Thursday, August 19, 2010

TRY A NEW CRAFT: Stained Glass at Stallings in Swartz Creek

Posted by Crystal

So, I've been trying a lot more artisan crafts lately.  Blockprinting.  Glass mosaics.  And now, stained glass.

I fell in love with glass during my glass mosaics class at the Flint Institute of Arts.  I finished my glass mosaic tray and will post pictures of it very soon.

But first, I want to tell you about my new craft!  I signed up for a 4 week course at Stallings Stained Glass in Swartz Creek just west of Flint.  Our first project is a Victorian Suncatcher.

I used a lightbox to trace the pattern onto my glass.  A suncatcher pattern was provided for this class, but you could draw your own.  It's important think carefully about where you want to place your pattern under the glass because the color variations in the glass can be an integral part of the design.

I used cutters, braker/grozers and running pliers to cut the shapes out.  It's a good idea to cut the pieces into rectangles first and then cut out the shapes.

Starting at the top, pin the pieces into place as you work your way down.  The pattern is pinned to a work board to keep everything in place.  I know that this picture doesn't describe these steps exactly, but you get the idea.

If the pieces have jagged edges or don't fit together well, just grind them into shape.

Finally, all the pieces are pinned into place.  Next step: Soldering!  Stay tuned.... 

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