Seeing Double, Triple, Quadruple, etc.

We're going to jump right in with our students windows this week and start off with the most colorful one first.  Mary Grace's Geometric Window has pushed her to work much more precisely than she has ever worked before and as you can see by the way things line up in this window, she's got it down!  Nice straight lines and fluid curves make this a window that Mary Grace can be proud of.  And her soldering is becoming smoother and smoother with each project that she makes with us.

 

Brenda's Cross window is accented perfectly by an inner Ribbon Border.  I think that her use of only two colors makes this completed project exude style and class.  Everything is uniform and fits together perfectly (which is very important on a window that is a mirror image of itself).  I'm thrilled with how far Brenda has come and hope she can see just how wonderful her work is.

  

And this is Brenda's second completed window this week.  I guess you can tell that she likes the Ribbon border.  This one was a little easier to deal with since it's a bit larger than her cross window but still a challenge to put together nonetheless.  Of course, Brenda makes it all look easy!

  

Up next we take a look at Mary's Beveled Cross Window.   I'm starting to see a pattern in Mary's color choices-- she likes clear glass especially as a border choice!  And there is certainly nothing wrong with that as you can see in this window that absolutely sparkles when it's in the sunlight.

  

Betty also completed a Beveled Cross Window which is similar to Mary's but with a brown border rounding it off.  It always amazes me how much a persons choice of colors can change the feel of a window and you can easily see that in these 2 windows.  

 

  

Betty also completed this Modern Nativity Scene which features a triple border.  The extra work on the borders really gives the window a church-like feel which fits the subject matter perfectly.  There isn't a single thing I'd change about this.  Great work Betty!

 

We ran a little late on Jeanne's butterfly last week but she more than made up time this week!  Her butterfly was completed right off the bat and then she moved on to cutting out an LSU window which you'll see further down below.  Her butterfly looks perfect though and I love her choice of colors.

 

Becky has begun cutting out her Horse window and with just some background pieces cut it's already looking to be every bit as impressive as her last window.  She'll be cutting out the actual horse when she returns and then you'll really get a feel for what this window will look when it's completed. Right now it sort of looks like an Invisible Horse window!

 

With two windows under her belt this week Brenda has begun working on her newest project-- a Beauty and The Beast Rose Window.  the pattern actually came from a frame in the Disney animated film Beauty And the Beast.  When it gets further along I'll post the still that it was drawn from so you can compare them.  Knowing Brenda this will be spectacular.

 

Susan flew the coop again before I could get a picture of the latest section she completed for her panel lamp.  Let's look at her work area and see what it says.  I see the cap of her lamp that has been de-laquered (a simple process involving steel wool and a drop of flux) so it can take solder and then be colored to match the rest of her lamp.  You can even see the test section I soldered just to make sure we wouldn't have any unpleasant surprises when the time comes to actually attach it.  You can also see the pliers and the fine point Sharpie marker that Susan was using as well as the plastic cup she was drinking from and her Abita Abbey Ale beer bottle.  Now before you go passing judgement let me explain that the beer bottle will be incorporated into her next project and it was already empty before she arrived in class with it.  There's no telling if she drank it at home or in the car on the way to class but I do know that she was anxious to use the bathroom when she arrived.  I'm just sayin'.  ;-)

  

Betty, Linda and Mary are going to drive me crazy while they work on their latest Nativity windows.  Why?  Because they are all doing the same pattern, the same size and (I think) in the same colors.  Figuring out whose is whose is going to be a challenge and I'm sure I'll get something mixed up eventually.  One thing that I am sure of this week is that this first one is Betty's.

  

 And this second one is, I'm pretty sure, Linda F's.

  

Which leaves this third one which inevitably belongs to Mary.  I'm not sure what to say about these without sounding repetitive so I'll be brief and simply say, 'Nice pattern'!

  

Bonnie began cutting out a new Fleur De Lis Window and with the center FDL now cut and ground the hardest part of this window is complete.  There are just 6 pieces of background left and then the double border and Bonnie will be looking for a new window to make.

 

Next we come to our LSU window section.  We're starting with the fancy LSU window that Cindy has been working on at home.  Everything has been cut and I suspect that she'll be soldering this at home along with her Texas Star and Blue Bonnet's window which is all cut out now as well. I'll say this about Cindy-- she wastes no time!  LOL

  

Again we have two identical patterns and color combinations being made by two different students but this time in two different classes.  The first one is being done by Linda L and she's really flying through it.  On her first class she managed to cut out all but the borders and then get more than half of it ground as well!

  

And when Jeanne said that she wanted to make an LSU window I immediately recommended this pattern to her because of all the text LSU windows, this is the prettiest.  The angled shadow effect gives the window a nice 3D feel and helps ramp up the amount of skill it takes to finish it.  A plain LSU is just too simple a project but this pattern allows more cutting without becoming overwhelming.  Jeanne was willing to call it a night after cutting out her yellow pieces but by the time she left class she had everything but the border cut!  Now that's what I call a productive night!

  

Ann came in with this cross pattern that she had designed while at home during the week and immediately began cutting class.  There are just 6 pieces of background left to go and Ann will cut them by placing the cross on top of her background glass and tracing around it.  That sounds like something that will easily be completed next week. I'm guessing that Ann will be spending some quality time with the grinder when she returns

  

Crosses, crosses everywhere.  Martha has more crosses started that your average church sees in a given week!  These are the first five with their borders cut and ground.  She's taken them home to wrap so these cross windows will begin winding down now.  These are the perfect size for a gift and her color combinations are flawless.  She still has four more to go so we'll be seeing  more of them but I suspect they'll all finish quickly once all the borders are cut and ground.

Myrt is back!  She's been having a rough time at home and we were all thrilled to see that she was able to make it back to class this week.  It looks like we might miss her next week but I think she may be able to show up more regularly hereon out.  This is the Ribboned Border Fleur De Lis window that she has been working on and it's all come together spectacularly.  Everything has been cut so she's about ready to wrap up this project.

 

Meanwhile, Terry started grinding this delicate flower window that she cut out while she was at home this past week.  It's a bit of a jumble here in the picture but rest assured that once it's all ground and fitting together nicely you'll see just how beautiful this pattern is.  Fact is that you can already get a feel for it in its un-ground state below.

 

 And lastly we'll take a look at Shelley's Beach scene.  It's all coming together now with the sky, the umbrella, and the sand pails left to cut.  I have no doubt that she'll be grinding this window before you know it.  Shelley's abilities have really picked up and this window shows just how far she's come along.  It's taken her no time at all to cut this out and her pieces are already fitting together nicely.  What a peaceful window this is going to be.

And that about wraps things up here.  We're going to end up with a double post next week as we have a Weekend Workshop scheduled for this coming Saturday and Sunday.  Three students will start and complete a 16" x 20" window all in the space of 2 days.  I love the patterns that they've picked out and can't wait to get that under way.  See you then!

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Squirrel Eggs In The Attic

We're going to start this update by resuming our suncatcher tutorial that got postponed last week.  We've already covered how important it is to be precise in cutting out your paper pattern and this week we're going to stress the same thing with the cutting (and grinding) of your actual glass pieces.  If you take your time cutting your glass you will spend far less time at the grinder fixing mistakes.  Having to extensively grind your pieces is ALWAYS, without a doubt, much slower than taking your time during the cutting process.  You can spend 2 hours cutting and then spend 6 hours at the grinder or you can spend 3 hours cutting and 1 hour grinding.  No matter how you weigh it out you must perfect your cutting skills and that involves taking your time.  The first 3 pieces of the flower in the picture below have not been ground.  You can see that they almost fit the pattern already. (click on it to see it more clearly)Almost all the cuts are outside curves so simply taking our time and following the line with our glass cutter will ensure a close fit.  There's really no secret to these three pieces, it's all about following the line with your glass cutter.

Sometimes you won't be able to fully cut out a section of your glass piece because a curve is too deep.  In that case just cut straight across the curve as in the picture to the left below.  Inside curves are the most difficult cuts to make but there's no excuse for not following the line on any outside curve. Remember than an inside curve cuts INTO the piece you are saving.  Inside curves almost always require extra grinding to make the piece fit.
 

Remember that your piece is only ground correctly when you can see the pattern line running all the way around the glass when it is placed on top of the pattern.  If the glass overhangs the pattern at all it needs to be re-ground.  The piece is correctly ground in the picture to the right.

Now, I've skipped the important step of using pins to secure our pieces because I didn't want to obscure the lines in these examples.  What you see below is my flower with four pieces correctly ground.  To continue any further I'll need to pin them down and that's what our topic will be next week.  Remember that having your pieces fit together properly is the key to good stained glass.  When I grind I make multiple trips to the grinder.  The first thing I do is grind off any line that I see on my piece and then I lay it on my pattern to see if any alterations are needed.  If I need multiple adjustments I do them one at a time while fitting my piece to the pattern between adjustments which prevents me from grinding too much off of my piece.

Just remember that your glass pieces MUST match the pattern and you'll be fine.  There really isn't any trick --it's just like learning to color in a coloring book.  Keep your glass pieces within the lines on your pattern. People always tell me that they don't know where to grind their piece to make it fit the pattern but the answer is easy: Just lay the piece on top of the pattern and if you can't see any of the underlying line on a given area then the glass must be trimmed there.


Okay, with that out of the way let's move along to what our students have accomplished this week.
This Yellow Rose Window that Becky made has been a favorite of a lot of students throughout the past few weeks.  Becky's attention to detail really made this, her first window, a spectacular accomplishment.  There's a delicacy in this project that most beginners don't have the skills to muster but I'll say that Becky made it look easy.  I'm very proud of her work and can't wait to see what she accomplishes as her time with us increases.

Linda finished her Fleur De Lis Bevel window and brought it in for some channel and some hooks to hang it by. I have to say that the symmetry of her window is nothing short of perfection and that she's done another great job!  Just look at those precise lead lines.  I've always loved clear beveled windows and Linda's FDL project is no exception.

Terry finished her Beveled Cross Window but it looks a little different from what she originally envisioned.  The clear granite textured glass surrounding the cross was supposed to square it off but after she cut her pieces she realized that all four of her corners were out of square because the pattern wasn't drawn correctly.  Rather than fight to make all the corners line up Terry cut them into an oval and then squared that off with the seafoam green glass that she used in the cross itself.  Then she bordered it with the clear granite textured glass again and the problem was solved!

Terry also completed her Deer Panel this week and this window was completed without a single problem.  The sun went down right before I got a picture of it so you can't make out that the border is a brown/amber root beer that looks great when it's lit up.  Of course Terry's Deer Window looks great whether it's lit up or not as shown by the picture of it below.

Betty worked diligently on two projects this week.  You can see that her latest Cross Window is all cut out and mostly ground (save for the border).  She also got the triple border for her Nativity window completed.  She opted for an ornate corner section that really gives this window a church-like feel.  I'm have a feeling that we'll see this one completed and lit up next week.

Next up we have Bonnie who could have taken the easy way out with the Crosses that she's making but instead she took the time to grind smooth jewels into the arms of her crosses which makes all the difference in the world.  She wasn't sure if she'd be able to grind out such small holes but using the 1/4 grinding bit was a cinch for her and she managed it with flying colors.  These will most certainly be completed when we see Bonnie again.

Next we take a look at the two windows that Brenda has been working on.  As you can see, although they are different sizes, they share a common border.  The inner ribbon border is far more challenging than a straight border but just look at what a little extra time has done to the overall appeal of these windows.   Brenda has come a long way and I don't think there's anything that she can't handle at this point in time.

Cindy resumed work on her Star and Blue Bonnets Window and all she has left to do is cut the curved inner border and then the final outer border.  All in all that's a simple drop in the bucket, especially for Cindy.  Next week this will more than likely be tacked together and ready for solder.

This is Linda's version of the Beveled Cross Window and it's fitting together perfectly.   I'm unsure of what she plans to use for the border but whatever she picks she can't lose.   This pattern is fast becoming very popular around these parts and pretty soon we'll be seeing them made with colored crosses in the center.

Then we have Martha's Beveled Crosses which are closer and closer to being finished.  I've been under the impression that she was making six of these but when I commented to her about having all the backgrounds cut out and tacked together she informed me that she still has three more at home!  Nonetheless, she'll be adding borders next week.

Up next we see that Susan is well on her way towards completing her Panel Lamp. Everything is wrapped and one side is even completely soldered. She had to cut the long, thin outer borders into smaller sections or they would surely crack when she puts the solder on the edges which holds the lamp together. Susan must be able to see the finishing line on this project now and I know she can't wait to have this lamp on it's base.

Mary's Beveled Cross Window (I told you these were a popular design!) is all together and she even has the front side completely soldered.  What you're looking at here is the back side and it looks to me as though she only has 10 lines left to solder before this project is finished.  She'll also need a bead of solder around the outside but that's child's play after accomplishing this much.  It looks to me as though we'll be overloaded with completed projects next week with this being one of them!

 

And lastly, we have a new student to introduce this week.  Jeanne started making her butterfly but we won't get to see it completed until next week.  She has it all cut out and ground and has taken the pieces home with her to wrap so we can have this finished within the first half hour of her next class.  You can see the lines I've put on the glass to show where we want to start and stop the copper foil.  It's very important, especially with a suncather, to make sure that our foil start/stopping point lies where another piece of glass will touch it.  This prevents the foil from coming loose when the heat of the soldering iron hits it.

Here's some possibly odd trivia for you:  It's a little known fact that squirrels actually do lay eggs. The incubation time is 12 weeks but can take up to 13 weeks for larger species. After the eggs hatch the mother squirrel ingests the eggshells to replenish her diminished calcium supply.  Immediately upon hatching, the babies crawl into their mothers pouch where they will find nourishment and warmth for the first 4 weeks of their lives.  This process is draining on the mother so from time to time the father squirrel will take over babysitting duty, nestling the infant squirrels in his own, smaller pouch while the mother rests.  Fact or fiction?  You tell me.  :-)

Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks

She Picked Something Up

It's been a busy week here in the shop -- We're about to install more church windows and time is fleeting so we're going to skip our tutorial for making a suncatcher and resume it again in our next post. So, let's start off, as always, with our completed projects of the week.

Linda's Octagon Celtic Knot Window offered her no challenge at all!  I think she completed this within three weeks and I have to say that Linda made it look like child's play.  She found the back side (the bumpy side of the glass) to be a bit more of a challenge to solder but as you can see from the picture it all worked out in the end.  The beveled knot alone would have looked just fine in the center of the window but the extra curved ring of square bevel accents filled in the empty spaces perfectly.

 

Cindy's Indian Squaw Suncatcher turned out wonderful.  It was more or less completed last week but she forgot the pattern at home so we were unsure of how the wire nose and the beads that form the necklace were placed.   Cindy actually used a wire instead of a chain for the necklace so it maintains its rounded shape while it's hanging rather than clumping together in a pile.

 

Ann had decided that she wanted to make an Angel Hand Mirror and came up with this design all on her own.  She had the Angel cut, ground and wrapped and tacked together so it was a simple matter of cutting out the rounded mirror and then soldering it all together.  I really like the size of the actual mirror that Ann's made here-- You can see an entire face in it with no problems at all.

 

 

Anyone even the slightest bit familiar with this Blog knows that when you see a stained glass Butterfly we're about to introduce a new student.  The interesting part of this student is that she has the same name as another student who is currently taking classes.  So without further ado we are pleased to introduce to you Linda L and her wonderful green Butterfly.   She had no problems whatsoever making this so when she starts her LSU window next week I think we can safely expect great things.  (I just love putting the pressure on!)

 

That wraps up the completed windows this week so now we'll take a look at projects that are currently in the works.  I do believe that this beautiful Yellow Rose Window will surely be completed next week.  Becky's first window is going to be a hard one to top because everything about this is perfection.  Her curves all flow perfectly, her straight lines are uniform and her inner circle is spot on.  She has her eye on some Fleur De Lis Windows and a nice Horse window but I'm unsure what she'll do first.  Come back next week and we'll show you just what she decides to do next!

 

Betty has gone all out with the modern Nativity Window that she's making.  Feeling that one border would make the window somewhat nondescript she's opted to go with a classic, church-like triple border.  The corner sections aren't completed yet but they will be when she returns and you can already see just how much a fancy border adds to a window no matter how simple the design.  Betty also began working on an Iris Corner Piece while she was at home and she has it all cut and ground.  She was wrapping it while she was in class but the Nativity window kept her pretty busy so she only got two or three pieces of the Iris wrapped.  But I wouldn't be surprised to see this come in again all tacked together and ready for its closeup for it's feature on the blog next week.

 

Now tell me this isn't a gorgeous window.   Brenda added another straight border to frame out this Beveled Cross Window and I have to say the the end effect is nothing short of spectacular.  Just two colors alternating outwards make this a very elegant design.  She did a wonderful job lining everything up because it looks perfectly symmetrical to me so I'm giving it two thumbs up before it's even completely soldered!  Wait until you see this when it's completed.

 

 

Cindy resumed work on her Star and Blue Bonnets window.  Her pattern has been adjusted to fit into the new size and she's about to begin cutting flowers.  Sadly, her Waterlilies suncatcher met with an untimely demise.  The pieces slid out of her hand and literally crashed onto the ground.  The flowers themselves are intact but there's nothing left of the water to speak of.  Therefore, when we see it again it will have new blue glass cut for the water.

 

Martha's making major headway on her own Beveled Cross windows.   She's got four of her backgrounds cut and ground with a fifth one just about completed. That means that she'll most likely be cutting borders when she returns.  To make things go nice and easy Martha has cut the backgrounds to the exact size of the crosses.  This will negate extra space in the window's background and make them actually seem fuller than larger windows made with the same sized cross.  In other words, these are going to make great gifts.

 

 

 

And speaking of crosses, Mary ended up selecting a new background glass for her Beveled Cross Window because it's been 2+ weeks and her background glass is still back ordered.  She's gone with clear Artique Glass surrounded with a clear granite backed glass which will certainly make the beveled cross sparkle.  With everything cut and fitting this well already I doubt that Mary will have much grinding to do before this gets wrapped and tacked together.

 

Mary Grace is all tacked together now.  Or should I say her window is!  Like Cindy she had a bit of a problem this week when her window took a header into the grass.  Luckily only one piece broke and all the King's horses and all the King's men managed to get Mary Grace's Window back together again.  She'll be soldering this when she comes back in for sure.

 

Shelley started her newest window and I have to say that her cutting has come a long way.  With all of the sand just about cut out she'll be moving on to the water, sun and sky next.  When this beach scene is completed Shelley will paint names onto the buckets along with footprints in the sand to represent her grandchildren.

 

Terry's lamp is completed so she has two irons back in the fire this week.  With her Deer Window almost completed (all it needs now is solder on the back side) she decided to do the lead work at home.  While she was in class she started working on a Cross Window of her own very similar to what Martha is making.  It a very nice shade of seafoam green that really adds to the crosses distinctiveness.  All it needs now is a border so I'm expecting both of these to be completed real soon now.

 

Wrapping things up we look at the same picture that we saw last week of Susan's Panel lamp.  The reason we're looking at an old picture is because Susan cut and run without saying that she was packing up which meant that I didn't get a picture of the fourth side of her lamp.  Punishment for running out on us involves listening to un-danceable elevator music all during class next week.  She's really gonna hate that.  :-)

I promise to have the second installment of our 'Return To Suncathers' lesson in the opening paragraph of the Blog next week.  Everything is coming to a head all at once here in the shop and the place has been nothing but hopping!
 
Paul
Bayou Salé GlassWorks