share before approaching a tutorial that I’m not an expert in is: I have a general expertise in crafting. I have done many different craft types in the past, and am at an intermediate level with most.

One of the advantages of teaching from this perspective is the ability to understand what the beginner needs to be taught, rather than what might be thought of as “understood” or a given with a teacher who’s deeper into the journey.

I do my best to do due diligence and not mis-teach anything. However, if you see a bigger expert than me teach something that contradicts my advice (especially since this is mostly about idea sharing, not technique sharing) definitely go with theirs – or at least try both!

However, as someone with a high level of experience in general crafting, there are some tips I can teach from experience here.

Mixing the right colors

I worked with a pack of clay that only had a bright green. While it might be tempting to pick up a pack of a zillion colors, you’re better off getting a high quality clay with fewer colors and mixing up your own. I used DAS Smart air dry clay, and wanted to get a much more muted clay.

This is where color theory comes into play. You can mix in black to get it darker, but it will give you a dull, muddy color. Instead, you mix in a complementary shade to majorly tone down your color. I mixed in too much red, so I pinched off a piece of that and mixed it with a fresh batch of green to get this pickle-perfect shade.

Connecting parts

One rookie mistake when crafting anything with clay is to assume that clay is adhesive and will stick to itself. In reality, you do need to use some sort of liquid clay to connect parts – and usually you’ll want to distress the connection points first. This can be challenging when working with very small pieces.

The basic pickle version of this necklace doesn’t require connecting parts, however the sour face pickle does.

The screw-eye that turns this pickle necklace into a pendant has something to hold it, but it can unscrew. I do recommend baking your clay with it inside, unscrewing it, and gluing it in place after.

Adapting this tutorial for air dry clay

If you want to stick to air dry clay for this, you definitely can! While you can definitely color your plain white air drying clay, you will get a more muted color that way. I recommend simply painting your finished project with craft acrylics!

You will definitely want to seal your project since acrylic paints can chip. You can use polymer clay sealers on air drying clay too.

You’ll also want to avoid very fine parts as air dry clay works better with thicker creations – so skip that tail!

How to make a (sour) pickle necklace

You’ll need

Polymer clay – a deep green or green and red. I used this set from DAS
Basic clay tools – I used this tool set from DAS
An acrylic board
If adding details, liquid clay
Something to bake on (a clay-dedicated baking pan, for example)
A screw eye
A pendant bail
Glue (such as Weldbond or E6000)

Watch the video

Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.

Step by Step Tutorial

1. If you don’t have the right color, mix it up. I added some red to bright green to get this pickle-y green.

As you mix it with your hands, you’re also conditioning it.

2. Take a small piece (about the size of a small olive). Place it on a smooth surface.

3. Use your acrylic board to roll it into a small cylinder. The benefit of using the board for this is that you avoid fingerprints. Avoiding using fingers to shape as much as possible helps to minimize prints.

4. Round off the ends (I did do this part with my hands.)

5. Use the acrylic board to roll very gently a little more on one end, tilting it slightly, to give you that slightly irregular shape.

6. Use your fingers to gently curve it and smooth any creases.

7. If you’d like to add a tail, form a little hole. Create a thin rope, dab a bit of glue into the hole, and insert the tail, using the pick tool to help you.

8. Use the ball tip tool to add texture.

9. If you’d like you can create a face. Make two tiny white balls (mine are too big!) Add them to the pickle using liquid glue. When you press it on, you’ll naturally form two tiny wells for the pupil.

10. Use the pick tool to fill those two tiny holes with two tiny black balls – of course, using liquid clay to connect it.

11. I did mess up a bit with the mouth (I should have taken it off and redone it) but it’s a rope, connected the same way. Use a smoother tool to connect that. The nose is a ball of the same color, formed as I connected it between the eyes. I pressed it in with the pick tool where the nostrils should be.