You Deserve a Break Today

Our classes run 3 days-- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  I generally get the bulk of my work that needs to be done between Friday and Monday.  So why is it that I get a good day of work done on Friday and then when I wake up the next day it's Tuesday and I'm cleaning the shop for classes.  I just don't know hat happens to Saturday, Sunday or Monday!  At any rate, I did get the new window designs drawn up for St. Jules so at least this week end was productive.  Now let's see what all our students have been busy working on.

Janet's first project with us has turned out beautiful.  She used one of our  newest patterns (drawn by Russ) and judging by the amount of people who now plan to make it I'd say that it's a hit.  And as a testament to Janet's window I have to say that it wasn't until everyone saw Janet's window while she was working on it that other students decided they wanted to make it as well.  I can't wait to see what Janet decides to do next.

 

Here is another first project by another new student of ours.   Jeanne's attention to detail helped make her LSU window look every bit as good as work done by any of our long term students.  When you see this window in person it really sparkles nicely.  I suspect that Jeanne's work with us is going to be very prolific as well as precise!    

 

Bonnie got three more of her Candle Holders completed and there would have even been a fourth one as well but we discovered a crack in one of the longest pieces at the very last minute. It's like I always say, You can't make stained glass without breaking some glass.  Bonnie will most likely wrap up her remaining Candle Holders when she comes back in next week.

 

As always, Cindy has made her latest window look easy, even though it wasn't.  Combining three separate designs into one, she's made a window that any LSU fan would love.  And her work is nothing short of exemplary.

  

Guess who's back after a three week vacation involving a nice, long, relaxing cruise?  Betty! And she was so determined to complete her Nativity Window that she came in with it all ready to be photographed!  It's good to have Betty back because the place was too somber without her.  ;-) 

 

Brenda's latest project came out of the blue.  Her pink Cancer Ribbon Window is her own design but for some reason she seems to be hyper critical of it.  I can't find a single thing wrong with the design of it or the execution and I know it's going to be a well appreciated gift.  I remember when doing a window like this would have scared Brenda to death.  Now she turns out professional windows in the comfort of her home without batting an eye.  She should be very proud of herself.

And Terry came into class and went to work soldering.  By the time class was over she had completed her B and A windows but I wasn't able to get a picture of them in their finished state.  All I can do is show you what they look like all soldered and awaiting their final bath.  :-(  As always, Terry's work is nothing but flawless.  Her projects are always the rage in all of the classes and for very good reason.

 

Last week I thought that I'd forgotten to take a picture of the Fleur De Lis window that Becky started but then I found it on the camera when went through this week's photo's.  Since Becky had a meeting  and couldn't make it to class this week I figure we'll reveal what she started last week.  She really liked the ribbon border that Brenda has been using in so many of her windows so Becky has added it to her FDL design.  It's a great pattern and I can't wait to see what colors she decides to use on it.

 

Now we'll return to Betty who not only completed her Nativity Windows but also got her second one all ground and ready to be wrapped and soldered.  She says she loves this window and it's always nice to work on something that you want to do rather than have to do. I heard that we haven't seen the last of this pattern either...

 

Meanwhile, Linda's in the midst of a remodeling job at home so her time away from class has been stained glass free.  This upsets her, I'm sure, because she always works on her projects at home.  So when she came in this week she just picked up where she left off last week and completed wrapping the pieces on her FDL Window.  Then she tacked it together, added her border and finished soldering the front side.  This is the back of her window and the soldering on that side is well under way.  Now, that's what I call a very productive night.

 

Lynn's Lamp is together!  Yes, everything has been ground and wrapped and tacked into place meaning that the lion's share of the work on this project is now completed.  This lamp was constructed without a mold and actually built inside out to allow the lamp to bend into its round curve.  Once everything was tacked together Lynn cut out the crown for the lamp and has begun wrapping it.  I have to say that Lynn has made this lamp look very easy indeed.

 

Martha's last three crosses are just awaiting solder now and even that is about halfway done.  She put the brass channel on each of the windows and then got two of the front sides soldered.   I suspect that these will see the light of day next week.  She's worried about how long it's taken to make all these windows but she picked a design with eight tight curves (in each window) that needed to be ground with the 1/8th inch grinding wheel and that takes time.  It's not a simple pattern which is why they are such elegant windows.  Make no mistake, Martha has accomplished a lot.  :-)

 

Mary's Fleur De Lis Window, Like Linda F's, is just waiting for a little more solder before she can call it finished.  I have to say that Mary has been moving quickly on all of her projects and her soldering has improved greatly.  The more practice you get, the better you become at this art.  I'm going to say that we'll be seeing this completed next week.

 

With the front of her Hot Air Balloon Window officially soldered Myrt has moved on to the back side.  We've been spending time in classes going over the soldering process by getting students to slow down and I have to say that Myrt has got it well in hand.  The solder on her front side of this window is flawless.  Slow and steady truly wins the race-- especially when it comes to soldering your windows.

 

Shelley has her window all tacked together along with her border.  Her missing pieces have been re-cut and soldered into place,  and a zinc channel now surrounds the window to give it some added support.  There are 2 lines that run almost completely across this window and because of them we decided to use zinc channel so the window doesn't accidentally 'fold' in on itself.  I must say that her orange border really makes this window look festive.  Look for her to start soldering this when she returns.

 

Susan made more great strides with her Abita Window but she managed to pack it all up before I managed to snag a picture this week.  So all I got was an empty table.  I guess this proves I need to pay more attention to my 'Star Pupil' on Wednesday mornings!  (I can't wait to see what kind of a rift that comment is going to make in class next week!)

 

My, oh my, has Cindy certainly been busy.  While she was working on her LSU window she was also working on this TCU Logo design.  It looks like it wasn't hard for her to do because by the time she left class it as all tacked together and ready for solder.  Knowing Cindy this will be completed when she come back next week and all she'll need are some hooks on it.

 

And that about wraps things up here.  Things are starting to slow down a little bit in the shop.  We're just about caught up with everything and won't be starting the next pair of church windows until we get a new delivery of glass (or make a trip to Atlanta to pick it up).  But that will have to wait until the colors are actually picked sometime next week.  A little breathing room is a good thing and I may be able to make something that *I* want to make!

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Put a Little Rax on the Wag

I hate to be the bearer of bad(?) news but Christmas is almost upon us!  That means that  if any of our students are thinking about making gifts they should probably buckle down and start working on them.  With only 9 weeks to go before the 25th gets here (possibly less due to Thanksgiving) it would be best to get Christmas items out of the way.  I know from experience just how hectic things get in classes during December-- it ain't always pretty!  lol

Becky has finished her horse window and it's turned out to be everything we thought it would be.  This is only her second project but her attention to detail is amazing.  I'm talking about things like her lines lining up when another price of glass bisects them, her even foiling, and her perfect soldering.  Becky plans on making another horse like this in the future but right now she wants to move on to something different.

 

Ann's latest hand mirror is a stunning success.  She changed up the colors in an orange/red motif and I think it's very autumny  (is that even a word?) and I really like the look.   Of courese, being a mirror it will look differently to everyone who looks into it. A great job, Ann!

 

Bonnie completed the first of her seven candle holders. She (obviously) started with the yellow one and has two others soldered and tacked together just waiting for the bottom glass base to be inserted.  I've heard a few other students mention that they wouldn't mind making one or two of these so Bonnie may have just started a trend.

 

Mary put the finishing touches on her latest variation of the Beveled Cross Window.   The changes she made do nothing to detract from the window at all and the clear glass and bevels really shine in the sunlight.  It has a slight;y greenish tint to it because of the grass in the yard behind it, but trust me when I say that this window sparkles.

 

Next up we take a look at the Fleur De Lis Window that Brenda made.  She made this one almost entirely at home and brought it in for hooks and to see if anything needed to be touched up.  All I can say is that her soldering is superb!  In the end all I did was add 2 hooks and take a picture.  please not how perfectly symmetrical the FDL is--this is SO important in a window like this.

  

That about wraps up the finished windows that we had this week, but there's still a lot of windows in progress that we need to show you.  We'll start those off with Cindy's latest LSU design.  The center of this is pretty much completed and the only thing Cindy needs to do is tack a border around it.  The border is already cut and ground so I'm sure that Cindy will put the finishing touched on this before it comes back to class to get it's finished picture taken.

 

And susan's Abita Window is REALLY taking shape now.  There's a lot of work in this one and I'm impressed with the speed and precision that she's tackling it with. This week she cut the remaining brown background followed by the green hops in the upper right corner.  That leaves only three sections left to go.  Susan was going to use a dark brown for the lettering but I think she's decided that a lighter tan would stand out better in all that brown (as well as match the logo).

  

Janet resumed work on her Fleur De Lis window and before it's even been completed the pattern has already been swept out from underneath her window and copied so that other people can make it.  This is Janet's first window with us and I believe that it will be completed when she returns to class next week.  I say this because she has her front side almost completely soldered (save for the border).  And I hate to sound like a broken record but Janet's soldering is amazing for a new student.  The secret is to take your time and Janet seems to have found the correct pace because her window is looking flawless.

 

Linda F continued working on the Fleur De Lis Window that she began last week.  She started class by grinding all of her pieces and by the time she left she had it almost completely foiled.  Once this is tacked together she'll only need to cut her border (which is already cut into strips) and then she'll be able to start soldering this.  It looks like Linda will be starting a new project before we know it.

 

Next up we look at another project that is moving along quickly.  Lynn's lamp is all cut and ground so it's just waiting to be foiled before she tacks it together and puts the finishing solder bead on it.  I will confess that a small mistake was made when she was cutting this out.  Mixed up pattern pieces put the darker color in between the light and medium colors which wasn't the original plan.  It was something that she could have fixed without wasting any glass but in the end everyone decided that this color arrangement looks far better than what was originally planned.   This project will be lit up soon!

 

Mama Mia, Terry jokingly said that she's making the alphabet but I'm not sure if she's joking or not.  This Dancing Queen now has her first two letters almost completed and Knowing Me, Knowing You, we all have to agree that these are something special.  With the A and B completed (save for a final soldering) will Terry be working on a C next?  Is that The Name Of the Game?  If she doesn't we may have to send out an SOS. I love these, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. 

Shelley's Beach Scene is almost a wrap!  She has it all foiled which means that when she comes back in she'll cut the two missing pieces and then add the border (Which she's already picked out).  That means that she'll certainly be soldering this when she returns.  There's not a cloud in the sky in this window in terms of design or workmanship.  Shelley has certainly come a long way.

 

Last week we learned that Martha only had 3 crosses left to go.  This week she got all of the glass cut, ground, wrapped and tacked together.  There's just some brass channel left to add to these and then a final soldering before Martha can be finished with the last of her crosses and move on to something else.  And I know that she can't wait for that because repetitive projects can get a bit boring repetitive!

  

If you recall, we saw that Mary had completed her Beveled Cross window.  Once that was under control she began working on this Bevels Fleur De Lis Window learning how to perfectly center the bevel.  With the background all cut she only needs to add a border to this and then begin soldering it.  Beveled Fleur De Lis Windows really move along quickly!

 

And once Brenda completed her Fleur De Lis Window she began working on this Tulip Window.  She traced out the pattern, numbered it and colored it so she knows what color each piece should be once all her paper pieces are cut out.  The pattern is a SLIGHT variation on a store bought pattern that we made symmetrical and then adjusted for easier cuts. 

 

So that wraps things up for this week.  There's a lot in the works though so I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of wonderful completed window in our next update.  Be sure to come back and check it out.

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Feed It To The Dog

Cindy's Celtic Knot Window is an exercise is precision glass fitting.  Round, symmetrically uniform visually stunning and colorful without being overdone, there's just nothing to fault in this window.  And the speed with which she knocked this knot out really impressed me.

Myrt made it back this week and she didn't come empty handed.  She brought in two completed projects that just needed some hooks and then resumed working on a project that she had to set aside a while back.  This is her finished Fleur De Lis with a Ribbon Border and I have to say that her soldering was VERY good on the two projects that she worked on at home.

 

This is Myrt's second completed window this week.  It started off life as a suncatcher project but then she decided to turn it into a bordered window.  That was simple.  She just added 5 pieces of background glass and then a border to finish it all off. 

 

Terry completed her two Cross Geometric windows that she started last week.  The coloring on the first one is different from what we normally see and it really did add even more emphasis to the white cross in the center.

 

 

Terry's second version of the window is more standard in it's color scheme but there has always been something very appealing to me when it comes to granite back red on top of clear granite.  These two window feature great work by Terry all around.

 

Becky has finished all of the glass work on her horse window.  With the final round border now attached all she has to do is add a bead of solder to finish it.  She managed to almost completely solder the front side of it while she was in class and from what I can see her soldering is exemplary!  Then she resumed working on her smaller Fleur De Lis Window.  She's decided that what it really needs is a ribbon border so we'll have that drawn up for her when she returns next week.

 

Next up we take a look at the four of the seven candle holders that Bonnie started this week.  After cutting a series of 1 inch strips she then shortened the strips into four various sizes to create  what you see in the picture below.  Each of her candle holders will be a different color --these are just four of them.  Bonnie cut 112 pieces, ground them and has taken them home to wrap.  Nice work! I suspect that we may see one of these completed next week which will enable you to see exactly what she's assembling here.

 

Brenda would have had this window completed this week but as luck (or was it misfortune?) would have it she discovered a tiny crack in the lower right part of her cross.  Sadly,  we didn't have any more of that glass in the shop to replace it with and Brenda didn't bring the glass into class  so she knocked out the broken piece and will finish this at home by placing the glass under her project and tracing the outline of the missing piece, cutting it out than soldering it into place.

 

Cindy started working on another LSU window but discovered that she left her pattern pieces at home.  (I distinctly remember that happening to someone else this week but I can't remember who it was.)  Rather than trace the paper pattern out yet again Cindy decided to cut her transparent pieces by placing the glass on top of her pattern and then tracing the outline of the pieces onto it.  It seems to have worked well for her because the lower left tiger eye is all cut and ground!

 

Janet resumed grinding her Fleur De Lis Window and when that was completed she had a quick refresher course in wrapping glass.  With the sticky side of the foil facing upward she began wrapping her pieces and I must say that she managed to not only center the foil but to also smooth it out perfectly as well.  Your soldering will only ever be as good as your foiling so this is a very important step in the stained glass process.  And I suspect that she'll begin soldering this window next week.

 

Jeanne came in, finished wrapping the remaining pieces of her final purple border and then tacked it onto her window.  Then we added the brass channel that surrounds (and protects) the outer edge of the piece and Jeanne began to solder.  Everyone panics when they hold the soldering iron for the first time and there really isn't any need to.  The solder will practically flow itself if you just take your time.  And in the end Jeanne did wonderfully.  With the front side almost finished she'll certainly complete this next week.  

 

Linda F has started a new project this week and it's a Fleur De Lis  pattern that she's using Baroque Glass with.  She's got the FDL cut out as well as the background glass which means that she'll need to grind and tack it together next before cutting her border.  She was worried about using baroque glass since the front side is heavily textured but she made out just fine.  Hopefully her fear of baroque is behind her now!

 

Lynn is back!  She was pretty sure that she wanted to make a panel lamp but the style she planned on making was undecided.  After looking through books for ideas she decided that she really liked the Peacock lamp and after making an adjustment or two concerning the length and width of the lamp we ended up with the pattern you see below.  12 repeats of three separate pieces are going to make a panel lamp that will look as though it was made on a mold.  She's most likely going to use a traditional tan/amber color scheme and cutting will start (and most likely end) next week. 

 

Martha also made it back to class this week after a two week hiatus of sickness and vacation (not concurrently, thankfully).  It was great to have her back as she resumed working on her final three cross windows.  With all the backgrounds cut and ground (and one even tacked together) all that's left is to attach the borders.  The end is near and Martha is saying No More Multiple Projects!

 

Mary began cutting out what she says is her last Beveled Cross Window.  When she got to the border she couldn't decide what color to use so she's going with the option of forgoing a border altogether.   The design will support itself without one and there's even a place to hang it from so we'll see what it looks like.   She's begun wrapping it and will most likely finish this when she returns next week.

 

 
Susan's Abita Window is really starting to take shape now.  And in terms of square footage she has almost a third of it cut out already, however,  piece-wise she still has a way to go since the rest of the window consists of MANY small pieces.  Her background glass is something that needs to be stretched out as much as possible since she has a limited amount of glass.  She's  going to cut all of the larger pieces first so she can cut the smallest pieces out of the scrap.  This is always the most efficient way to cut glass. With the surprising amount of small background pieces in this design it's truly the best way to handle the situation. 

 

Terry came in and saw a pattern I had drawn up for Betty hanging on the wall and decided that she needed to make it before she did anything else (especially since Betty won't be in next week and therefore won't be needing the pattern right away).  So Terry got everything cut out save for the border (which she will do last anyway).  She's already made short work of this window.

 

And Myrt, having completed the two windows she'd been commissioned to make, resumed work on her Hot Air Balloons Window.  With everything tacked together and the zinc channel attached the only thing left to do is solder this and she made wonderful progress on that while she was in class.  I did a quick refresher soldering course with her (as I've been doing with almost everyone) and what she soldered looks absolutely beautiful. 

 

Our classes are really humming along.  There are more and more projects in the works and our students are moving onto bigger and more technically advanced patterns.   I never know what's going to walk in the door anymore and I can't wait to see what next week brings!

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

I'm Gonna Fly Like An Eagle, Into the Future

I find it hard to believe but my 'little' wrapping tutorial has turned out to be longer than I expected.  Rather than tack it onto the front of this update I think I'm going to re-post the first two parts as separate posts and then add the remaining installments as special edition versions so they can be searchable from this page.   So expect to see some slight re-posting throughout this week.

So let's start with my favorite window this week.  I just love this pattern (and I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never seen Beauty and the Beast, where it came from). Brenda's execution of it is flawless right down to the soldering.  I love the subtle differences in the glass that don't draw attention but end up adding so much to the overall design (two different reds in the rose, and the different textured blue in the circle section). 

 

Brenda also completed her Ribbon Border Cross window and the combination of the granite backed red with a clear granite background is stunning.  Both of Brenda's window brought a smile to my face this week.

 

Linda F's Nativity Scene Window is now complete and looking great as well  She and Mary had refresher soldering lessons and as you can see they paid off in spades!  The most interesting thing about these next two windows is that they were both pretty much made from the same glass.  The borders are really the only difference between them yet they look anything but identical.  Why?  Well, Linda version is back lit while Mary's is front lit.  What a difference a little light behind a window makes, huh?

 

Here's Mary's version of the same Nativity window.  Only the borders were changed (to protect the innocent) but the overall feel is completely different.  And that's the magic of stained glass-- striking that perfect balance between what looks good with light behind it and what looks good with light in front of it.  In my opinion this window looks great both ways and that's what they (Mary and Linda) were striving for.

 

Terry completed her Beveled Cross Geometric window and although her cross isn't made out of bevels she managed to get make this version work by incorporating the border color into the cross along with 5 bevels.  The result is every bit as satisfying as the beveled versions, don't you think? 

 

Cindy completed a Faerie as well as a 3D Flower and they both look better than anyone could hope for.   The flower has a center made of glass beads adding even more definition to the double 3D layer of overlapping petals. Very nice indeed.

 

Meanwhile, Ann continued cutting and grinding her latest stained glass hand mirror and it's ready to be tacked and then soldered.  With only the mirror left to cut out I'd say that we'll see this as a completed project in our next post.

 

Beck got all of her Horse window wrapped while she was at home during the week and then she tacked it together here in class.  Once it was tacked we traced out a pattern for a double border which she then began to cut out.  Becky also brought a brand new grinder home with her so I'm thinking she's going to very busy with her glass work even when she's not in class with us.

 

Brenda liked Terry's version of the Geometric Cross so much that she decided to make one for herself.  Brenda is using a clear light blue glass and is (as you can see from the picture) almost completely finished with the grinding part of this project.  I guess you can say she about to wrap this up soon. 

 

Cindy also worked on her Knotted Window which looks astounding.  The number one goal in a window like this is keeping everything symmetrical and Cindy made it look easy.  The clear glass that she used to form the interlocking knot has all been kept at a consistent width which means that everything about this is plumb perfect.

 

Janet had plowed through the cutting portion of her stained glass class and this week she started grinding all of her pieces.  She started in the lower left and is about halfway up her window now.  I can tell by looking at her work that she understands how the pieces truly fit together since her pieces are fitting wonderfully.  Grinding is a strange process because there are so many ways you can get things to fit together.  The trick is figuring out which way is the better way which Janet appears to be doing.  She'll be wrapping this next week for sure.

 

And Jeanne's LSU window is moving right along as well.  She had the strips for her double border all cut out and then she used the pistol grip cutter to cut those strips to the correct lengths.  With all of her glass cut she'll be set to solder this when she comes back in.

 

Susan's Abita Window is taking shape now that the glass cutting process has begun.  The fun part of this window is going to be right at the end when she solders 2 actual bottles into the window so that half is hanging out the back and the other half is coming out of the front.  Talk about 3D!

Mary Grace's Eagle window is almost completely cut out now.  She's decided that she wants to make the thin layer of water that runs along the bottom a little thicker than what the pattern showed.  That's an easy change that she'll accomplish once she has this ground and tacked together.   Sadly, Mary Grace is about to have some shoulder surgery so she's going to missing class for a little bit while she recovers.  But she's left her project here in class to make sure that makes her way back to us.  We wish her all the best!

Terry (as always) has two windows in the works this week.  One is a red version of the Geometric Cross and the second is a two toned green version that has been altered slightly through the use of color.  Using a colored background should make the clear cross stand out more than usual.  My only complaint is that I didn't turn the windows around so that they weren't lying on their sides in the picture.

 

Lastly we have Shelley's Beach Scene and it's just about completely cut out.  She's making 2 minor changes to the pattern to adjust for some glass that came out just a little too small to use as it was originally intended.  In the end, I like the changes and won't even mention where they are in the window.  If this manages to get foiled during the week it will certainly be tacked together when Shelley returns to class.

 

And that's it for this post.  I put this off until the last minute on Monday evening and then we had a power outage which delayed the posting of it one more day.  But it's still being posted before classes start this week so as far as I'm concerned we're on time since we haven't fallen behind.  Look for a few special edition blog posts in the weeks to come-- we have a lot to show you!

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks