Close, But No Cigar

Lara's latest Flower Hexalong Panel is a delightful pattern highlighted by her wonderful color choices.   The leaves were cut from iridized teal which matches the teal topmost flower.  The two remaining flowers are burgundy and yellow and all three of these colors can be found in the stunning glass that Lara picked for her top and bottom borders.  Beautiful indeed.

 

 

Lisa's Honey Bee and Honey Comb Suncatcher features a wire work antenna that she did by herself.  Lisa is not one to be afraid to try something completely on her own basically because she's not easily intimidated and also because she always succeeds.   She challenges herself and then makes it all look easy.

 

 

 

Linda L made a slightly larger Beveled USA than the last one we saw.  Both were based around a stock Star bevel but Linda put hooks on hers so that it can be hung in a window rather than used as a lawn ornament.

 

 

 

Helen has another pair of crosses under her belt, one large and one small.   Both feature bevels but the large one has a total of five bevels in it altogether.   Since the smaller one isn't as 'beveled' as the other cross Helen made the smaller one using iridized glass which sparkles wonderfully.

 

Susan D finished three Tulip Lawn Ornaments and a pair of tulip Angels complete with wire work halos.  Everything looks uniformly perfect which is to say that Susan can do no wrong!

 

 

 

With everything all mapped out Steve has begun attaching his flowers to his Copper Frame.  His vines are made from smaller copper tubing that he literally blow torched into position.  The bottom Sunflower was carefully soldered in place using a standard 100 watt soldering iron.  Copper will quickly suck the heat out of any soldering iron so it was slow going but in the end the flower was properly adhered into place.  More flowers will be added when he comes back in.

 

 

 

Linda L started a Candy Corn Panel for one of her frames and she's already just a few scant pieces away from grinding it!   This is obviously another quick project for her.

  

 

 

Ann's Angel is really coming together  now that she's grinding all of her pieces.  She only needs to decide on glass for the halo and then she'll be ready to foil all of the tiny pieces of glass that make this wonderful angel.

 

  

 

 

Sheri has begun grinding all of the tiny black pieces that make up the lettering of her sign window.   She's going to fit the background to the text and to do that she'll grind all of the text and then tack it together BEFORE she grinds her background. The text itself makes up the most important shapes of the window and should therefor be fitted together before anything else.

 

 

 

Cheryl is back and she's already well on her way to a finished a Fleur De Lis Window that she began this week.   All she needs next is a border and that will easily be attached upon her return. 

 

  

 

Melissa finished wrapping her Beach Themed Suncatchers and then foiled them as well.   She's moving quickly and efficiently through these and I just know that we'll see a number of them completed upon her return.

 

 

 

Cindy has but one leaf left to cut out and then she'll move along to tacking it together.  From there she'll cut out her background which should go VERY quickly and easily judging by the size and shapes of the pieces.

 

  

 

With her background all cut out out Martha is ready to move onto the soldering phase of her Oval Humming Bird and Iris Window.  Her colors are impeccable and I'm pretty sure that this is going to be completed before you can say "If fat geese were selling for 10 cents a pound, I couldn’t buy a hummingbird."

 

 

 

Lisa's begun making a Spider Web Corner decoration and got all 20 pieces cut out and ground in just one class.  This project is moving quickly and she's already got her next idea drawn up and ready to begin so keep your eyes peeled because you may very well see this completed and her next project started when we come back next week.

 

 

 

Let has her eight inch Cardinal Window all ground and I have a strong, sneaking suspicion that she may very well come back in with all of the pieces wrapped.  It's hard to say what this will look like when we see it next but I know that I'm on pins and needles!

 

 

 

Judy's Vegetable Window is all cut out (save for the background) and ready to be ground.  If you look closely you'll see pins here and there thorough her window which is a clear giveaway that the grinding process has already begun.  It won't be long now!

  

 

 

It looks like everything is wrapped and that means that June is ready to tack her sailboat scene together and then pick out a border to surround it with.   What a nice tranquil looking window.

 

 

 

Bee took a poll  in class and we all agreed that tacking this together would make working on it a lot easier from here on out.  When you get right down to it that's the way we always do windows--  We tack the center subject matter together and then add the borders to it one at a time.  Although this  happens to have an elaborate border system we're still going to handle it the same way we always would -row by row.

 

  

 

There's the red nose I've been anxiously waiting to see!   And no, Rudolph is not missing a leg, his leg was just being wrapped in copper foil by Susan R who will be finishing off her reindeer collection in about two more weeks when this is completed.

 

  

 

Every single piece of glass has been cut, ground and attached to Kerry's Cabin in the Bayou Window and just wait until you see that final border with some light behind it.  It contains almost every shade and hue of color that has already been used in the window which makes it a perfect fit!

 

  

 

Remember to come back next week-- don't be a stranger!

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

 

How About Four Inches Twice And A Brick

Barbara worked on her Rooster Window long and hard which resulted in this extraordinarily colorful and complex window.   It's a beautiful piece that she took her time on without ever selling herself short by saying, "That's close enough".  Attention to detail always pays off in the end.   Cock-a-doodle-do!

 

 

Lisa's Sunflower Window is another example of someone who wasn't intimidated by the number of small pieces and the intricacy  of the pattern.  This lovely Sunflower was obviously something she really wanted to do because she got through it in record time all the while following the lines that the pattern dictated perfectly.

 

 

 

Traditional windows like this Fruit Bowl are a staple in the stained glass domain.   Linda F used a less common color scheme and ended up with an absolutely gorgeous window.  I can't find any flaws here and her soldering was spot on!  And yes, I love the overall teal theme with a hint of amber.

 

 

 

Sheri's Pelican is actually a really large suncatcher.  Since she didn't want to turn this into a window we fixed the stability issue by by adding a circle of glass behind the bird which keeps the neck and the wings from flexing loose since they are basically hinge points.   I must say that the end result is rock solid and perfection.

 

  

 

 

Let's Cross design had done more than turn heads-- it's begun a new Cross Craze!  Students wanted the pattern before this was even completed and now that it is complete everyone is going to be trying to make theirs just as beautifully as Let made hers.

 

 

 

Shelley's Butterfly Suncatcher was started in class and finished at her home just in time for it to be displayed at her friend Marianna's Memorial Service.   This is truly a moving tribute to the life of someone that Shelley admired ever so much and will miss forever.

 

 

Cindy had a mission and even though her window has just been begun I can say that her mission has already been accomplished.  She wanted to be able to take a picture and turn it into a stained glass pattern and that's exactly what she did using the instructions I'd given her on resizing and then printing out an image using her computer.  Her Alligator pattern is wonderful and as a window it's even going to be even much more so!  

  

 

Ann is leaving crosses behind (for now) and has moved along to this Angel carrying a heart in her hand.   Don't let the picture fool you though because this is a small pattern with a LOT of tiny pieces in which Ann will have no problem with.

 

 

 

MiMi has two large Suncatchers under way and has made mucho progress on both of them.  As nice as the owl is I feel that the colors that MiMi picked for her Unicorn are MARVELOUS!  It reminds me of bubble gum and ice cream all at once!

 

  

 

 

Let has a new Cardinal Pattern in the works here and like Ann's Angel this is no where near as big as you might think when you first look at it.  The pattern itself fits on a standard piece of paper which means that the entire cardinal scene is less than 8.5 inches in diameter and that translates into a lot of tiny pieces!

 

  

 

 

Our Tiger Eye LSU pattern is certainly getting a run for its money as Angie has begun her own version of it.   The pattern itself may be the same as it ever was but it's the choice of colors that makes windows look so different from one another.  I love when someone decides that they want to do something distinctive and Angie is doing just that in the best possible way.

 

  

 

Never let it be said that Judy doesn't accomplish a ton of work in her three hours of class time.  She's got a veritable Vegetable Garden going on here in the span of just two brief weeks.  There's just a few pieces of background glass left to cut out and then she'll be able to move on over to the grinder.   Don't you love her carrots?

 

 

 

Sheri also worked on her Stained Glass Sign and her background is quickly nearing completion.  That means that letters will be coming up next which will be cut from black glass.  They have been written out in script rather than print so the grinding process will be essential to the neatness of the text.  Slow and steady wins the race.

 

  

 

Bee found a perfect piece of glass for her Hibiscus Flower's pistil in a heavily textured piece of yellow glass that perfectly matches the colors that she's already used for the petals and the leaves.   Did you know that the hibiscus has both male and female reproductive parts?  Neither did I until I looked up the word 'pistil'-  and now you do as well! 

 

  

I called this a Solar System last week but now that it's nearing completion I can see that I was completely wrong!   This week Steve got his copper pipe framework constructed and soldered together after which he laid out the pieces of glass that he'd already cut and then added glass globs to the mix.  Once that was done it was c;early evident that these aren't planets, they're actually colorful flowers!  This is really going to be something else when it's completed.

  

 

 

Lara's latest Bracketed Flowers Panel is all cut, ground and ready for foil!  I love both the design and her choice of colors equally.  I just wish I could already see it hanging with some light behind it but that anticipation is what will bring us all back next week!

 

  

 

 

And Lisa's already got her next project all cut out and mostly ground.  Her Bumblebee and Honeycomb Suncatcher will be completed before you can say 'Bzzzzzzzzzzz'!

 

 

 

With the first of two borders attached, and his fill in pieces all filled in, Kerry will soon cut the pieces for the final border of his Cabin In The Bayou Window.  He's going to finish it all off with a dark brown glass to make it look like a frame and everyone agreed that was the best choice for this particular color scheme.  The end is near.

  

 

 

Flower Angels and Angel Tulips are what Suzy D has been working on and these five delightful Ornaments will soon learn exactly how they will be oriented for display purposes when she next returns.  I think that perhaps the flowers out number the tulips three to two.

 

  

 

 

Susan R is working on her last reindeer Lawn Ornament and this one will be Rudolph so expect a red nose to show up when you see this again.  I hate to say it but Christmas is actually closer than you think!

  

 

 

 

Everybody loves Cardinals and Linda F is no exception as she's begun cutting out one of the cardinal patterns that  requires wire work to finish it off.  She has the red already cut out which means that it won't belong now.

 

Lastly, June took off with her window before I managed to snap a picture of it but it was very close to being completely wrapped in copper foil.  I'll bet that when we see it next a border will be cut, ground and even possibly attached to her Sailboat Window.

 

And that's the way the croissant crumbled this week.

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

I Wouldn't If I Were You

MiMi's Solar System is a collection of planets made from meticulous cutting and grinding.  It's not that often you see such beautifully curved circles created in glass.  The Sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy.  And for this window to shine!

 

 

 

Angie finished her Coca Cola Window in record time and the end result is spectacular.  There was a lot of heavy grinding in this and although the letters are large they are still letters which demand much more attention than other shapes.  The logo is instantly recognizable and that's a sure sign of superior work.

 

 

 

This may very well be my favorite Sunflower Window (so far).  Cindy picked a border that I would never have thought to chose and the end result is certainly lovely.  I won't be forgetting this color combination any time soon, that's for sure.  It's nothing short of refreshing!

 

 

Next we have an incredibly colorful flower which could be a Sunflower or perhaps just a random flower that features bold and beautiful multi-colored petals.  Whatever it may be it is sure to gather attention as does each of Lara's stained glass pieces!

 

 

 

The first of our Beveled Star USA Lawn Ornaments has been completed.  Susan R's is a tad smaller than the one that you'll see a little later on down in this post but only by about 3 or 4 inches in width.  I have to say that it turned out to be stunningly patriotic, but that was to be expected

 

 

 

Helen made a Traditional Tulip Panel which is altogether charming.  There's a rustic old style feel to this pattern  and Helen created it with absolutely perfect colors.  Each week she gets better and better at this and it surely shows in her work.

  

 

 

Here's yet another example of a 'primitive' stained glass design.  Ann also has a flair for colors that represent a bygone time and her Antiquated Cross looks wonderful!

 

 

Linda L has been busy producing Butterfly Rain Gauges with this one being the latest of what will become a large collection.   Although she's moving along to something else next I know we'll be seeing more of these in the weeks and months to come.

 

 

Bee's Hibiscus Window got its background cut out (it's hard to see but its really there) as well as some of the leaves also.   The glass she picked for her leaves goes perfectly with the glass that she used in the flower (both are cathedrals) and once this if off of the table and it has some light behind it you will be able to see just what a perfect fit these two glasses are for each other.

 

 

 

Lara loved her 'Bracketed' Flower Window so much she's decided to make another.  She's actually picked a lovely piece of glass for the top and bottom border sections first and is now carefully choosing glass that will match the border for the flowers and the leaves.   Careful planning like this always pays off in the end.

 

 

 

Well now, check out Steve who's working on a solar system of his own!  His LARGE Lawn Ornament will be surrounded and mounted within  a 1/2 inch copper pipe frame that he's painstakingly bent into shape.  Steve is blinding me with science and his artist skills!

 

 

Here's that second Star Beveled USA Lawn Ornament that I told you about earlier on.  Linda L is making this one and she's already gotten it cut out and ground.   Linda can make anything look simple even when it's decidedly not!

  

 

Let found a pattern for a cross online and wanted to incorporate some bevels in it.  We made some angular adjustments here and there and then dropped 2 lines to make the finished piece more sturdy and here's what she ended up with.   I believe I heard her say that she's actually going to make this a window so it will next get four pieces of background glass attached to it and then a border or two to finish it all off.  

 

 

 

Melissa now has five of her six beach themed Suncatchers all ground and ready to be foiled.   I doubt that the sixth will take her long at all  which means that these will be completed before you know it.   Oh, and by the way, the Nautilus Suncatcher will have some wire work attached to it once it's all soldered.  That's what we like to call 'extra attention to detail'.

  

 

 

Lisa has her Sunflower Window just about completed and I must say that this one is equally as impressive as Cindy's is!  There are a lot of tiny pieces in this and Lisa has been working well into the wee hours of the morning on it.  She's agonized over the border glass for it but as it stands now I know we have a winner because you can never go wrong with Fractures and Streamers.   She be adding a second border to this depending on what colors she can find at homeand we'll see how that works out when Lisa walks back in the door next week.

 

 

With the front side of her Traditional Fruit Bowl Window completely soldered and just about all of the back side finished I can safely say that this will be one of our finished windows in our next post.   Linda F's soldering is wonderful  so there won't be much to touch up, that's for sure! A few quick solder lines here and there and then a bath will finish this up in no time at all.

 

 

 

Shelley began this purple Butterfly when she walked in the door and she came oh so very close to completing it.  This is a memorial piece for a friend of hers that just passed and I'm happy to say that Shelley did have it completed in time for the Memorial Service.  I'll show you a picture of it in its finished state in our next post.

 

  

 

 

After the purple butterfly comes the purple Iris and Humming Bird that Martha has been busily working on.  She has already got this sucker ground and is now ready to foil it and tack it together.  Once that's done she'll get to decide if she wants to put some background glass in this or is she wants to just leave the center opened since it can actually go either way.

 

 

 

Mary Grace has just three pieces to re-cut on this center logo section for her Health, Wellness and Houma Window but she won't do that until the rest of it is all tacked together.   Currently she's wrapping her pieces and soon enough she'll be able to tack and then assemble this monster of a window!

  

 

 

Sheri's Pelican now has all of its glass cut, ground and tacked into position.  She's begun the soldering process and has the front side nearly completed which means that this could very well be finished when we see it next week

 

  

 

 

With less than 10 piece left to cut on his Cabin In The Bayou Window Kerry is now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.   Expect to see some border work happening when we next see this again because there isn't all that much left to do for the center part of this.

  

 

 

Hold on to your horses because this next pattern is a doozy!  Annette enjoyed working on her Angels Window so much that she's decided it's time to start something else that's challenging which she can work on a little bit at a time.  This New Orleans Window is perfect in every aspect.  Annette plans to just take it a little at a time and not worry about rushing.   She's picked out a lot of the glass that she plans to use but will also be working on this at home for the most part.  As I always say, slow and steady wins the race as long as you're steady at it.

 

 

And there ya go.  Another busy week in the shop covered in full.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks