Monday, May 20, 2019

Shoot That Poison Arrow Through My Heart!

Pins.   They are a major part of the grinding process and if you think you don't need to use them you are surely wrong.   If anything shifts or changes positions in the very least then all that you've accomplished has changed as well, meaning that things no longer fit.   It's hard to make people understand how important using pins are but just look how many are being used below.  Later on you'll see just how perfectly this window fits together.

So, yeah, pins-- if you're not using a lot of them while grinding then you're fighting an unwinnable battle!



Our first completed project is easily one of the most colorful windows we've ever seen!  Shawn's Flowers And Leaves window is her first project with us although you'd never know that by the quality of the work that Shawn demonstrated all throughout the creation process.  Even the flower centers scream, "Look at me!"



Cindy's Faux Mosaic Birds Window is now officially complete and the end result is stunning.  I love the mixed medium and feel the need to state that this was much harder to make then an actual mosaic piece because all of those pieces had to be ground and wrapped.  I love this!



Jan put the sides on her box bottom and then hinged the top that she made two weeks ago to it.  The end result is a beautiful Wedding Box that the happy  couple will have forever.  If it's stunningly stylish, then it's probably been made by Jan!



Carol's Lady In The Rain was also finished this week and her color scheme is completely different from what I did but equally as stunning.  She even got the super difficult, super small piece of clear glass between the shoes to fit perfectly and even more importantly, NOT cover with solder.   That's dedication, devotion, turning all the night time into the day!

  


Shelley completed her American Flag/Peace Sign Window and ended up using stickers for the stars.  Circle windows can be very difficult but as you can see Shelley had no problem at all with this one.

  


Cindy also completed these two beautiful suncatchers.  Her Cross and her Abstract Hanging piece look fantastic and she was able to make them with astounding speed.



Jeanne and Kerry's son, Liam, came in this week to see exactly what it is that his parents do each week while in class.  Rather than just showing up as an observer Liam decided that he'd like to make a butterfly so he could understand the basics of stained glass.  Below is the butterfly that he made almost effortlessly.  Yep, he's a natural.





Jeanne L's Flower Window is looking FABULOUS!  Look how perfectly her flower petals fit together.  Next she'll foil her pieces, tack them together, and then trace the completed flowers on top of a circle that she'll have ground to size.   Her stems will be ground a little thicker than the rest of the lead lines to make them stand out as stems.   This work is wonderful.

 


Carol also worked on her version of the popular Eucharist Window and she has it almost completed.   She's already got the front side soldered so you know that she'll have this one ready for its close up when she comes back in next week.  I loved how she worried about how the small points that ended up getting covered by channel looked-- her attention to detail is what makes her windows look so great.



MiMi saw this Ship In A Bottle pattern and knew immediately that she had to do one-- quickly!   She got it all cut out while in class and knowing her she'll have this completed before you know it.

  


Kerry is making two Arrow Windows which are very similar indeed.  The basic arrows are identical save for the color and patterns of the fletchings that stabilize the arrow while in flight.  Once the arrows are completed Kerry will cut the background glass from one correctly sized piece of glass (for each arrow, of course).

  


Patrice started her new window which is a stained glass rendition of a Clementine Hunter painting. You can already see the wash hanging out on the line with just the few pieces that Patrice has cut already. 

 


Now that Jan completed her wedding box she's able to resume work on her Jessie Tree Window.   I'm not 100% certain but I think that everything is now wrapped in foil which means that she'll be tacking this together upon her return.



Rowena started cutting out an LSU Window this week and has already begun grinding it.   This window has an interesting border because the top and bottom have three borders while the left and right sides only have two.  That's only because of the way the background glass plays out but it makes things easier because the strip cutter can be used.



All of those pins that you saw at the start of this post came from Martha's Tulip Window.   Yes, she has a LOT of pins holding this together but just look at how beautifully everything lines up!   Martha is ready to begin wrapping her pieces now and then she'll fill in between the Tulips with clear glass to give this window some extra stability.



Now that Jeanne M has her three borders cut for her Virgin Mary you can see what a statement a border can make.   Jeanne wanted a window that looked like it came from a church and this border design really makes it look that way.   Wait until you see this lit up.


 
Susan R's Garden Gnome is almost completely ground save for the eyes and lips.   She'll be cutting those pieces once this is wrapped and tacked to ensure that he face of this little creature doesn't get distorted.  I've found that this is the BEST way to handle faces.

  


Becky S is grinding away on the top portion of her Egret Window.  There are only a few pieces of the tree left to go and then she'll move along to the actual feathers of the Egret.   It's all coming together now!



There are only a few pieces left for Annette to grind on her Pair of Cardinal's Window and then she'll be able to relax a bit and sit down to begin foiling all of her pieces.  Whether you're good at foiling or not it's always a nice relaxing experience, especially after the arduous task of grinding!



With her zinc channel attached, the front side soldered, and the back side just about completely soldered, Linda L is going to be wrapping up her latest Mickey Mouse Window before you know it. Happy Halloween!




Angie's third Address Window got its borders attached as well as a nice sturdy zinc channel.  Then she even soldered the front side of it!  This is the last of her 'number' windows and I think she's ready to move onto something a little different now.



Mary Grace wrapped the last of her pieces this week and will begin tacking this Flower Window together when she comes back in.   Once that's done she'll re-cut a few pieces that came up a tad bit short and then prep for a border or two on this window.

 

Melissa's flipped her La Pieta over and has now begun soldering the second side of  her stained glass masterpiece.   The end is near and Melissa already has her next project drawn up and ready to go.



Tracey only has the tree left to cut out for her latest Cardinal Window but since she didn't have glass that she liked she moved along to the grinding process.   With a little luck the brown she wants to use for this will be in upon her return next week.  If not she can always continue grinding



And lastly, Tasha's Buxom Wine Ladies have been completely tacked together and the front side has be soldered which means that this window could very well be completed upon her return.  I'll be looking forward to seeing this one hanging up with some light behind it.


And that's what happened last week during our classes!

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

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