Shape Cutters

Cookie-Cutter-Style Cutters

Any cookie cutter or similar style of cutter works excellently to cut shapes from sheets of polymer clay. There are a wide variety of sizes and styles of kitchen cutters, including cookie cutters, petit four cutters, canapé cutters, and biscuit cutters. There are also cutters manufactured specifically for use with clay, such as Kemper Pattern Cutter Sets and Makin's Clay Cutters (and sets of cutters). Some of the smaller types of these cutters have plungers that help push out the clay shape.

Around the House

Cookie-cutter-style cutters don't have to be store-bought. Simple shapes-circles in particular-can be cut using things you find around your house. Try things like bottle caps, pen/marker caps, lids and caps from makeup and deodorant containers, and multiple sizes of drinking straws.

Homemade Cutters

There are kits available for those who wish to fashion their own cutters. It is also possible to either convert an existing cookie cutter to a different shape or to purchase metal strips and bend them into the desired shape.

Hole Punches

Hole punches designed for paper crafts (such as scrapbooking) come in a wide array of shapes and sizes. Any of these-as well as old-fashioned circular hole punchers-can be used with thin sheets of polymer clay, either before or after curing.

Stencils and Templates

Shapelets are flexible plastic stencil sheets with cut-out templates in coordinating sets of shapes. To use Shapelets, cut with a craft knife around the stencils or templates through a sheet of clay. It is possible to make your own stencils or templates from thin sheets of plastic or cardboard.