It's Semi-Permeable But Non-Osmotic

Although Christmas 2023 has come and gone this post reveals what happened in our classes that ended just a few days before Christmas (Yeah, I'm a little late posting this).  With that said let's see what we have.

Lara came in with a Christmas Tree Cookie Suncatcher idea based on (of all things) a picture of a Christmas Cookie.  It was easy enough to draw up instantly and by the time class was over with she had handily completed it.  How sweet it is!

 

 

Let completed her large American Heart Suncatcher and even though the star isn't made of bevels as she had originally hoped for it to be, her finished work looks perfectly patriotic and lacking nothing.   You've got to love her smooth outside perimeter edge .  All of her pieces line up perfectly to form a perfectly seamless heart without any jagged edges at all.

 

 

 

Susan D made a Christmas Sleigh of her own and used Van Gogh glass for the runners under the sleigh.  It's a great effect which anchors onto the sled in a very sturdy manor due to the curved right end reaching upward and connecting onto the front of the sleigh.  Without that connection the runners would easily bend off.  Hinge points can be hard to counter but this pattern provides a simple solution to a common problem.  As she was leaving Susan told me that she would be adding some wire work to further accessorize her sleigh when she got home.

 

Cindy is wowing everyone with her patternless Bowl that she finished this week.  It's an exercise in randomness that initially appears hard to execute, but in reality it's not THAT difficult at all.  In fact, Cindy makes it look downright easy as you can see by the picture of her newest Bowl here.

 

 

 

Linda L finished her second Hanging Planter and did all of the wire work by herself.   When it comes to plants the placement of the wires are determined by a simple formula:  If you can see the center of the top of the leaf a wire should come out from that center and curve upward to the top of the planter.  How it curves, well, there's really no right or wrong to it!

 

 

 

 

Betty said she planned on having a nice quiet Christmas Class without worrying about getting anything accomplished.  That said, she still managed to complete a pair of Silverware Dragonfly Suncatchers.   And these weren't the only ones done this week as you will see when you scroll down to our next picture.

Here we have Susan D's variation of the Silverware Dragonfly Suncatcher.   She also made a pair of them but used an iridized textured glass for the wings and a complete spoon for the body and tail.  It's simple to see that she's become very skilled at soldering the wings to the bowl of the spoon without creating a soldery mess!

 

Linda L is making something that we have yet to see created in any of our classes.  This is going to be a standing 3D Table Clock complete with an inscription panel.   And yes, it will keep time!  Clock movements are actually readily available-- they run on a single AA battery and the movement hides within its stained glass surroundings.  I can't wait to get a picture of this when it is completed.

  

 

Susan R is making another Squirrel Rain Gauge but she has cutt down the size of the tail this time around.  She's already got all of the glass cut out and has even moved on to grinding her pieces.  The second time you make a project it always goes quicker than the first time and this Squirrel is proving to be no exception.

 

 

 

Cindy is making another one of those patterns that strikes dread into most of our other students heart- myself included.  These multi-colored Birds On A Wire are incredibly cost efficient to make because you can use up a lot of scrap to make them but all of those tiny eyes are a pain to cut and grind and even wrap.  Unless, of course, you're Cindy who actually enjoys working with small pieces!

 

  

 

 

Let must have Hearts on her mind because she not only completed her American Heart, she also began a Sunset Heart.   She's been choosing her colors carefully and is already grinding her pieces for a nice perfect fit.  I'm expecting to see this completed upon her return because she loves to work at home throughout the week and in this case she's going to have not one but two weeks of free time in between classes due to our having no classes between Christmas and New Years.   That's a lot of free time that I'm sure Let will fill with stained glass work at home.

 

  

 

 

Linda F's Snowman in a Snow Globe was completely ground well before class was over with so she began wrapping her pieces in copper foil.  With more than half of it foiled I'm sure that this Frosty will be skating out the door very, very soon.

 

  

 

 

Kerry almost finished his Arrow Window that he began making last week for the Boy Scouts.   In this class he tacked his arrow together, cut his background glass, ground it, and tacked it to the arrow.  But that's not all.   He also cut his border got it attached and then soldered the entire window.   The only thing left to do is touch up the soldering a bit here and there afterwhich he'll move along to his next project.

 

  

 

 

As you can clearly see, Lisa is making excellent progress on her Texas Window.  She has even more blue bonnets cut out and once that last bunch of bonnets is cut and ground she'll be breezing along nice and easy through the rest of this window.

  

 

Melissa's Gingerbread House is nearing completion as she got all of her pieces ground while in class.   The chimney, the windows and the ginger bread man still have some cuts to be made within them but Melissa will do that after the rest of this has been wrapped and tacked together.  The windows and the ginger bread man actually wouldn't be that hard to cut out in their individual pieces but cutting them as a larger single piece that can be more easily ground to fit into their respective positions and then cutting them down into their smaller pieces is going to make things (especially the chimney) so much easier and quicker.

 

 

 

Although this panel in Steve's Southern Belle Window looks pretty dark it's going to provide incredible contrast with the woman's almost white dress and beautiful red hair.  Like anything else that is made here in our shop, this project will take shape more and more with each additional panel that Steve makes.

 

  

 

Nope, this isn't a re-post mistake.  Susan D is already hard at work making a second Santa Sleight that looks very much like her first one which we saw completed earlier on in this post.   She also made that pair of Dragonflies so I guess that making two of the same item is becoming Susan's  new 'thing'.

  

 

 

I have got to hand it to Cheryl because she did a ton of brilliant work on her Address Window this past week.   Her numbers have been ground to perfection and the fitting of her intricate Fleur De Lis is just downright impressive.  She also got her numbers wrapped in copper foil so after she foils her FDL this will be be ready to get a background cut out for it.

 

  

 

And here we have Bee's Front Door Insert which has all been tacked together save for the second to last border.  That will only take a minute or two to tack after which she'll get her final border cut and ground.   This window is almost a done deal.

 

  

 

And with her final border cut, ground and more than halfway wrapped, June will be ready to begin soldering her Razorback Window when she comes back in.  Her multicolored border works so well with this design because she's used the same two colors throughout the window thus keeping the palette small and simple.  This is yet another project that will be finished before you know it.

  

 

Judy's Marshmallow Roasting Bears has all been ground save for three small fill in pieces that will be easier cut after this has been tacked together.   Judy will need to wrap all of her pieces first but that never takes her long to accomplish so perhaps we'll see some border strips for this when she comes back in.

 

 

Martha's Turtle certainly looks as though it's ready to swim on out the door! With everything attached and some of the soldering completed on the front side I would be VERY surprised if she didn't complete this when she comes back in.   I know  that won't happen until next year but it's even closer than you think!

  

 

 

Betty is making a Celtic Knot Cross and will NOT be making the same mistake that I did when I made a dozen of these a few years ago.   Only nine of mine survived because of how thin some of the glass was, especially in the pair of bottom (longer) pieces.   To stop this Cross from breaking so easily Betty will fill the elliptical openings with clear window glass to provide some much needed strength to this design.  By using an non-textured class the cross will still appear to have empty spaces throughout it which is exactly what a Celtic pattern needs.

 

 

 

And to wrap things up we're showing you the pattern that Sheri is about to begin when she comes back in.  This will be made almost completely out of clear textures.   Sheri is carefully choosing three different textures with densities that contrast strongly against each another.   However, she'll also add a small spot of color in  the center of each flower to give it some punch!

 

  

 

 

And believe it or not- this is our last post for 2023.  Everyone have a Happy New Year and we'll see you again in 2024!

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

And Then She Died?

Susan D's Peacock Window is an almost perfect match for the first one that she made way back in 2018.  In fact, you have to look very hard to find any differences at all.  Although they now work together as a pair, this peacock will certainly impress anyone all on its own.  And for the record, it's Susan's own design.  :-)

 

 

 

Sheri's Poppy Suncatcher was fitted with a 10" hoop which gives this piece strength without having to place it inside a background glass which would have cluttered it up with lead lines to make the cuts possible.   Some people would find it hard to believe that she shaded her flowers from just one piece of glass, but not our regular readers who know that we know all the tricks of the trade here.

 

 

Angie completed her final piece of the year and the dark rich background blue that she used makes this a favorite piece in my book.   Sadly, I do believe that this may very well be the last Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus that we see until Christmas of next year.

 

 

 

 

Now check out these adorable birds that MiMi made. This bright, beautiful pair have each been accessorized with delicately curved wire and a (firmly) attached green leaf.  Stunning!

 

 

 

 

Speaking of pairs of things, up next we look at Susan R's large Christmas Ornaments.  She used iridised glass for the ribbons and if you look closely you can see shades of pinks, green, and blues that run throughout the white glass.   Although florescent lighting doesn't do justice to the beauty of the iridized white glass that Susan used, these Ornaments are still stunning to look at-- either in a picture or in person.

 

 

 

 

Let completed her Dog Paw Heart and there is no doubt as to what it is.  She followed the pattern perfectly and her heart is neither broken nor misshapen. It's just perfect all around.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Bingle has taken flight!  Mary Grace even went the extra mile and left two small holes around the neck so that she could tie a ribbon and a bell of good ol' Mr. B!  If you're from New Orleans this guy needs no introduction but if you're not then all you need to know is that he became the mascot of the Maison Blanche department store in New Orleans during Christmas. 

 

 

 

 Cindy's latest Wrought Iron Cross was made with a deep rich purple glass that was hard to photograph  without having actual sunlight behind it.  Seeing how much time and effort Cindy put into it I couldn't let her down and I think I know how to get decent pictures of dark glass now.

 

 

Our next Cross was made by Jeannette  and features a nice deep blue glass (again, my favorite color).  The accent pieces on the bottom of the cross compliment the white dove as well as the deep blue perfectly!

 

 

 

Jan was back and got a multitude of pieces cut for her Pelican Window.  In fact, she got ALL of the pieces cut out and then moved on over to the grinder to fit each of those pieces together perfectly.  Beautiful glass choices are going to make this window a standout in Jan's stained glass portfolio.

 

 

 

Mary Grace Started a modern rendition of Mother Mary and Baby Jesus.   She's only got a little grinding left to go so hopefully this will be completed when she returns next week.

 

  

 

 

Kerry needs this Arrow Window completed for the first week in the new year and since he got all of the arrow cut, ground and wrapped in just one class I'm going to say that this time limit that he has isn't going to be a problem at all.

 

 

 

Let considered making her Freedom Heart Suncatcher with a beveled star but the sizing didn't work out correctly.  Instead she cut the star from a textured clear glass and is very nearly finished grinding her newest project already!

 

 

 

MiMi has another flock of Birds that she's working on but with a lot less wire work (none actually!) than the pair that she completed this week.   Once these four birds (which are part of an order) are finished she'll be able to work on what SHE wants to make next.

  

 

 

This week we got to see Lisa begin work on the trickiest section of  her Texas Collage Window.  Those Blue Bonnets are a pain to make because of the small, intricate petals but Lisa is taking it one flower group at a time so she doesn't have a ton of similar pieces all over the place.  Good organizational skills always increase your work flow speed as well as making it easier.

 

 

 

And Steve has made major inroads to his second of six panels that will come together to form his Louisiana Belle.  This panel contains the bottom half of the Cypress Tree that makes up the background of his soon to be beautiful woman.

 

  

 

 

Ann is making another unique window and it's starting out with a background make of assorted blues cut into various shapes.  This fractured circular design will then be topped off with some sort of suncatcher thus making this Ann's second 3D window.

 

 

 

June wrapped all of the pieces for her Razorback Window while at home and then came in and tacked it all together.   After filling in four missing pieces she then cut her background glass, ground it all and then foiled it as well.   Next week she'll be adding a multicolored border to this and then be ready to begin soldering.

 

  

 

 

With all of the glass cut and ground for her Beveled Turtle Window, Martha will be foiling and soldering this before you know it.  As always, this is moving quickly for her so I'd best get her next pattern ready for her!

 

 

 

Linda L is making a second Hanging Planter Suncatcher and she managed to get everything done save for the few wires that form the stems on some of the leaves.   She did a great job tacking everything together and very well may even complete this at home.

  

 

 

Here you can see that Cindy is about to start the final row of her Stained Glass Bowl.   She slides a length of paper behind the last row that she's assembled and then traces out the top edge of the last row that she's already tacked into position.  Then it's just a matter of drawing a new top edge and determining where to break the strip into individual pieces.  Below you can see her next pattern row attached to the inside of the stainless steel bowl that she builds these in.

 

  

Jeannette loves these Dove Crosses and is already assembling her next version.  The dove may have to stay white but the Cross itself can be made of any combination of colors.

 

  

 

 

Susan D started making two more of her versions of the Silverware Dragonflies after she finished coloring her Peacock Window.  Look closely and you can see that she uses the entire spoon in her Dragonflies.

 

 

 

And lastly we look at Betty's latest four Suncatchers.  She's got a pair of Silverware Dragonflies of her own along with two more Cardinals that, when finished, will get some fancy wire work attached to them.   

  

 

And there you have it.  Can you believe that there's only one week of classes left to go before 2023 comes to end.  That certainly went quickly didn't it?

Later,

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

That Is A Priority Avoidance

Ann's Praying Santa Claus Windows  is a hit- and for very good reason.   She made this somewhat large window quickly and the workmanship is top notch.  She still plans to add a star if she decides to make this again and I do know how to handle that now.   Consider this pattern to be Santa and Baby Jesus 1.0 with 2.0 coming sometime next year.

 

MiMi made some really terrific Bird Suncatchers this week.   She actually made six of the Humming Birds and then there's this adorable brown bird with wire work branches and some blingy berries to accent it all.  Wonderful!

 

 

 

 

Let completed her Crab Window and paid attention to the single sheet of blue/green glass that she used to cut the crab out of.  Instead of just randomly placing her glass patterns onto the glass she carefully positioned them to achieve three distinct colors:  green, blue and a blue/green mixture.   That gives the finished crab more depth by making it appear as though she used three different sheets of glass.  And that is why this looks so great!

 

 

 

 

Linda L's Hanging Planter is the first one I've seen done in class in possibly 20 years.  I know I made a small one a few years back but I haven't seen a student make one in ages.  And that's odd because look at how beautiful this is!  Careful layering and some simple wire work bring this all together.

 

 

 

 

Betty made two brand new Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus Panels under the assumption that she'd really like the blue one the best.  Alas, she and everyone in her class agreed that it was the green window that really stole the show.  It's a gorgeous pattern derived form a simple drawing that she found on the internet proving that stained glass designs can come from anywhere.

 

  

 

 

I can't decide if Shelley's Kitty Cat Window is striking or if his eyes are what's striking.  Let's just say it's a combination of both things.   If anyone doesn't agree that this is the cutest looking window we've seen done in a while, well, I just don't know what I think of them!

 

  

 

 

Helen is back and she came in with not one but two projects to finish up.  By the time class ended she was already 15 minutes on her way home with these two delightful stained glass creations.  She decided not to put a border on her small Tulip panel and added a brass channel and some hooks to the background glass instead of a border.  Since this only measures seven inches high the hooks will easily support and stay secured to the panel.   She also made another Butterfly with a very vibrant yellow/orange glass that compliments its yellow/green body.

 

  

 

 

Kerry's Frosty The Snowman was made in just two classes without him taking any parts of it home so that he could work on it in between classes.  That heavily textured red scarf sparkles like you wouldn't believe and his changing the band on the hat from red to green works with it wonderfully!

Nettie made another seven Teardrop Crosses in assorted sizes and this is one of the larger ones.  I'm impressed at how she didn't take the easy route by cutting the cross in three separate pieces.  Instead she cut the right angles as closely as she could and then ground them on the grinder to get perfect one piece crosses.

 

 

 

And here's where all of Nettie's Teardrop Crosses have gone-  On a Christmas Tree at her church where they will be given out as gifts over the holiday.  Annette put her heart and soul into each and every  Teardrop Cross that she's made over the past two months and that's the true spirit of Christmas.

 

 

 

 

Bee's Deer Head Window was actually completed last week but I somehow managed to forget to post the picture that she texted me.   Here it is with light behind it looking better than ever!  And I must admit the artistic tip of the diamond works wonderfully.

 

 

 

And here's a second picture that I forgot to post last week.  This is the whole kit and caboodle of Linda L's Succulents completed and potted in actual mini flower pots.  She be gifting these and I must say that they are exceptionally perfect!  And the best thing is that there's no watering required with these.  You just set 'em and forget 'em!

 

 

 

Sheri's Wise Men Panel was essentially completed while she was in class but she took it home with her to wash, color and wax.  Once that was done she texted me this picture so I could share it with our readers.  There are a lot of thin pieces in this panel but Sheri handled it all with aplomb.  Bravo!

 

 

 

And here's Sheri's Business Card Window which she also finished at home.  Hanging this in the sunlight really changed the look of it.   I've got to hand it to her by saying that her work on the glass letters turned out to be top notch indeed.

 

 

Martha got all of her beveled border tacked together and then got her sea blue background glass cut and ground as well.   She'll be foiling those large five pieces next week after which she'll tack it all together and then work on her final border as well.

  

 

 

Let has started and almost finished a large Dog Paw / Heart Suncatcher.   You might be able to tell by the placement of her pins that she's already got it all ground so she's taken it home to wrap in foil and perhaps even solder.   This suncatcher says that in every dog's paw there's a bit of heart.

  

 

 

Judy is making a Two Bears Roasting Marshmallows Window and in just one short class she's managed to trace out her pattern onto poster board, color the poster board pieces, cut them out and then cut out the green and brown glass as well.   Honestly, there's not much left to cut on this!

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Susan D is soldering the front side of her Peacock Window and the front side is nearing completion.  That means that we will most likely be looking at the back side of this when we see it again next week.

  

 

Lara's Louisiana Collage Window really only has a few pieces left to go.  She's been planning out her colors by picking one color at a time as she decides on which piece to cut next.   She's never been one to pick out her entire palette in one sitting.  That is the way that I work and one which I highly recommend since it's honestly the only way to truly balance colors in a window.

 

 

 

I had no clue who Mr. Bingle was until I moved to Louisiana and now we see a second student working on a Mr. Bingle project.   Mary Grace took the smaller route and decided to make a suncatcher which she is ready to solder.  When this is completed she'll be adding a real ribbon around his neck with the possibility of a bell as well.   Next week will tell us when she comes back in to complete the Bingle man. 

 

  

 

 

With the front side of her first Christmas Ornament soldered I'd say that Susan R will be ready to hang these just in time for Christmas.  I can't wait to see them lit up because her use of iridised glass is really going to make them splendiferous!

  

 

 

Sheri is making a Hoop Pattern based on a Poppy design.   She's used a sheet of red glass with a very dark side and also a much lighter side.   Like Let, Sheri has  carefully placed her pieces to incorporate some subtle shading throughout her flower petals.

 

  

 

Linda F has her Snowman In a Snow Globe all cut out and it's very, very close to being completely ground at this point as well.  This is a first of its kind but surely not the last because in the past, I've considered making one of these snow globe designs myself.  Plus, I've already handed out a few copies of the pattern already.

 

 

 

Bee got her Door Insert completely ground and before the night was over with she was able to begin foiling her pieces.    This will be tacked together before you know it and then she'll get the 2.5 layers of borders cut for it.  Why 2.5?  Because there are three borders on the left and right side  but only two on the top and bottom.   That may sound strange but you'll soon see how nicely that works in the weeks to come.

  

 

 

Cindy's latest Wrought Iron Cross is nearly complete and this will go to the same customer who purchased each of her her previous crosses.   She's on a roll and she knows how to deliver!

 

  

 

 

June finished grinding all but three pieces in her Razorback Window but we aren't going to replace those three pieces until she has this all tacked together.   That will make a difficult process MUCH easier.   June has taken this home where she hopes to wrap all of her glass with foil so that she can tack this when she comes back in.   The holiday rush may screw up those plans but I hope she can find some free time during the week.  If she doesn't it just means that she'll have a nice relaxing class of foiling glass when she comes back in.

  

 

 

I'll give you three guesses as to who's making these Silverware Dragonflies.   Yep, Betty is selling them as fast as she can make them! 

 

  

 

And that's what we call a wrap!

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks