FIMO is the oldest name in polymer clay. It goes back to 1939 in Germany — the name comes from Fifi Rehbinder, the dollmaker’s daughter who developed it — and Staedtler still makes it in Germany today.

FIMO Leather-Effect is not a variant of the other FIMO clays — it is its own material, and there is nothing else quite like it on the shelf. It bakes to something that stays bendable — you can cut it, punch it, emboss it, and sew it on a machine with a leather needle, none of which ordinary polymer clay will tolerate. Out of the pack it carries a fine fibrous texture that reads as grain, and impression sheets press into it convincingly.

Good for: earrings and cuffs, key fobs, bookmarks, journal and notebook covers, tags and applique — flat, sheeted work where the flexibility is the whole point.

Worth knowing before you buy. The same fibres that give it its grain mean it does not blend smoothly or slice cleanly, so caning, mokume gane and mirror-crisp edges are not what this clay is for — use FIMO Professional for those. Mixing Leather-Effect into other FIMO types reduces the flexibility that makes it worth having, so it is best worked on its own.

Baking. FIMO cures at 230°F (110°C) for 30 minutes. That is considerably cooler than Sculpey, so if you have been baking Sculpey, do not carry the same oven setting over — too hot and FIMO scorches and darkens. Thicker pieces are happy with longer at the right temperature; there is no penalty for extra time. Most home ovens run well off their dial, so an oven thermometer is the single most useful thing you can add to your setup, and underbaking is the usual reason a finished piece turns out weak.

Specification. 2 oz (57 g) bar. Staedtler item 8019-369. Cures at 230°F (110°C) for 30 minutes.

Staedtler’s own page for FIMO Leather-Effect · Ginger Davis Allman’s polymer clay brand comparison at The Blue Bottle Tree